Cesky Krumlov or Stuttgart?

Neither is a place for a beach trip, but Cesky Krumlov at least has a summer lake close by. Lipno reservoir, about half an hour south, has grassy and sandy shores and water near 20°C in high summer, while the Vltava in town is for rafting, not swimming.

From Stuttgart the nearest proper swimming lake is Lake Constance, more than two hours away, so a hot day there means the city's outdoor pools, some fed by mineral springs.

Both serve hearty regional cooking, but Stuttgart gives a food lover far more to work with. Beyond Maultaschen and Käsespätzle in the wine taverns, it has the Art Nouveau Markthalle, vineyards inside the city producing Trollinger and Riesling, seasonal Besen taverns in growers' homes and a serious fine-dining tier.

Cesky Krumlov's table is roast pork, duck with dumplings and river trout in vaulted cellars, with the town's own beer as the highlight. The range is narrow and many menus are aimed at day visitors, so meals here are pleasant rather than memorable.

The two are broadly level, but the culture is very different. Cesky Krumlov is a whole UNESCO-listed townscape: painted Renaissance and Baroque houses, one of the country's largest castles, the Cloak Bridge and a Baroque theatre with its original stage machinery. The town itself is the exhibit, and a day or two covers it.

Stuttgart's draw is modern design and collections, from the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums to the Staatsgalerie and the Le Corbusier houses at the Weissenhof Estate. Its bombed old core survives only in pockets around Schlossplatz, so it rewards museum-goers more than those who come to wander old streets.

Stuttgart is the clear choice for a night out, with bars and lounges along Theodor-Heuss-Strasse, basement clubs with an electronic following and wine bars in the Bohnenviertel. The Cannstatter Volksfest beer tents and the late-summer wine village make autumn and late summer its liveliest times.

Cesky Krumlov has no clubs at all. A few cellar bars and summer riverside terraces stay open late, but outside the peak months the lanes are empty soon after dinner.

Cesky Krumlov has a slight edge, mostly because its signature outing is so good: a day by canoe or raft down the wooded meanders of the Vltava. The Bohemian Forest national park, with spruce woods, peat bogs and cross-country skiing in winter, starts about half an hour away, and Klet hill gives views towards the Alps.

Stuttgart's green is closer to hand, with vineyard trails and deer forests reached on foot or by tram. The Swabian Jura cliffs and the northern Black Forest each lie about an hour out, which suits walkers and cyclists who prefer not to drive.

Stuttgart is much the stronger base, largely because the rail network does the work. Ludwigsburg's palace and Esslingen are short S-Bahn rides, Heidelberg and Tübingen are under an hour, and Maulbronn, Hohenzollern, Ulm, Baden-Baden and even Strasbourg are all feasible.

From Cesky Krumlov there are good South Bohemian outings to České Budějovice, Hluboká castle, the farmhouse village of Holašovice and the spa town of Třeboň. Most of them are far easier with a car, and Prague is too far for a comfortable day.

Stuttgart is the easier family city. Wilhelma, the zoological and botanical garden among Moorish-style pavilions, fills a whole day, and the car museums, the Killesberg park railway and the little rack railway keep children busy, with outdoor pools and beer gardens for breaks.

Cesky Krumlov has a storybook castle with bears in the moat and a gentle family raft trip that most children love. It is short on further activities, though, and steep cobbles make pushchairs hard work.

Inside town, Cesky Krumlov needs nothing but your feet: the old centre can be crossed in a quarter of an hour, with only the castle climb and cobbles to slow you. Leaving it is the problem, as buses and trains to the forest and smaller castles are thin and most visitors hire a car.

Stuttgart's flat centre is just as walkable, and one integrated ticket then covers light rail, S-Bahn, buses, a rack railway and a funicular up the steep basin sides. A car is only needed for the countryside.

Souvenir hunters will find plenty in Cesky Krumlov's lanes: Bohemian glass, garnet jewellery, marionettes and green moldavite, plus a few ceramics workshops. Once the gifts are bought, though, there is nothing else to shop for.

Anyone after clothes or brands needs Stuttgart. Königstrasse, one of Germany's longest pedestrian streets, runs through the centre, Breuninger covers luxury fashion, and the Metzingen outlet town is half an hour away.

Cesky Krumlov is the more affordable stay. Family guesthouses, Czech meals and local beer keep costs moderate, though castle-view rooms, main-lane restaurants and separately priced castle tours add up, and staying just outside the centre helps.

Stuttgart is a prosperous business city where hotels charge heavily during trade fairs. Weekends and quieter months bring room prices down, and tavern meals and day tickets for transport are fair value.

Here the gap is widest. Stuttgart has the Staatsoper and the Stuttgart Ballet, one of Europe's most respected companies since John Cranko's era, along with serious drama, orchestras and Bach at the Liederhalle, long-running musicals and live jazz through the week. Ballet tickets need booking early.

Cesky Krumlov's performances are seasonal: plays and opera in the castle garden's revolving open-air theatre and a summer music festival in the castle and churches. Outside summer there is very little on.

Stuttgart has a real bathing culture, with some of Europe's most productive mineral springs feeding public baths in Bad Cannstatt and Berg, where you soak in warm carbonated water indoors and out. It makes for a restorative afternoon rather than a full retreat.

Cesky Krumlov relaxes you through quiet rather than treatments, especially once the day visitors leave the old town. Its spa options are only hotel wellness rooms and beer baths, and anyone wanting proper treatments heads to Třeboň's peat baths for the day.