Como or Interlaken?

Neither is a beach destination, but Como gives a little more for a swim. Its lake water gets slightly warmer in high summer, and the lido beside Villa Olmo, with lawns and pontoons, sits right in the city, while the cleaner water and pebble strands are a ferry ride up the lake at Moltrasio or the Tremezzina.

Interlaken's lakes are cooler. Lake Thun's lidos at Neuhaus and towards Spiez are the gentler option, and Lake Brienz has that striking turquoise colour but is cold enough to make a swim brief. Here a swim is an end to a mountain day, not the day itself.

Como eats noticeably better. Its cooking belongs to the lake and the Lombard valleys: perch risotto, sun-dried shad, polenta with game, and an aperitivo ritual on the squares by the cathedral. The best meals are in family trattorias in the old town and the hills, not on the lakefront terraces.

Interlaken feeds people rather than delighting them. Fondue, rösti and raclette sit beside Indian and Asian places for the international crowd, and the memorable moments come from a hut terrace above Mürren or cheese from a mountain dairy. Many visitors live on supermarket picnics.

This is where the two differ most. Como has a compact walled town with real architectural quality: a cathedral mixing Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque, the Lombard Romanesque of San Fedele and Sant'Abbondio, a landmark of Rationalist design in the Casa del Fascio, and museums on Volta and silk.

Interlaken has a row of grand hotels, the Kursaal and a few timber houses in Unterseen, and not much else. For history and museums you take the train to Bern or Thun.

Both are quiet after dark, but Como's evenings have more grace. The aperitivo leads into a long dinner, a few wine and cocktail bars around Piazza Duomo, and a lakefront stroll on summer nights. Interlaken's scene is backpacker pubs, sports bars, a couple of basement clubs and the casino, livelier in peak seasons but finished early because everyone has a morning train to catch.

Both are superb, but Interlaken is in another league. The Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, the waterfalls of Lauterbrunnen, the Aletsch glacier seen from the Jungfraujoch and ski areas around Wengen and Mürren put true high-Alpine scenery and sport within an hour, with paragliders landing in the middle of town.

Como's landscape is gentler: a deep glacial lake under wooded slopes, the funicular to Brunate, ridge walks to Monte Bisbino, kayaking, sailing and road cycling up to the Ghisallo chapel. It is lovely walking country in spring and autumn, but it does not have the glaciers and summits.

Como has the richer list. Ferries reach Bellagio, Varenna and the gardens of Villa Carlotta and Balbianello, and by land Milan, Lugano, Bergamo's upper town and Lake Maggiore's Borromean Islands are all easy, so a stay can mix lake villages with major Italian cities.

Interlaken's outings are good too, but smaller in range: Bern's arcaded old town, the castles of Thun, Spiez and Oberhofen, woodcarving at Brienz, the Ballenberg open-air museum and Lucerne over the Brünig Pass.

Interlaken is the easier place with children. The transport itself is the entertainment, and summit stations at Grindelwald First and the Harder Kulm add playgrounds, cliff walks and summer toboggan runs, with the St Beatus caves and Ballenberg for variety. Watch the altitude on the highest trips with very young children.

Como is safe and pleasant for a family, and the funicular, boats and a lido swim go down well. But churches and villa gardens are for adults, so it suits a slow stay more than a busy one.

Interlaken has the better system. Mainline trains, narrow-gauge Oberland railways, cog lines, gondolas and lake steamers all connect, so the whole Jungfrau region works without a car, though the popular mountain trains get crowded in summer.

Como's centre is flat and walkable, and trains to Milan and Lugano are quick. Beyond that it slows down: ferries are scenic but take a long time up the lake, and shore roads jam in summer.

Como has a genuine thing to buy. It has been a silk capital for centuries, and scarves, ties and fabric come from old-town specialists and mill outlets, with a short run of Italian boutiques on Via Vittorio Emanuele II and Milan close by for serious fashion.

Interlaken's Höheweg is all watches, army knives, cuckoo clocks and chocolate for tour groups, plus outdoor gear. Brienz woodcarving is the one local craft worth the search.

Neither is cheap, but Como is clearly easier on the wallet. Lakeside hotels are expensive in summer, yet rooms in town, old-town trattorias, trains and ferries keep costs under control, especially in spring and autumn.

Interlaken charges full Swiss prices for everything, and the mountain railways and cable cars that make the trip worthwhile add heavily to the bill, the Jungfraujoch most of all. Passes and picnics help only so much.

Como has a real theatre. The neoclassical Teatro Sociale stages opera, ballet and concerts, moving outdoors to its Arena in summer, and chamber music fills Romanesque churches and villas, with La Scala a short train ride away.

Interlaken's highlight is a tradition rather than a venue: the amateur open-air William Tell performed in the woods each summer. Otherwise there are folklore evenings with yodelling and alphorns, and Bern for anything more.

The two are much alike here: no thermal springs in either, spas mostly in the grand hotels, and rest that comes from the setting. The difference is in mood. Como's calm comes from villa gardens, still water and villages that go quiet early, while Interlaken's busy activity-focused centre means those wanting peace head out to the lakeside villages or up to Wengen and Mürren.