Brno or Zakopane?

Neither town is a place for a beach vacation, and neither has a sea within reach. Brno's swimming is a city affair: the reservoir on the Svratka, reached by tram and river boat, with grassy banks and small beaches, though algae can spoil it in hot spells.

In Zakopane the cold mountain lakes are off limits to bathers, so visitors swim in the warm thermal pools in the nearby villages instead, which work in any season and are a different sort of swim altogether.

Both towns serve heavy, filling regional food, and in both fine dining is thin. Brno stands out more for what is in the glass: lager from Starobrno, Moravian whites and Frankovka from vineyards just south, careful specialty coffee and cocktail bars.

Zakopane is about the plate and the setting. Grilled oscypek with cranberry jam from street stalls, sauerkraut soup and lamb in timber inns with open fires and fiddlers, and cheese straight from shepherds' huts give it a stronger sense of place, if a narrower range.

Brno has much more to see. Villa Tugendhat leads a rich spread of interwar modernism, and Spilberk Castle, the Gothic cathedral, the crypts and the Mendel Museum make two or three full days.

Zakopane's heritage is small but its own: the timber Zakopane style at Villa Koliba and the Jaszczurówka chapel, the Tatra Museum and the carved grave markers of the Old Church cemetery. One day is enough before the mountains take over.

Brno makes for the better night out, built on students and drinking rather than dancing: hidden cocktail bars, wine bars and beer cellars around Jakubske namesti that stay full late during term. It goes quiet in July and August.

Zakopane runs on the opposite calendar. Krupówki's pubs and clubs come alive on winter weekends and in the ski season with après-ski groups, but midweek and in the off season the town turns in early, as do the hikers.

This is Zakopane's great strength. Granite peaks, cirques and glacial lakes start at the edge of town, with everything from flat valleys full of spring crocuses to the chained ridge of Orla Perć, plus skiing in winter and rafting on the Dunajec nearby.

Brno's outdoors are gentler and lower. The Moravian Karst, with its caves and the boat ride below the Macocha Abyss, is the highlight, and the Palava hills and Podyji suit walking and cycling, but there are no mountains at all.

Brno has the richer choice of outings. The Lednice-Valtice estate, the Austerlitz battlefield, Kromeriz, Trebic and Telc are all close, and Vienna, Bratislava and Olomouc fit into a day by train.

Zakopane has fine trips too, including Kraków and the Wieliczka salt mine, the painted wooden church at Dębno and Spiš Castle across the Slovak border. They are fewer, mostly by road, and weekend traffic can lengthen them badly.

Zakopane is the more fun of the two for children who like being outside. The funicular to Gubałówka with its summer toboggan run, pushchair-friendly valley trails, sledging and nursery slopes in winter, and thermal water parks for rainy days fill a week.

Brno is safe and easy but offers less made for children: the VIDA science centre, the hillside zoo and the planetarium. The best outing, the underground boat ride in the Punkva Caves, is out of town.

Brno is far simpler. A compact, largely pedestrianised centre, a dense tram network and one ticket that also covers regional trains mean even the day trips need no car.

Zakopane's centre is walkable and minibuses reach the trailheads easily, but getting there is the problem. The road jams at peak times and the train from Kraków is slow, while parking in town is hard.

Neither is a shopping destination, but they send you home with different things. Brno has the usual chains plus a few vintage and design shops, and its best buy is Moravian wine from the cellars. Zakopane offers highland crafts at the Gubałówka market: wool sweaters, sheepskins, carved boxes and wheels of oscypek.

Both are inexpensive by European standards, but the pressure points differ. In Brno, big trade fairs at the exhibition grounds can fill hotels, while cheap lunch menus, beer and transport keep daily costs low.

Zakopane is a resort, so prices rise at Christmas, New Year, the winter school breaks and on long summer weekends. Spring and autumn are its cheapest seasons.

Brno is the place for an evening at the theatre. Janacek's operas anchor the National Theatre's programme, and the Mahen Theatre, the historic Reduta, the Philharmonic and a festival devoted to the composer add a lot for a city its size.

Zakopane's stage life is smaller and folk-rooted: the Witkacy Theatre, highland string bands in the inns, and the August festival of mountain folklore, with classical concerts only now and then.

Brno has no thermal springs and no spa tradition. Rest there means saunas at the public swimming complexes, a few day spas, café afternoons and slow walks in Luzanky park or on the Spilberk slopes.

Zakopane is far better for unwinding. It grew into a health resort in the 19th century on the strength of its mountain air, and hot water rising under the Podhale valley feeds the thermal complexes at Chochołów, Białka Tatrzańska and Bukowina, where outdoor pools steam in the snow below the peaks. For a calm stay, pick a guesthouse on the quieter slopes, because the crowds on Krupówki in high season are anything but restful.