Bratislava or Innsbruck?

Neither city is a swimming destination, and both rely on lakes for a short summer season. In Bratislava the appeal is sand and convenience: Zlate piesky has a sandy shore you can reach by tram, and the larger Senec lakes are half an hour out.

Innsbruck's lakes are more about the setting. The small, shallow Lanser See and Natterer See warm up on the plateaus above town, while the Achensee is clear and beautiful but too cool for many swimmers.

Both kitchens are hearty and Central European, and neither has much range beyond that. The difference lies in what is in the glass and where you eat. Bratislava's strength is wine: Veltliner, Riesling and Frankovka from vineyards at the edge of the city, alongside halusky with sheep's cheese and beer from small brewpubs.

In Innsbruck the best meals are up the mountain, Gröstl or Kaspressknödel at a hut reached by cable car, with strudel in a coffee house back in town. Its wine comes in from elsewhere. In both cities, the restaurants on the main sightseeing squares are best skipped.

Innsbruck has the stronger set of sights. Maximilian's tomb in the Hofkirche, ringed by its bronze figures, the Hofburg, the Golden Roof and Ambras Castle with its cabinet of curiosities give the Habsburg story real depth, and two good museums back them up.

Bratislava's Old Town is pretty, and its centuries as the coronation city of Hungarian kings make a fine story, traced in brass crowns along the pavement. Still, the castle museum, the Blue Church and the ruins of Devin take only a day or two, and nothing there quite matches the Hofkirche.

Bratislava's night out is a weekend pub crawl through the Old Town, where pubs, wine bars and cocktail bars run into one another on Fridays and Saturdays. Low drink prices bring in groups and stag parties from abroad, and midweek the same streets go quiet.

Innsbruck's scene is led by students and centres on the brick arches under the railway viaduct, where bars and small clubs stay open late at weekends. In winter much of the partying moves out to après-ski in the resorts. Neither city is worth planning a trip around for the nights out.

This is where the two cities differ most. Innsbruck has the high Alps on its doorstep. A funicular and cable cars climb to a ridge near 2,300m, the Karwendel lies behind it and the Stubai has glaciers, and skiing, via ferratas, mountain biking and paragliding all start from the same base.

Bratislava's outdoors are gentle by comparison. There are beech-wood trails up to Kamzik in the Little Carpathians, steppe meadows on Devinska Kobyla, Danube floodplain forest and a flat cycle route into Austria. They are pleasant for a walk or a ride, but real mountains are a full day's journey away.

Both make good bases, but Bratislava has the edge because a world capital is only an hour away: Vienna, by train or by boat up the Danube. Add the Small Carpathian wine villages, Trnava, Lednice-Valtice and Carnuntum, and three countries are within easy reach.

Innsbruck also reaches across borders. Hall in Tirol is ten minutes away, Bolzano and Merano lie over the Brenner, and Munich and Salzburg are just under two hours by train. Its bigger outings take longer, though, and the Bavarian castles really need a car.

Innsbruck is the easier choice with children. The Alpenzoo, with its ibex and lynx, is on the funicular line. In summer the mountains have adventure trails and playgrounds by the huts, and the plateau lakes suit a family swim. In winter there are ski schools on gentle slopes.

Bratislava is safe and calm. Children can spot the bronze statues in the pedestrian Old Town, play in the Kamzik forest park and enjoy the Senec water park as the big treat, but ideas run thin after two or three days. Neither city has big attractions built for children, so rainy days need planning in both.

Both centres are walkable, but Innsbruck works more smoothly. Its flat centre, central station and trams are easy to use, and the funicular from the edge of the old town turns a trip into the mountains into a short hop.

Bratislava's sights also sit within a short walk, though the castle means a steep climb and the station is uphill from the Old Town. With no metro, trips across the river or out to the suburbs take longer than you might expect, and the wine villages are easier by car.

Neither city is a shopping destination, and each fills an afternoon at most. What you buy differs. Bratislava offers Small Carpathian wine and folk crafts such as Modra majolica and blue-print cloth, with Vienna close by for fashion. Innsbruck offers loden jackets, dirndls, Speck, schnapps and excellent outdoor and ski gear.

Bratislava is clearly the cheaper stay. Beer, wine, transport and museums cost little, weekday pub lunches are filling, and a modest budget covers a central room and good meals once you step away from the main squares.

Innsbruck has Western European prices plus an Alpine premium, highest in ski season and around the Christmas markets, and cable car tickets soon add up. Travelling in spring or autumn and using the city cards helps, but it is not a cheap base.

Both cities offer a solid programme of a similar standard, and the difference is mostly the season. Bratislava's is built on opera and ballet at the Slovak National Theatre and Slovak Philharmonic concerts in the Reduta, at their best from autumn to spring, with Vienna close by for more.

Innsbruck's high point comes in summer, when the Festival of Early Music fills historic rooms such as the Spanish Hall at Ambras. Folk evenings with yodelling and brass add a regional touch.

Neither has thermal baths in town, but Innsbruck is the better place to unwind. Hotel spas in Igls and the plateau villages come with mountain views, an evening at a hut slows the pace, and the large thermal complexes in the Ötztal and Zillertal are about an hour away.

Bratislava has calm cafés, walks along the Danube and quiet forest paths, plus hotel spas. For proper bathing you go out to the Senec water park or the historic spa town of Piestany.