Brno or Cesky Krumlov?

Neither is a place for a beach vacation, but Cesky Krumlov has the slightly better summer swim. Lipno, half an hour's drive into the Bohemian Forest, is a large lake with sandy and grassy shores and room for sailing and windsurfing.

Brno's option is its reservoir on the Svratka, reached by tram and river boat, with small beaches that can suffer from algae in hot spells. The Nove Mlyny lakes an hour south are the alternative.

Brno eats and drinks with more range. Beyond the svickova and goulash of its beer halls, it has a strong specialty coffee culture, carefully made cocktails, Moravian whites and Frankovka reds poured by the glass, a few modern bistros and the produce market on Zelny trh.

Cesky Krumlov keeps to South Bohemian cooking: roast duck, river trout and forest game in vaulted cellars and on riverside terraces, with the town's own beer the highlight. Many menus aim at day-trippers, so meals are pleasant rather than memorable.

Cesky Krumlov has the stronger pull, because the whole place is the sight: an intact UNESCO townscape below one of the country's largest castles, with the Cloak Bridge and a Baroque castle theatre that still has its original stage machinery. Its museums are small, and the best of it shows early or late, once the tour buses have gone.

Brno's culture is scattered and more specialised. Villa Tugendhat and the interwar functionalist buildings around it draw architecture lovers, while Spilberk, the cathedral, the Capuchin Crypt and the Mendel Museum fill out two or three days.

Brno is far livelier after dark. Its students fill the bars around Jakubske namesti during term, and the hidden cocktail bars, wine bars and cellar pubs make for long evenings, though clubbing stays modest and July and August are quieter.

Cesky Krumlov offers a beer by the river and a few backpacker cellars, with no clubs at all and lanes that empty early outside summer.

Cesky Krumlov has the outdoors on its doorstep. Canoe and raft trips start in town and drift through wooded meanders, the Bohemian Forest national park begins half an hour away, Klet hill looks towards the Alps on clear days, and winter brings cross-country skiing.

From Brno the highlight is the Moravian Karst, where a boat follows an underground river below the Macocha Abyss. The Palava ridge, Podyji's Dyje valley and vineyard cycle routes lie south, but each one takes a trip out rather than a stroll from the hotel.

Brno is the stronger base by some way. Lednice-Valtice, Austerlitz, Kromeriz, Trebic, Telc and Zelena Hora are all within a couple of hours, Olomouc and the Mikulov and Znojmo wine towns are easy days, and both Vienna and Bratislava are reachable by train.

Cesky Krumlov has a good handful nearby: the arcaded square of České Budějovice, Hluboká's white castle, the farmhouses of Holašovice and the monastery at Zlatá Koruna. Most need a car, and Prague is too far for a comfortable day.

Brno has more made for children: the VIDA science centre, a zoo on a wooded hillside, mammoths at the Anthropos pavilion and a planetarium on Kravi hora, plus the cave boat in the Moravian Karst.

Cesky Krumlov feels like a fairy tale, with bears in the castle moat and gentle raft trips, but its steep cobbled lanes are hard going with a pushchair and the castle tours are aimed at adults. Lipno's treetop walk helps fill a day.

Both centres take about a quarter of an hour to cross on foot, so the difference shows once you leave them. Brno's dense tram network runs on one ticket that also covers regional trains across South Moravia, which makes car-free day trips simple.

Cesky Krumlov's cobbles and castle climb are the only effort in town, but bus and train links beyond České Budějovice are thin, and most visitors hire a car or join tours to reach the forest and castles.

Neither is worth the trip for shopping, though Brno has more of it: chain stores along Ceska and Masarykova, malls, and a few independent design, vintage and book shops in the old-town arcades. Moravian wine bought from the cellars is the best thing to take home.

Cesky Krumlov sells souvenirs: Bohemian glass, garnet jewellery, marionettes and the local green moldavite, with a few ceramics workshops.

Both are good value, and the costs come from different places. Brno is cheap overall, with very good weekday lunch menus, inexpensive beer and wine and low museum and transport prices, although big trade fairs can fill its hotels.

In Cesky Krumlov the family guesthouses and Czech meals are fair, but rooms with castle views, restaurants on the main lanes and the separately priced castle tours add up. Staying outside the centre or visiting out of summer brings costs down.

Brno is far ahead, thanks to Janáček. The National Theatre Brno runs opera and ballet at the Janacek Theatre, drama at the ornate Mahen Theatre and performances at the historic Reduta, and the Brno Philharmonic plays a full season. Its Janáček festival is a major musical event.

Cesky Krumlov's stage life is mostly summer only: the castle garden's revolving open-air theatre and a classical festival in the castle and churches. The rest of the year there is little to see.

Neither town has thermal springs, so relaxation means something different in each. Brno offers swimming complexes with saunas, a few day spas and calm afternoons in Luzanky park.

Cesky Krumlov's offer is stillness once the day visitors leave, a few hotel wellness rooms and beer baths, and Třeboň's peat baths within reach for a day.