Bled or Brno?

Neither has a sea, but Bled has a real swimming lake. In high summer the water reaches about 24°C, and people swim from grassy lidos, wooden piers and rocks along the shore path, sometimes all the way out to the island. Colder, wilder Bohinj is nearby for a change of scene.

Brno's version is the dammed Svratka reservoir, reached by tram and river boat, or the Nove Mlyny lakes an hour south. Either is fine for a hot afternoon, but algae can spoil the reservoir in a heatwave, and neither is something to plan a trip around.

In Bled, food means kremšnita on a lake terrace, then trout, žlikrofi or sausages in an inn or hotel dining room. Most of it is aimed at day visitors, and the better meals are out in the valley guesthouses or back in Ljubljana.

Brno has more to eat and much more to drink. Hearty Czech cooking comes with excellent lager in the beer halls, and Moravian whites and Frankovka reds from vineyards an hour south are poured by the glass. The specialty coffee is taken seriously and there are a few good modern bistros, although fine dining is thin.

You can see Bled's sights in a day: the castle on its cliff with a small museum and printing workshop, a pletna boat to the baroque island church and its wishing bell, and the old spa villas along the shore. They are memorable, but there are few of them.

Brno needs two or three days. Villa Tugendhat leads one of Europe's richest collections of interwar functionalist buildings. Around it are the Gothic cathedral, the Habsburg fortress of Spilberk, the Capuchin Crypt, the Moravian Gallery and the Mendel Museum in the abbey where genetics began.

Evenings in Bled mean a drink on a terrace and a walk along the lit shore, with no clubs and nothing open late.

Brno is a university city, and during term the bars around Jakubske namesti stay full well into the night. Its small, hidden cocktail bars are the speciality, and wine bars and student cellars cover the cheaper end. Clubbing is modest and the city goes quiet in July and August, but for a long night of drinks there is no contest.

This is Bled's great strength. The Julian Alps begin at the edge of the village, so the level lake circuit, the climbs to Ojstrica and Osojnica, the Vintgar Gorge, Lake Bohinj and the Pokljuka pastures are all close. You can also go rafting and canyoning on the Sava or paragliding, ski in winter, and drive over the Vršič pass to the Soča valley.

Brno's countryside is gentler. There are caves and wooded trails in the Moravian Karst, including the underground boat ride beneath the Macocha Abyss, and vineyard cycling towards the Palava hills and Podyji. These make good outings, but there are no mountains.

Both villages and city make good bases, though Brno has more within reach. From Bled, Ljubljana's castle, riverside old town and Plečnik architecture are under an hour away, and medieval Radovljica with its beekeeping museum is just down the road. The Postojna cave with cliff-built Predjama Castle and Venetian Piran on the Adriatic each fill a full day, and Villach and the Wörthersee are a short drive into Austria.

South Moravia is denser with heritage. The chateaux, follies and parkland of Lednice-Valtice and the Austerlitz battlefield at Slavkov are both under an hour from Brno, and Kromeriz, Trebic, Telc and the star-shaped church at Zelena Hora add four more UNESCO sites within an hour or two. Baroque Olomouc, the wine towns of Mikulov and Znojmo, and Vienna and Bratislava by train all fit into a day as well.

Bled is the better choice for children who like being outside. They can row to the island and ring the bell, swim from the shallow lidos, and ride the toboggan run or try the rope park on Straža, while the flat lake path suits pushchairs and small bikes. Rain is the weak spot, because there is nothing indoors to fall back on.

Brno has more for a wet day: the VIDA science centre, the zoo, the mammoths in the Anthropos pavilion and a planetarium, as well as the Punkva Caves boat ride. Cobbles and hills make it harder with a pushchair, though, and children get less of the outdoor freedom that Bled gives them.

Bled itself is just a walk around one lake, with buses to Ljubljana, Radovljica and Bohinj and trains from Lesce-Bled. The trailheads and passes of the Julian Alps are thinly served, though, so most visitors who want to explore end up hiring a car.

Brno is simpler. The centre is small and mostly pedestrianised, and dense trams and trolleybuses reach Villa Tugendhat, the zoo and the reservoir. The same ticket also covers regional trains, so a car is hardly needed even for day trips.

Neither is a shopping destination. In Bled, shopping barely goes beyond lakeside stalls of honey, lace and painted beehive panels. Brno at least has high-street chains on Ceska and Masarykova, malls, a few independent design and vintage shops, and Moravian wine to take home from cellars or the Zelny trh market.

Bled charges for its fame and its view, especially in July and August, and the island boats, the castle and the gorge all have entry fees. The lake path and mountain trails are free, and staying in Radovljica, Bohinj or at the campsite brings costs down.

Brno is clearly the cheaper stay. Hotels, weekday pub lunches, beer, local wine, transport and museum entry all cost little, and big trade fairs are the main thing that can fill its rooms.

Bled has no stage of its own, only occasional summer concerts in the castle or churches and folk evenings put on for visitors.

Brno is Janacek's city, and it shows. The National Theatre stages opera and ballet in the Janacek Theatre and drama in the ornate Mahen Theatre, and it also runs the Reduta, where the young Mozart played. Add the Philharmonic's season and a festival devoted to the composer. Opera, ballet and concerts get around the Czech language barrier best.

Bled grew up as a place for rest. Arnold Rikli ran air and sun cures here in the nineteenth century, mild springs warm the eastern end of the lake, and the large hotels have spas with indoor pools that day guests can sometimes use. Early walks by still water and slow boat rides do the rest.

Brno has no springs or spa tradition, just public pools with saunas, a few day spas and quiet afternoons in Luzanky park or on the Spilberk slopes.