Como or Luxembourg?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Como at least has swimming close at hand. The lido beside Villa Olmo, with its lawns and pontoons, is in the city itself, and ferries go to the pebble jetties at Cernobbio, Moltrasio and the Tremezzina. The season runs from June to early September.

Luxembourg is landlocked and has nowhere to swim outdoors in town. A summer dip means an outing to the Upper Sûre reservoir, about an hour north, or the gravel lakes at Remerschen, so on most days the indoor pools are what you'll use.

The two are about level for eating out, but in different ways. Como feeds you its own region: risotto with lake perch, missoltini, polenta from the valleys, and an aperitivo on the squares by the cathedral. The range is narrow, and the best meals are often up the lake rather than on the lakefront.

Luxembourg has little cooking of its own and draws on its neighbours instead: French dining rooms, Belgian and German brasseries, and long-running Portuguese and Italian places. It also has more fine dining than you would expect for its size. Its real local pleasure is Moselle Riesling and crémant by the glass.

Luxembourg has somewhat more to see. Its UNESCO-listed fortress wraps around the plateau, and you can walk through the Bock casemates, look down on the Grund from the Corniche, and then visit the palace, the national museum and MUDAM on Kirchberg. That fills about two days.

Como's sights are fewer but high in quality. The marble cathedral, the Romanesque churches of San Fedele and Sant'Abbondio, and Terragni's Casa del Fascio are its highlights, along with Volta's temple and the silk museum by the shore. Most visitors see it all in a day.

Luxembourg is the better place for a night out, though it is still small. The old brewery at the Rives de Clausen packs bars and a couple of clubs together, the Grund has stone-walled pubs by the river, and Hollerich stays open later. An international crowd fills them, mainly on Thursdays and Fridays.

In Como the evening means an aperitivo, a long dinner and a stroll by the lake. A few wine bars near the Duomo stay open afterwards, but there are no clubs, and locals go to Milan for a big night.

This is where Como is well ahead. Mountains climb straight out of a glacial lake. The funicular takes you up to Brunate and the ridge path to the Volta lighthouse, Monte Bisbino looks out towards the Alps, and the Greenway links the villages. On the water you can kayak, sail or paddleboard, and road cyclists tackle the climb to Ghisallo.

Luxembourg's green is quieter. Wooded gorges cut through the city itself, the mossy rock passages of the Müllerthal are about half an hour away, and the Ardennes and the Moselle cycle paths offer gentle walking and riding. There are no mountains.

Both make excellent bases, and Como has the edge. Boats link it to Bellagio, Varenna, Villa Carlotta and Villa del Balbianello. Milan's Last Supper and La Scala are forty minutes away by train, Lugano is about half an hour, and Bergamo and the Borromean Islands are also within reach.

Luxembourg's strength is its borders. Roman Trier and Metz, with its cathedral, are each under an hour by train, and Nancy is a little further. Within the country there are Vianden's castle, Echternach, Clervaux's Family of Man exhibition and the wine villages of the Moselle.

Both are calm, safe places with little built for children, so they suit a quiet family stay rather than a busy one. Como's appeal for children is mostly outdoors and in summer: boat rides, the funicular to Brunate and paddling at a lido.

Luxembourg has a little more in the city all year. The casemate tunnels feel like an adventure, the natural history museum is aimed at younger visitors, lifts make the river quarters easy with a pushchair, and Parc Merveilleux at Bettembourg is the country's one attraction built for families.

Luxembourg is simpler and cheaper to get around. Trams, buses and second-class trains are free throughout the country, public lifts and a funicular link the city's levels, and trains reach Vianden and the Moselle without a car.

Como's old town is flat and easy to walk, and trains run quickly to Milan and Lugano. The lake is the slow part: ferries reach every village but take their time going far north, and the shore roads clog in summer.

The two are evenly matched, but each sells something different. In Como, silk is the thing to buy, from old-town specialists and mill outlets, while the boutiques on Via Vittorio Emanuele II are few and Milan is where serious fashion shopping happens.

Luxembourg's Grand-Rue serves wealthy locals with international luxury brands. Its own specialities are Villeroy & Boch porcelain, from the factory outlet, and bottles of Moselle crémant to take home.

Neither is cheap, but Como is easier on the budget. Rooms in the old town or back from the water, trattorias in the hills, and inexpensive trains and ferries keep costs down, especially in spring and autumn.

Luxembourg's hotels are priced for business travellers, and eating out costs well above the Western European norm. Free transport, free museums, set lunch menus and lower weekend room rates help, and many visitors save by staying in Trier or Metz.

Luxembourg has the fuller programme. The Philharmonie on Kirchberg has excellent acoustics, its own orchestra and regular visits from touring orchestras and soloists. The Grand Théâtre brings in opera and dance, the Rotondes host concerts, and Neimënster puts on open-air concerts in summer.

Como has the Teatro Sociale, a neoclassical opera house that moves outdoors to its Arena in summer, plus chamber concerts in churches and villas. On many nights nothing is on, and La Scala in Milan is the better choice for a big performance.

Luxembourg edges ahead because it has real thermal baths. The warm spring at Mondorf-les-Bains, about half an hour away, feeds pools and saunas set in a park. Como has no bathing tradition, so spa time there means the spas of the grand villa hotels.

What Como offers instead is a setting that slows you down: still water, gardens and unhurried ferries. Luxembourg's calm comes from quiet evenings and river walks through the Grund and the Pétrusse valley.