Bologna or Monaco?

Bologna is inland, and swimming plays no part in a stay there. The nearest sea is the Romagna Riviera around Rimini, about an hour by train, where the Adriatic is warm but shallow and often green, and the shore is lined with rows of rented sunbeds.

Monaco has the sea at its feet, though not much sand. Larvotto is short and groomed but has clear, calm water, and the coves of Cap d'Ail and the longer beaches of Menton and Nice are close by. If swimming matters to the trip, Monaco is far better placed.

This is Bologna's strongest ground. Tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini in brodo and mortadella are made with care in old osterie, the Quadrilatero lanes are full of delicatessens, and Parmigiano and balsamic vinegar come from towns nearby. The cooking is heavy and almost entirely Emilian, but it is the real thing at everyday prices.

Monaco eats at the top end, in starred hotel dining rooms and harbour terraces where the view counts as much as the plate. The Riviera cooking of fish, olive oil and herbs is lighter, and barbagiuan from the Condamine market is a good local snack. Casual eating is scarce, which is why many visitors go to Menton or Nice for an ordinary meal.

Bologna has much more to see. Its entire medieval brick centre is the main attraction: the porticoes that UNESCO lists, San Petronio on Piazza Maggiore, the Two Towers and the seven churches of Santo Stefano. Add the anatomical theatre in the Archiginnasio and the Bolognese painting in the Pinacoteca, and you have two or three full days.

Monaco's sights are fewer and more polished. On the Rock you find the Prince's Palace, the cathedral with Grace Kelly's tomb and the Oceanographic Museum on its cliff. Across the harbour are the Casino and the Belle Époque hotels of Monte-Carlo. A day or two covers it, and the setting stays with you longer than the history.

Bologna's nights are cheaper, looser and more varied, thanks to its huge student population. Crowds spill out of bars around Piazza Verdi, Via del Pratello's taverns stay busy late, and wine bars near the Quadrilatero suit an older crowd. Clubs are out of town, and the city goes quiet in August.

Monaco is about dressing up for hotel bars on the Casino square and glossy clubs along Larvotto and the port. It comes alive in summer and on Grand Prix weekend, but it is calm for the rest of the year, with no pubs or dive bars to fall back on.

Monaco has the more dramatic surroundings. Limestone mountains rise straight from the sea, old mule paths climb from Èze-sur-Mer to the village above, and the Tête de Chien looks down over the whole principality. The clear water also allows snorkelling, diving and paddleboarding, which Bologna cannot offer.

Bologna's outdoors are gentler. The Colli Bolognesi and the arcaded climb to San Luca give easy hill walks from the centre, the Parco dei Gessi has gypsum caves, and the Via degli Dei sets off over the Apennines towards Florence. North of the city the plain is flat farmland, better for cycling than for views.

Both make excellent bases, but Bologna has the stronger list. As the rail hub of northern Italy it puts Florence about half an hour away, Ravenna's mosaics and Ferrara's castle about an hour, Modena and Parma a short ride along the Via Emilia, and Venice, Verona and Padua within an hour and a half.

Monaco's trips follow a single coastline: Villefranche and Nice to the west, Menton to the east, Èze and La Turbie on the hill above, and Sanremo and Dolceacqua over the Italian border. These are mostly seaside towns and perched villages rather than great art cities, though Antibes and Saint-Paul-de-Vence add some painting.

Monaco gives children a bit more to do. The aquarium in the Oceanographic Museum, with its sharks and turtles, is a real draw, Larvotto's sheltered water suits small swimmers, and the palace guard and the yachts go down well. The downsides are formal restaurants and steep streets.

Bologna is easy with children, being flat, mostly closed to traffic and full of pasta and gelato, and older children enjoy climbing the Asinelli tower. Beyond that the sights are aimed at adults. Families tend to add a day at Mirabilandia or on the beach at Rimini, and the summer heat can wear out small children.

Both are compact enough to walk, and in both a car is more trouble than it is worth. The difference lies in the ground. Bologna's centre is flat, and its porticoes keep you out of the sun and rain, with buses for the hills and no metro.

Monaco is only about 3km long but climbs steeply from the sea. Free public lifts, escalators and a small harbour ferry take the strain once you know where they are. In both places the railway station is the real asset, leading to northern Italy from Bologna and along the Riviera from Monaco.

Neither is a shopping destination, and they appeal to different shoppers. In Bologna the best buys are edible: mortadella, aged Parmigiano and fresh tortellini from the Quadrilatero. Ordinary chains line Via dell'Indipendenza, the Montagnola market and the Santo Stefano antiques market add some browsing, and the university quarter has vintage shops and bookshops.

Monaco is almost entirely luxury. The fashion houses, jewellers and watchmakers of the Carré d'Or can be walked in a quarter of an hour, and window-shopping is part of the Monte-Carlo scene, but there are no chains or flea markets worth mentioning.

The gap here is huge. Bologna is mid-priced for Western Europe: trattoria meals, aperitivo with food and local wine all cost less than in Italy's big tourist cities, and most churches are free. Hotels are the main cost, especially when a trade fair fills the city.

Monaco is one of the most expensive places in the world to visit, with hotels, meals and even coffee priced for the very wealthy. The free lifts and walks around the Rock help only a little, and many visitors sleep in Beausoleil, Menton or Nice and come in for the day.

The two are broadly level but differ in kind. Bologna's scene runs through the year at street level: opera and concerts at the historic Teatro Comunale, jazz in basement clubs most nights, student gigs in small venues, and summer films and concerts in Piazza Maggiore.

Monaco offers prestige on a seasonal calendar. The Monte-Carlo Opera plays in the gilded Salle Garnier, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and the Philharmonic have international names, and most performances fall between winter and spring. On an ordinary night, though, there is nowhere small to wander into.

Monaco is the more restful choice. A large thalassotherapy centre beside the Casino has heated seawater pools and treatments, several grand hotels have big spas, and the Japanese Garden and the ramparts of the Rock are good for a slow morning. Grand Prix week and busy summer weekends are the exceptions.

Bologna has no bathing culture of its own, its university quarter is noisy, and its summers are heavy. Its thermal water lies outside the city, at Castel San Pietro Terme and the old spa town of Porretta Terme in the Apennines, which are good for a calm half day.