Cambridge or Cologne?

Neither city has a beach, and the nearest coast is too far for a casual day in both cases, so swimming is a summer afternoon's sideline either way. In Cambridge it means the 1920s Jesus Green Lido or a dip in the Cam at Grantchester Meadows.

Cologne's version is the flooded gravel pits on the city's edge, such as Fühlinger See and Otto-Maigler-See, with grassy banks, patches of sand and lake water that warms to about 22°C. The Rhine itself is for sitting beside, not swimming in.

Cologne gives food more to work with, mainly because of the Brauhaus. The Kölsch ritual, with Köbes topping up small glasses until you cover yours with a beer mat, comes with Rhineland dishes like Himmel un Ääd and the Halve Hahn, and Venloer Strasse in Ehrenfeld adds good Turkish and Middle Eastern cooking.

Cambridge has nothing so particular. Its best moments are a beamed riverside pub with a Sunday roast, scones in a tea room and the stalls on Market Hill, with Mill Road for Asian and Mediterranean food. It is comfortable, but a couple of days covers it.

The two are close in depth but differ in shape. Cambridge's strength is a whole historic townscape: eight centuries of courts and chapels along the Backs, with King's College Chapel, Trinity's Great Court and the Wren Library side by side, and the Fitzwilliam's collection on top. Some colleges charge and close around exams.

Cologne offers great single monuments in a largely rebuilt city. The cathedral and its Shrine of the Three Kings, the ring of Romanesque churches and the Roman remains carry real weight, and Museum Ludwig's twentieth-century art has no counterpart in Cambridge. You move between landmarks rather than wander through an unbroken old quarter.

This is where the two differ most. Cologne enjoys going out: brewhouse evenings lead on to Belgian Quarter bars, the packed Zülpicher Strasse student strip, factory clubs in Ehrenfeld and a large, open gay scene around Rudolfplatz. Carnival turns the entire city into a party for days.

Cambridge evenings are mostly about the pub, whether a historic inn or a riverside garden in summer, with livelier bars on Regent Street and Mill Road. Its small clubs follow the university terms and go quiet in the long summer break, and a big night out means London.

Both cities are flat, but Cologne has much more within reach. The Siebengebirge's wooded volcanic hills and the Drachenfels are about forty minutes away, and the Eifel's national park, crater lakes and Ahr vineyards make proper day hikes. Closer in, the Grüngürtel and long Rhine cycle paths suit walks and runs.

Cambridge's outdoors is gentler and smaller in scale: punting through the Backs, the towpath to Grantchester over cattle-grazed meadows, and birdwatching at Wicken Fen. It is lovely for an afternoon, but the hills are missing.

Both make excellent bases. What differs is the kind of trip. From Cambridge, London is under an hour by train, Ely Cathedral is a quarter of an hour away, and Suffolk's timber-framed wool towns, Norwich and grand National Trust estates fill out a very English list, some of it easier by car.

Cologne's fast trains reach several cities and even other countries. Bonn, Düsseldorf, Aachen and Brühl's palaces are all close, the castle-lined Rhine Gorge is an easy day, and Maastricht, Liège and Brussels are within range across the border.

Cologne gives children more to do. Its old zoo with an elephant park, the Chocolate Museum's fountain, the cable car over the Rhine and, above all, Phantasialand at Brühl can fill a week. Brewhouses and cafés are relaxed about children, though Carnival is best avoided with little ones.

Cambridge is small, safe and green, and punting, the whale skeleton at the free Museum of Zoology and the aircraft at Duxford go down well. But the colleges are hushed and grown-up, and with no zoo or theme park a few days is enough.

On foot, Cambridge is hard to beat. The colleges, market, museums and river are a short walk apart in a largely pedestrian centre, and for anything further, such as Grantchester, people hire a bike. The station is a walk or short bus ride from the middle, the buses are only adequate, and the country estates are easier with a car.

Cologne's arrival is easier, because the station sits right beside the cathedral. From there, trams, the partly underground Stadtbahn and S-Bahn trains reach Ehrenfeld, the Belgian Quarter, the zoo and the suburbs. The network map takes some learning and the trams can be crowded, but for most stays you can manage without a car.

Cologne is the bigger shopping city. Schildergasse and Hohe Strasse are among Germany's busiest high streets, Ehrenstrasse and the Belgian Quarter have independent fashion and design, and the historic Eau de Cologne houses and Advent Christmas markets give it something distinctly local.

Cambridge is smaller but has a character of its own, mostly through books: academic booksellers, second-hand dealers in the lanes, plus Market Hill crafts and Mill Road vintage. It is a pleasant extra to sightseeing rather than a reason to go.

Cologne is noticeably easier on the wallet. Hotel rooms are moderate in ordinary weeks, brewhouse meals cost less than in most capitals and the cathedral is free. The catch is trade-fair weeks and Carnival, when rooms become scarce, so check dates before booking.

Cambridge is expensive to sleep and eat in, with limited central hotels in steady demand. Free museums, free evensong and a centre that needs no transport help, and an out-of-term college room can be the best way to soften the cost.

Cologne has the fuller stage life: an opera company and drama theatre on Offenbachplatz, the Philharmonie beside the cathedral with two major orchestras, plus jazz, electronic music, gigs in Ehrenfeld and the Südstadt, and the dialect songs of the Carnival sessions.

Cambridge has a narrower but special offer. Hearing the choirs of King's, St John's or Trinity sing evensong in term is a world-class experience at no cost. The Arts Theatre, student comedy in the Footlights tradition and the summer Folk Festival add more, but there is no opera house.

Cologne has a real bathing culture. Large German sauna complexes with steam rooms and cold plunges are an ordinary local habit, a thermal bath in the Rheinpark looks across to the cathedral, and Aachen's hot springs are close by. Carnival and the busy centre are the opposite of restful, though.

Cambridge offers rest of a quieter, open-air kind: a punt on the river, the Botanic Garden, or tea in an orchard at Grantchester. Beyond hotel spas and the lido there is little dedicated wellness, and King's Parade gets crowded in summer.