Cesky Krumlov or Piran?

Piran is the only one of the two where swimming is part of daily life. You climb down ladders into the Adriatic from the old walls or the Punta, with the small pebble cove at Fiesa and the cliff-backed shore at Strunjan nearby. It still has little sand, and Portoroz has the only proper sunbed beach.

Cesky Krumlov has no swimming in town at all. The Vltava is for rafts and canoes, and the nearest water you can swim in is the Lipno reservoir in the Bohemian Forest. Lipno does have grassy and sandy shores, but it is only warm enough in July and August.

Neither town is a reason to travel for food, but Piran eats a little better. Grilled fish, squid and scampi buzara come with Istrian olive oil, truffles, Malvazija and Refosk, and its own salt is on every table.

Cesky Krumlov's cooking is heavier and more wintry: roast duck and pork with dumplings, svíčková and forest game, eaten in vaulted cellars. Its strong point is the local beer, while Piran's is the wine from the hills behind the coast.

Cesky Krumlov is the richer sightseeing town. One of the largest castles in the country stands over an intact Renaissance and Baroque townscape. The Cloak Bridge and a castle theatre with its original stage machinery give it something few places in Europe can match, and the Egon Schiele art centre adds a serious name.

Piran is just as pleasant to wander, but slighter. The Venetian Gothic lanes, oval Tartini Square and the view from St George's campanile and the town walls are the highlights, and the maritime museum and aquarium fill an afternoon at most.

Both are early-to-bed towns, though Piran has slightly more after dark. A sunset glass of wine on Tartini Square or the Punta is easy to find, and Portoroz, a few minutes along the shore, adds beach bars, a casino and a few summer clubs. Cesky Krumlov has only cellar pubs and busy riverside terraces in summer, and no clubs at all.

Cesky Krumlov has the better outdoors. The classic day is floating down the wooded Vltava by canoe, and the Bohemian Forest national park, half an hour away, has long walking and cycling routes and cross-country skiing in winter. Klet hill looks towards the Alps on clear days.

Piran's nature is coastal and smaller in scale. It has the flysch cliffs of Strunjan, the bird-filled lagoons of the Secovlje salt pans, kayaking along the shore and the Parenzana cycle path. Inland are the Karst and the Skocjan caves.

Piran is the better base for day trips, because three countries lie within easy reach. Trieste is under an hour away, the Istrian towns of Rovinj, Porec and Motovun are just over the border, and in summer boats cross to Venice. Predjama Castle and Ljubljana are also within a day.

Cesky Krumlov's trips stay within South Bohemia: the arcaded square of České Budějovice, the white castle at Hluboká, the farmhouses of Holašovice and the spa town of Třeboň. These make a few good days, but the region has less variety, and Prague is too far for a comfortable return trip.

Piran is a little easier with children. The seafront is flat and car-free, the sea is calm and warm in summer, and the shallow sandy beach at Portoroz is close by.

Cesky Krumlov has the bigger thrill, with bears in the castle moat, the tower climb and a gentle raft trip. On the other hand, its steep cobbles are hard with a pushchair, and the castle interiors are better suited to adults.

Both centres take about a quarter of an hour to cross on foot, but Piran is slightly easier. It is fully car-free and mostly flat along the water, and a shuttle bus links the edge-of-town garage and Portoroz. Cesky Krumlov makes you climb over cobbles to the castle and the hilltop railway station. In both places, getting into the countryside really calls for a hire car: Piran has no railway, and Cesky Krumlov's rural buses are thin.

Neither town is a shopping trip, and what you bring home is different in each. Cesky Krumlov sells Bohemian glass, garnets, marionettes and green moldavite stone. Piran's best buys are edible: salt flower from the Secovlje pans, Istrian olive oil and coastal wine.

Cesky Krumlov is clearly the cheaper stay. Family guesthouses in the old houses and Czech meals and beer stay moderately priced, though rooms with castle views and the separately ticketed castle tours cost more.

Piran charges more, especially in July and August, when old-town rooms are scarce and the waterfront restaurants charge for the view. Staying in Portoroz or coming outside the peak months helps, and swimming off the rocks costs nothing.

Both towns only stage performances in summer, but Cesky Krumlov offers a little more. The open-air theatre in the castle garden has a revolving auditorium, and an international music festival fills the castle and churches with classical concerts. Piran's equivalent is a series of concerts honouring Tartini in churches, the monastery cloister and the main square, with the small Tartini Theatre hosting the occasional recital.

Piran is far ahead for wellness. Portoroz grew up as a spa resort and still uses seawater pools, brine and salt-pan mud, and in the Secovlje lagoons you can lie in salt mud in the open air. Strunjan adds a seawater health resort.

Cesky Krumlov has no bathing tradition beyond a few hotel wellness rooms and beer baths. Its rest comes from a quiet evening by the river, and for real treatments you have to make a day trip to the peat baths at Třeboň.