Colmar or Rothenburg ob der Tauber?

Neither town has anything for swimmers. Both lie deep inland, so summer swimming means a public pool or a drive to a lake.

The lakes differ. From Colmar they are small glacial lakes high in the Vosges valleys. From Rothenburg they are the grassy shores of the artificial Franconian lakes such as the Altmühlsee, about an hour away.

Colmar eats far better. Alsace sits between French and German cooking, and the town has panelled winstubs, munster cheese from the valleys above, kougelhopf, a covered market by the Lauch, and wine from slopes that start at the edge of town. There is also some fine dining in town and along the wine route.

Rothenburg's table is narrower: roast pork, Schäufele and bratwurst, with Silvaner in its round Bocksbeutel bottle. Many kitchens around the Marktplatz cook for coach parties, so the better meals are in family guesthouses away from the square. In both towns, avoid the menus on the most photographed streets.

These two are closely matched, and both are among the most complete old towns in their countries. The difference is in character. Colmar is colourful and open, with painted half-timbered houses, canals and the carved faces of the Maison des Têtes. Rothenburg is enclosed by its walls and towers, and you can walk the covered wall walk above its rooftops.

The art treasures make a neat pair. Colmar has Grünewald's Isenheim Altarpiece at the Unterlinden and Schongauer's Madonna. Rothenburg answers with Riemenschneider's carved Holy Blood Altar and the grimly fascinating Medieval Crime Museum.

Neither is a place for a night out, but Colmar at least has an evening. Wine bars, pubs and brasseries around Petite Venise stay open after dinner, and the summer terraces stay pleasant late. Rothenburg's lanes are mostly silent by eleven, and its signature evening outing is a walking tour with the night watchman. For anything livelier you need Strasbourg from Colmar, or Würzburg and Nuremberg from Rothenburg.

Colmar has the stronger landscape around it. Vineyard paths start within half an hour, and above them the Route des Crêtes runs past the Hohneck and the Grand Ballon, with views to the Black Forest and sometimes the Alps. The Vosges add glacial lakes, summer pastures and some winter skiing.

Rothenburg's outdoors is gentle. Paths lead down from the walls into the Tauber valley with its mills and meadows, there is the family-friendly Tauber valley cycle path, and the rolling Frankenhöhe lies beyond. It is lovely in blossom or autumn colour, but there are no mountains to aim for.

Colmar is the better base, mainly because of how close everything is. Eguisheim, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg are only a few kilometres apart. Strasbourg is about half an hour by train, and Basel and Freiburg are about an hour or less, so you get three countries' worth of cities.

Rothenburg's excursions are good but longer. Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen in its crater, and Würzburg's Residenz each take around an hour by car, and they are often more of the same walled-town character. The rail link involves a branch-line change, so a car matters even more here.

Colmar gives children more to do. Flat-bottomed boats glide through Petite Venise, and storks nest on the roofs. Within a short drive are the otter park at Hunawihr, the free-roaming macaques at Kintzheim and Mulhouse's train and car museums, with Europa-Park a longer outing.

Rothenburg wins children over with its ramparts, its tower climb and the night watchman's lantern, and older children are often captivated by the torture devices. Beyond that, there is little aimed at children, and the cobbles are hard work for pushchairs.

On foot the two are much alike: both centres can be crossed in minutes and the station is close by. Colmar is flat, while Rothenburg has cobbles and a steep climb back up from the valley.

Rail travel is where they part. Colmar sits on a main line with quick trains to Strasbourg and Mulhouse, while Rothenburg's branch line usually means a change at Steinach. In both, the villages around are best reached by car, and in Colmar's vineyards by bicycle.

Colmar has the broader shopping, though still regional. You can buy wine straight from producers, Soufflenheim pottery, printed Alsatian linen and foie gras, and browse independent boutiques along the Rue des Marchands.

Rothenburg is narrower and more focused. Its year-round Christmas shops sell glass baubles, nutcrackers and Erzgebirge carvings, and some visitors come specifically for them. Fashion is thin in both towns.

Costs are much the same in both, moderate by Western European standards, and in both towns rooms are the expensive part, especially in December. The cheap pleasures differ. In Colmar they are the free or low-cost cellar tastings in the wine villages. In Rothenburg they are inn beer and wine and the modest entry fees at the sights. In both places, sleeping outside the old centre saves a good deal.

Colmar offers a little more. It has an Italian-style municipal theatre with visits from the Opéra national du Rhin, a classical festival in early July and a jazz festival in autumn.

Rothenburg's stage is mostly its own history. The costumed Meistertrunk play retells the town's rescue in the Thirty Years' War, and there are summer open-air productions and organ concerts in St Jakob's. From either town, serious music means a trip to a bigger city.

Colmar's calm is the sociable, unhurried kind. The rest comes from a slow afternoon at a winstub table, a wander along the canal banks at dusk and an easy day cycling between wine villages, and the only pampering is a hotel spa. It suits couples who relax by eating and drinking well rather than by soaking.

Rothenburg has the stiller quiet. There is barely any traffic inside the walls, and it feels most peaceful before breakfast. What gives it the edge is a proper spa day within reach. At the Franken-Therme the brine pool is salty enough to float in without effort, and Bad Mergentheim has the spa gardens of a long-established resort, so a restful stay can include real thermal bathing that Colmar cannot offer.