Cesky Krumlov or Wroclaw?

Cesky Krumlov has the better swimming, though only by car and only in summer. Lipno reservoir is about half an hour south, with sandy and grassy shores and water around 20°C in July and August.

Wroclaw's sandy spots along the Oder are for lounging in deckchairs, not for getting in the water. Swimmers use pools or lakes out in the countryside, and the Baltic is most of a day away. Neither is a beach destination.

Wroclaw gives you more choice. Beyond pierogi, żurek in a bread bowl and roast duck, it has old-style milk bars for cheap lunches, bistros off the Market Square that cook Polish food with a lighter touch, and brewpubs in historic cellars.

Cesky Krumlov serves a narrower range of South Bohemian roasts with dumplings, river trout and game, mostly in cellars and on riverside terraces, and many menus are aimed at day-trippers. In both places the beer is the highlight, and neither is worth travelling to just for the food.

The two are about equally rewarding, but in different ways. Cesky Krumlov is one intact Renaissance and Baroque townscape gathered under one of the country's largest castles. The Cloak Bridge, the painted tower and the rare Baroque castle theatre are the high points, and you can see them all in a day or two.

Wroclaw spreads its sights across a much larger city. There is the Gothic Town Hall on the Market Square, the red-brick churches of Ostrów Tumski, the gilded Aula Leopoldina, the Centennial Hall and the Racławice Panorama. Much of its centre was rebuilt after 1945, so it is a story of reconstruction rather than survival, and its museums go deeper.

This is one of the clearest differences between the two. Wroclaw's large student population keeps the cellars and courtyards around the Market Square busy, with shot bars, craft beer and cocktails side by side, and weekends go on past 2am. Clubs are few, and the city quietens between university terms.

Cesky Krumlov has a handful of pubs and cellar bars, terraces by the river in summer, and no clubs at all. Outside peak season the lanes empty early.

Cesky Krumlov puts the countryside on your doorstep. You can paddle the wooded meanders of the Vltava straight from town, the Bohemian Forest's spruce woods and peat bogs begin half an hour away, and Klet offers views towards the Alps.

Wroclaw sits on a flat plain, and its green spaces are inside the city: river islands, Szczytnicki Park and the Japanese Garden. For proper hiking you drive an hour to Ślęża or two hours to the Karkonosze and the Table Mountains. These are more dramatic than anything near Cesky Krumlov, but much further away.

Both are good bases for exploring their regions, but distances differ. Around Cesky Krumlov the trips are short: Zlatá Koruna is minutes along the river, and České Budějovice, Hluboká castle and the Baroque village of Holašovice are close by. Třeboň's fish ponds and Linz across the Austrian border stretch further.

Wroclaw's Lower Silesia means longer drives, of one to two hours. In return you get bigger sights: Książ castle above its gorge, the wooden Churches of Peace, Krzeszów abbey and the palaces of the Jelenia Góra valley. Trains reach more of these places than buses do around Cesky Krumlov.

Wroclaw is the easier city with children. It has a big zoo with the Afrykarium's shark tunnel, a hands-on water science centre, summer fountain shows and flat, largely car-free streets where children can hunt for the dwarf statues.

Cesky Krumlov's highlights are the bears in the castle moat, the tower climb and a gentle raft trip, with Lipno's treetop walk nearby. Beyond those there is less to do, and the steep cobbles and adult-oriented interior tours make it harder with small children.

Cesky Krumlov's old town takes a quarter of an hour to cross on foot, though the cobbles and the climb up to the castle take some effort. Once you leave town, regional buses and trains are sparse, and a car or a tour becomes almost essential.

Wroclaw is flat and its centre is easy to walk, with a large tram network, bike lanes along the river and city bikes for anything further. Direct trains from the main station also make regional trips without a car more realistic.

Wroclaw has more to offer, though shopping is not a strong reason to visit either place. It has malls for the international chains, the 1930s Renoma department store, a riverside market hall full of cured meats and pickles, and a few design and vintage shops in Nadodrze. Bolesławiec stoneware and amber are the souvenirs to look for.

Cesky Krumlov is almost entirely souvenir shopping: Bohemian glass, garnets, marionettes and green moldavite from the region.

Both are cheap by Western European standards, but Wroclaw goes further. Central hotels cost a fraction of what Western capitals charge, milk bar lunches are very cheap, and trams, museums and the zoo are all modestly priced.

Cesky Krumlov is good value, but its small size means premium views are hard to avoid, and every castle tour is charged separately. Staying outside the centre or coming out of summer helps.

Wroclaw has a full year-round programme. The National Forum of Music hosts orchestral and chamber concerts in a fine hall, the opera house stands near the old moat, and festivals such as Wratislavia Cantans and Jazz on the Oder add more. The theatre, with its roots in Grotowski's experimental work, is mostly in Polish.

Cesky Krumlov's offering is mainly in summer: plays and opera in the revolving open-air theatre in the castle garden, and a classical music festival in the castle and churches. For the rest of the year there is little to see.

Neither town has a bathing tradition, and on that score they are much the same. What differs is the kind of rest each offers. Cesky Krumlov gives you stillness once the day visitors leave, a few beer baths, and Třeboň's peat baths within a day's reach.

Wroclaw has more facilities: an indoor aquapark with saunas, hotel spas and slow afternoons on the river islands. The pump rooms and spa parks of Szczawno-Zdrój are about an hour away.