Cologne or Zurich?

Zurich is the better place for a swim, and it isn't close. The clean, clear lake has wooden bathing houses and lawned lidos at Utoquai, Mythenquai and Tiefenbrunnen, and young crowds float down the Limmat at the Letten river baths. In midsummer the water reaches the low twenties.

In Cologne you can't swim in the Rhine because of the current and the shipping. For a dip, locals head to gravel-pit lakes on the edge of town such as Fühlinger See. Neither city has a real beach, so swimming is something to fit around sightseeing, but in Zurich it is part of the city itself.

The two are level, but the food is very different. Cologne's food is about the Brauhaus: Köbes waiters keep the Kölsch coming, and the plates are heavy, with Himmel un Ääd and sauerbraten. Its best variety is the Turkish and Middle Eastern cooking along Ehrenfeld's Venloer Strasse.

Zurich is more polished and much more expensive. You'll find veal Geschnetzeltes with rösti, fondue in wood-panelled guild houses, and old tea rooms on Paradeplatz where chocolate and confectionery are the real highlight. Cologne is cheaper and more cheerful, while Zurich is the place for a sweet tooth.

Cologne has the heavier heritage. Its Gothic cathedral holds the Shrine of the Three Kings, and the city adds twelve Romanesque churches, Roman mosaics and three strong museums in Museum Ludwig, the Wallraf-Richartz and Kolumba. Its weakness is the townscape, which was largely rebuilt after the war, so you go from one great building to the next through plain streets.

Zurich offers less but holds together better. Its compact Altstadt on both banks of the Limmat is a pleasure to wander, past the Grossmünster, the Chagall windows of the Fraumünster and the Kunsthaus. Two or three days covers it, while Cologne rewards a longer stay.

The two are about equal for going out, in different styles. A night in Cologne is sociable and runs on beer. It starts in the Altstadt brewhouses and moves on to the Belgian Quarter, the student crowds on Zülpicher Strasse, or the large gay scene around Rudolfplatz. Carnival turns the whole city into one long party.

Zurich is more about clubbing. Techno runs until morning in Kreis 4 and 5 and Zurich West, and the August Street Parade is one of Europe's biggest electronic music gatherings. In summer, people drink at the lake bathing houses. The cost of a round keeps Zurich nights shorter, while Cologne is easier to stay out late in.

Zurich is far ahead for the outdoors. On clear days the snow-capped Glarus Alps stand at the end of its lake, the Uetliberg's forest ridge is a short train ride away, and Rigi, Pilatus and ski areas like Flumserberg can all be done in a day.

Cologne is flat and mild, though greener than you might expect. The Grüngürtel parks and long Rhine cycle paths are good for exercise, and the Siebengebirge's Drachenfels and the Eifel's crater lakes make good day hikes. It is fine country for walking, but it has no mountains.

From Cologne the best outings mix history with border crossings. Brühl's rococo palaces are a quarter of an hour away, Bonn has Beethoven's birthplace, Aachen has Charlemagne's octagonal chapel, and the castle towns of the Rhine Gorge are about an hour and a half south. Maastricht, Liège and Brussels add another country in a day, and Zollverein shows the industrial side of the Ruhr.

Zurich's trips rely more on scenery. Lucerne's wooden bridges and lakefront, Bern's arcaded old town and St Gallen's abbey library are each about an hour away, the Rhine Falls go well with painted Stein am Rhein, and Konstanz on Lake Constance is close by. For lakes, waterfalls and mountain views on the way, choose Zurich. For a wider spread of cities and countries, choose Cologne.

Zurich is slightly better with children, mainly because it's so easy. It's clean and safe, and the trams cope well with buggies. The zoo has an indoor Madagascar rainforest, the lake lidos have shallow areas, and the Technorama science centre is twenty minutes away. Evenings are quiet, which suits families with toddlers.

Cologne has the big thrill Zurich lacks: Phantasialand, one of Europe's major theme parks, just south of the city. Add the Chocolate Museum and the cable car over the Rhine, and older children may well prefer it. Just avoid Carnival week.

Zurich is about as easy as cities get. Trams, S-Bahn trains, funiculars and even the lake boats share one ticket, services run on time, and the airport is a short train ride from the main station.

Cologne is easy too, since its station is right beside the cathedral and the centre is flat and walkable. Beyond the centre, though, the Stadtbahn map takes some working out and trams can be crowded and irregular, so trips to Ehrenfeld or the zoo take more patience.

Zurich is better for serious shopping, mainly because of Bahnhofstrasse. This luxury street of watchmakers, jewellers and old department stores runs from the station to the lake. The railway arches in Zurich West hold design shops, but the range beyond the top end is narrow.

Cologne is a high-street city. Schildergasse and Hohe Strasse are for chain stores, and Ehrenstrasse and the Belgian Quarter are for independent labels. Its special souvenirs are Eau de Cologne from the historic perfume houses and, in Advent, the Christmas markets.

This is the biggest gap between the two. Cologne is mid-priced for Western Europe: brewhouse meals are reasonable, transport is fairly priced and the cathedral is free. Hotels are the one cost to watch, as they become scarce and expensive during trade fairs and Carnival.

Zurich is among the world's most expensive cities in every respect, from simple hotel rooms to a casual lunch. Supermarket picnics by the lake, the free lidos and a visitor card help a little, but the same stay will cost much more there.

Cologne's stage life is broad rather than grand. The Philharmonie beside the cathedral is home to both the Gürzenich and WDR Symphony orchestras, the broadcaster adds a big band and choirs, early music fills the Romanesque churches, and small clubs in Ehrenfeld and the Südstadt put on gigs most nights. Its Carnival sessions with dialect bands exist nowhere else.

Zurich focuses on a few prestige houses. The lakeside Opernhaus is one of Europe's most respected for opera and ballet, the Tonhalle Orchestra plays in a restored nineteenth-century hall, and the Schauspielhaus is among the leading German-language theatres. Rote Fabrik covers jazz and indie, and in summer the Theater Spektakel brings performance to the lake shore. For a big night at the opera, choose Zurich. For a choice of gigs on any evening, choose Cologne.

Zurich is the more restful city overall. It has thermal pools in the stone vaults of a former brewery, with a rooftop pool above, and in winter the wooden lake bathing houses become saunas with cold dips in between. Old Baden's hot springs are twenty minutes away.

Cologne has the big German sauna landscapes and a thermal bath in the Rheinpark facing the cathedral, with Aachen's Roman-era springs nearby. But its centre is busier, and you have to go looking for quiet.