Colmar or Cortina d'Ampezzo?

Neither has any beach life, and in both places swimming mostly means a pool. What differs is the water nearby. Colmar has its municipal pools and small Vosges lakes for a summer swim, while Cortina's alpine lakes, such as Ghedina, are fed by snowmelt and are better for a walk round than a dip.

Colmar has the richer table. Alsace cooking sits between France and Germany, from choucroute and baeckeoffe in panelled winstubs to munster cheese and kougelhopf. You can taste the region's Riesling and Gewurztraminer in cellars a short drive away. Beyond regional dishes the choice is narrow, and the prettiest streets have tired menus.

Cortina eats well for a mountain town, with casunziei, polenta with game and speck, and its best meals often come on rifugio terraces high among the peaks. But the range is small and almost nothing is cheap.

Colmar is a proper sightseeing destination. Its half-timbered old town survives as a whole, from the Maison Pfister to the canals of Petite Venise. The Unterlinden Museum holds Grünewald's Isenheim Altarpiece, which is worth the journey on its own.

Cortina has a pleasant centre with its basilica bell tower, the 1956 Olympic ice stadium and three small museums that fill a rainy afternoon. Its most striking heritage is the First World War front on Lagazuoi and the Cinque Torri, and reaching it takes a day in the mountains rather than a stroll.

Both go quiet early, and neither is a place for a big night out. The feel is different, though. Colmar's evenings mean wine bars and canal-side terraces after dinner, with Strasbourg a train ride away for more. Cortina has a livelier après-ski hour and an evening passeggiata on the Corso Italia, and in the peak winter weeks a few smart bars and a club stay open late.

Colmar offers walking country and Cortina offers high mountains, and for anyone travelling for the outdoors that gap decides the trip. From Colmar, marked paths run through the vines between wine villages, and the Route des Crêtes climbs past the Hohneck into the rounded, forested Vosges. The flat plain makes easy cycling, and there is modest skiing in winter. It is at its loveliest during the autumn harvest.

Cortina sits inside one of the great mountain landscapes. The pale Dolomites ring the valley, lifts rise from town onto the Tofane and Cristallo, and the Tre Cime and Lago di Misurina are under an hour away. Winter brings the Dolomiti Superski area, and summer brings the Alta Via 1, via ferrata and serious climbing.

Colmar is a far better base for outings. Eguisheim, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg lie a few kilometres apart on the wine route, and Strasbourg is about half an hour by train. Basel and Freiburg are around an hour away, so three countries are within easy reach.

From Cortina, most days out go up into the mountains. South Tyrol towns such as San Candido and Brunico are pleasant, Bolzano and its Iceman take about two hours, and Venice makes a long day by coach.

Colmar gives children more variety. In town there are boat rides through Petite Venise and storks nesting on the roofs. Further out are the stork and otter park at Hunawihr, the macaques of the Montagne des Singes, the train and car museums in Mulhouse and Europa-Park across the Rhine, though most of these need a car.

Cortina suits families who ski or hike, with ski schools, beginner slopes at Socrepes, public skating and gentle walks to mountain huts in summer. Beyond the outdoors there is little built for children, so wet days drag and the bills mount.

Colmar is on the rail network and Cortina is not, and that shapes every day of a trip. Colmar's station is a short walk from the old town, and trains reach Strasbourg and Mulhouse quickly and carry on to Basel. The compact centre is easy to cover on foot, and only the wine villages and the Vosges call for a car or a bike.

Cortina lost its railway in 1964, so getting there means a coach from Venice or a long drive. Its small centre is just as walkable, and ski buses link the lifts in winter. Buses up to the passes and the Tre Cime are limited, though, so a hire car makes a real difference.

Neither is a shopping destination, and what they sell is very different. Colmar is the place for regional things to take home: wine bought from the producers, Soufflenheim pottery, Alsatian linen and, in December, Christmas markets spread over several squares. Cortina's shops are packed into the Corso Italia, with luxury fashion, jewellers, furriers and upmarket mountain wear, plus the long-standing Cooperativa selling everything from local food to outdoor gear.

Colmar is much easier on the wallet. Set lunches and regional wine are reasonable and village tastings are often cheap. The main strain is on rooms in summer and during the Christmas market weeks.

Cortina is among Italy's most expensive resorts. In winter and August, hotels and restaurants charge luxury prices, and lift passes and equipment hire add to the bill. Rifugio meals and the quieter months of June and late September soften it, and many budget travellers sleep in cheaper valleys nearby.

Colmar has more to offer, though still not much. A small Italian-style theatre runs a season of plays, opera and concerts, and the town hosts a classical festival in early July and a jazz festival in autumn, with Strasbourg and Basel close for anything bigger. Cortina has no theatre season or regular venue, so live music means summer chamber concerts in churches and now and then out in the mountains.

Neither has thermal baths, so wellness depends on hotel spas, and Cortina's are the bigger draw. They offer Alpine-style saunas, steam rooms, hay baths and indoor pools for tired legs after skiing, and in June and September the clear air and quiet hut terraces add to the calm. Colmar offers smaller hotel spas and a gentle pace, with quiet evenings by the canals and slow walks through the vines once the day visitors have gone.