Bologna or Geneva?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Geneva brings the water to you. In summer you can dive off the Bains des Pâquis jetty with the Jet d'Eau in view, or lie on the lawns at Genève-Plage, all within the city. The season is short and the shore is more lido than sand.

From Bologna, swimming means a train of about an hour to Rimini or Cervia, where the Adriatic is warmer and shallow but the shore is lined with rows of rented sunbeds. It works as a day out in a heatwave, not as part of daily life.

Food is one of the main reasons to choose Bologna. Tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini in brodo and mortadella are made with care in old osterie, the Quadrilatero lanes are a working food market, and Parmigiano and balsamic vinegar are made less than an hour away. Its one weakness is range, since almost everything is Emilian.

Geneva has the wider international choice and polished fine dining in Carouge and the Old Town, along with lake perch, fondue and local Chasselas. But it lacks casual, cheap eating, and a meal there is rarely the highlight of the day in the way it is in Bologna.

Bologna's appeal is a whole medieval city in red brick, with UNESCO-listed porticoes, the Two Towers, the seven churches of Santo Stefano and the anatomical theatre of Europe's oldest university. Walking its streets is the sightseeing.

Geneva's sights tell a different story, of Calvin's Reformation and modern diplomacy: St Pierre Cathedral, the Reformation Wall, the Palais des Nations, the Red Cross Museum and CERN. They are interesting, but they are scattered and less atmospheric than Bologna's old centre. Each city needs two or three days.

Bologna goes out more. Its large student population crowds the bars around Piazza Verdi and keeps the small taverns of Via del Pratello busy until late, after an aperitivo start in the Quadrilatero. The tone is informal and cheap rather than stylish, and August is very quiet once the students have gone.

Geneva's nights are lower-key and costly. The Pâquis has late bars, Carouge has wine terraces and the alternative centres around Plainpalais hold a small electronic scene, but weeknights are quiet and summer drinking by the lake is often the best of it.

Geneva is far better for the outdoors. Mont Blanc shows at the end of the lake on clear days, the Salève cable car leads to cliffs and paragliding, the Jura ridge gives forest hikes and cross-country skiing, and Chamonix's high Alps are about an hour away. The lake adds sailing and rowing.

Bologna has pleasant green hills on its doorstep, with the walk to San Luca, the gypsum caves of the Parco dei Gessi and the start of the Via degli Dei to Florence. The real mountains and modest skiing at Corno alle Scale are further off, and the plain to the north is flat.

Both are excellent bases, but Bologna has the edge in quick, rich outings. Florence is barely half an hour by fast train, and Ravenna's mosaics, Ferrara, Modena and Parma are all short hops, with Verona and Venice also within reach. Few cities put so many major art towns this close.

Geneva's outings are more varied in landscape: lake steamers to Lausanne, the Lavaux vineyard terraces and Chillon at Montreux, a boat to medieval Yvoire, and Annecy across the French border. Gruyères and Bern fill longer days.

Geneva is a little easier with children. Its Natural History Museum, with floor after floor of animal dioramas, can hold young children for hours, and the lakeside playgrounds, small animal enclosures and yellow harbour boats fill out the days. Trams take pushchairs easily.

Bologna's flat, car-free centre, shady porticoes and simple pasta and gelato make it pleasant, and climbing the Asinelli tower is an adventure for older children. Otherwise the sights are aimed at adults, the summer heat is hard on small children, and families often add Mirabilandia or Rimini. Neither city has a zoo or aquarium.

Geneva's public transport is the smoother of the two. Punctual trams and buses, harbour boats on the same network and a train that reaches the airport in a few minutes make it simple to reach CERN, the international district or the French suburbs.

Bologna has no metro and relies on buses, but it hardly needs more, because almost everything is in a small, flat centre you cover on foot under the porticoes. Its great asset is the central station, linking to the rest of northern Italy.

Geneva is a serious shopping city if your interest is watches and jewellery, with the major Swiss houses lined up along the Rue du Rhône. Old Town chocolatiers, Carouge's craft workshops and the Plainpalais flea market add a more modest side.

In Bologna, most people come home with food: mortadella, aged Parmigiano and fresh tortellini from the Quadrilatero. Via Farini and the Galleria Cavour have a small cluster of luxury fashion, and the university quarter has bookshops and vintage stores, but it is browsing rather than a reason to come.

Bologna costs far less. Trattoria cooking, aperitivo with food and local wine by the glass are good value, the main sights are free churches and squares, and you can walk everywhere. Rooms are the main cost, especially during trade fairs.

Geneva is among the most expensive cities in the world to visit, with high prices for rooms, meals and even a glass of wine. Free museums, free local transport for hotel guests and cheap lake lidos help, and many visitors save by staying or eating in France.

The two are evenly matched but differ in style. Bologna, a UNESCO City of Music, pairs the opera and ballet of the historic Teatro Comunale with basement jazz clubs most nights and student indie gigs, so it is the better place for casual live music.

Geneva is stronger on formal concerts: the Grand Théâtre's opera and ballet, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in the gilded Victoria Hall, and concerts and dance in the old pumping station on the Rhône. Both cities fill summer evenings with open-air music.

Geneva is the more restful stay. In winter the Bains des Pâquis becomes a sauna and hammam, with plunges into the cold lake, the lakefront hotels have serious spas, and the quiet lakeside promenades and very calm Sundays help you unwind. Évian is easy to reach.

Bologna has thermal water nearby, at Castel San Pietro Terme and in the green valley of Porretta Terme, but the city itself is noisier and the summer heat is heavy. Relaxation there mostly means a long lunch under the porticoes.