Bled or Cortina d'Ampezzo?

Neither has a coast, but Bled offers real swimming and Cortina does not. Lake Bled warms up in high summer, and people bathe from the lido below the castle, the shallow western end near Velika Zaka and the rocks along the path, with colder, wilder Bohinj nearby as an alternative.

In Cortina the lakes are for looking at. Ghedina and Pianozes stay cold all year, so anything more than a brave dip means a hotel pool.

Cortina eats noticeably better. Its wealthy visitors support a handful of ambitious kitchens and wine bars, and Ampezzan dishes such as casunziei with poppy seeds are best eaten on a rifugio terrace high among the peaks.

Bled is mostly hotel dining rooms and pizzerias, plus kremšnita on a lakeside terrace and some trout or žlikrofi at the inns. The better meals are out in the valley farm inns or in Ljubljana. Neither place has much variety, but Cortina rewards a few days of eating where Bled does not.

Both are small resorts where the sights take a day at most, but the heritage is quite different. Bled's is a picture-postcard set piece: the cliff-top castle with its small museum and printing workshop, and the pletna boat ride to the baroque island church with its wishing bell.

Cortina offers more to dig into but fewer famous images. There is the Rimoldi art collection, the fossil and ethnography museums and the 1956 Olympic ice stadium, and above all the First World War tunnels and trenches on Lagazuoi and the Cinque Torri, which are seen on a mountain day rather than a stroll.

Neither is a place for nights out, but Cortina at least has a few. In the peak ski weeks the après-ski drinks, the passeggiata on the Corso Italia and a couple of late bars and clubs draw a smart Italian crowd.

Bled amounts to a terrace drink and a walk along the lit shore, and the village is asleep before midnight all year. For anything livelier you would have to go to Ljubljana.

Both are superb mountain bases, but Cortina's setting is grander. The pale Dolomite walls of the Tofane and Cristallo rise straight from the valley, lifts carry you onto the peaks, and the Tre Cime, the Alta Via 1, historic via ferrata and the Dolomiti Superski area are all on the doorstep.

Bled is gentler and more varied. You get the level lake circuit, the Vintgar Gorge walkways and short climbs to Ojstrica and Osojnica, with Triglav National Park, Bohinj and the Soča valley beyond, plus rafting on the Sava. It is better for mixed-ability walkers, while Cortina is the place for big days at altitude.

Bled is the far better base for outings beyond the mountains. Ljubljana is under an hour away, medieval Radovljica is next door, and the Postojna cave, Predjama Castle, Piran on the Adriatic and Austrian Carinthia all make easy days out.

From Cortina most excursions lead back into the peaks. South Tyrolean towns such as San Candido and Brunico are pleasant, and Bolzano with its Iceman is about two hours away, but Venice makes a long, tiring day.

Bled has the edge for families, especially in summer. Children can row out to the island, swim from shallow lidos, ride the toboggan on Straža hill and push a buggy or bike along the flat lake path.

Cortina is a strong choice for families who ski, with its ski schools, beginner slopes at Socrepes and public skating at the Olympic stadium, but there is less to do in summer and the costs mount quickly. Neither town has indoor attractions for a wet day.

Both centres are small enough to walk, but Bled is better connected. Buses run to Ljubljana and Bohinj, and trains stop at Lesce-Bled and on the scenic Bohinj line, although the high trailheads and the Vršič pass still really call for a car.

Cortina has had no railway since 1964, so arriving means a coach from Venice or a long drive. Beyond the winter ski buses, local services to the passes and Misurina are thin, and many visitors end up hiring a car.

Cortina is a genuine shopping stop, even if it is only one street. The Corso Italia has fashion houses, jewellers, furriers and ski wear, along with the old multi-storey Cooperativa and shops for wood carving and filigree.

Bled has a handful of lakeside stalls selling honey, lace and painted beehive panels, plus a supermarket, and nothing more.

Bled is pricey for Slovenia, but much cheaper than Cortina. Villages around the lake, the campsite, or a bed in Radovljica or Bohinj keep the bill reasonable, and the paths and viewpoints cost nothing.

Cortina charges luxury-resort rates in the winter peak and in August, and lift passes and equipment hire add more. The best savings come from rifugio meals and from early summer or late September stays.

There is little to see in either place, though Cortina's summer is slightly richer. Its chamber and classical festivals bring concerts to churches and sometimes out into the mountains.

Bled has only the occasional castle or church concert and folk evenings for visitors, so anyone set on opera or theatre heads to Ljubljana.

Bled is the more naturally restful of the two. Its spa-resort past goes back to Arnold Rikli's air and sun cures, and lakeside hotel pools are fed by mild springs, some of which take day guests. Early walks around still water are part of the cure.

Cortina's wellness lives in hotel spas, with saunas, hay baths and post-ski massages, and in quiet hut terraces in June and September. The peak-season traffic takes away much of the calm.