Como or Munich?

Neither is a beach destination, but Como gets you into the water more easily. You can swim at lidos with lawns and pontoons in the city itself, beside Villa Olmo, or take a ferry to the pebble strands and jetties of Moltrasio and the Tremezzina, where the water reaches about 23°C in high summer.

Munich's swimming takes a little more effort. You can sunbathe on the gravel banks of the Isar at the Flaucher, but proper swimming means a train ride of up to an hour to the Starnberger See or the Ammersee, where the alpine-fed water feels fresher.

Como's cooking has real character: perch risotto, sun-dried missoltini, polenta from the valleys and an aperitivo ritual on the squares around the cathedral. But the range is that of a small provincial town. Lakefront terraces trade on the view, and the best meals are often found up the lake or in the hills.

Munich gives you more to eat and drink. Its beer halls and chestnut-shaded beer gardens are an experience in themselves, the Viktualienmarkt is good for grazing, coffee and cake is an afternoon institution, and there are starred restaurants for a special meal. Outside Bavarian and a few Mediterranean cuisines, though, the choice thins.

Munich is in another league for museums. The Kunstareal alone, with the Alte Pinakothek's old masters, the Glyptothek and the Blue Rider painters at the Lenbachhaus, could fill two days. Add the Residenz, Nymphenburg Palace and the vast Deutsches Museum, and a culture-led trip has no shortage of material.

Como's sights are fewer but well chosen. They include the marble cathedral, the Romanesque churches of San Fedele and Sant'Abbondio, Terragni's Rationalist Casa del Fascio and the Volta museum on the shore. Most visitors see the lot in a day and spend the rest of the stay on the lake.

Munich offers a real night out. The evening often starts in a beer hall, then moves on to the cocktail and gay bars around Gärtnerplatz and the Glockenbachviertel, and at weekends a few techno clubs stay open until morning. In late September the Oktoberfest takes over the whole city.

Como winds down after dinner. There are a few wine bars near Piazza Duomo and people stroll the lakefront on summer nights, but there are no clubs, and young locals go to Milan for a big night.

Both are superb for the outdoors, but the landscapes work differently. At Como the mountains rise straight from the water. The funicular to Brunate, which has run since 1894, puts you on ridge trails within minutes, the Greenway links lakeside villages, and you can kayak, sail or ride the climb to the Madonna del Ghisallo from town.

Munich sits on a flat plain, so the big scenery is about an hour away by train: the Zugspitze, the Wetterstein and Tegernsee for summer hiking, plus skiing in winter. In return the city has the vast English Garden, surfers on the Eisbach wave and cycle paths along the Isar.

Both are first-rate bases for day trips, and the difference is in what you visit. From Como many of the best outings are by boat, to Bellagio, Varenna and the gardens of Villa Carlotta and Balbianello. By rail, Milan's Last Supper is about forty minutes away and Swiss Lugano about half an hour.

Munich's excursions run by regional train to old German towns such as Augsburg, Nuremberg and Regensburg, over the Austrian border to Salzburg and Innsbruck, and out to the fairy-tale castles of Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee.

Munich is much easier with children. It has the Hellabrunn zoo along the Isar, the children's area at the Deutsches Museum, a transport museum, a Sea Life aquarium and beer gardens with playgrounds, and Legoland is within a day's reach. The flat, green, pushchair-friendly city makes the gaps between sights easy too.

Como is calm and safe, and children usually love the funicular, the ferries and a paddle at the lido. Beyond that there is little made for them, so it suits a slow family stay built around outdoor days.

Munich's integrated U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram and bus network reaches the museums, Nymphenburg, the airport and even the lakes without fuss. The flat streets suit cycling, and day trips run on regional trains, so you will not miss a car. The main irritation is delays on the central S-Bahn line.

Como's flat old town and lakefront are pleasant to walk, and the trains to Milan and Lugano are quick. The lake itself is slower going. Ferries are lovely but take a long time to reach the far villages, and the narrow shore roads clog in summer.

Munich offers a full spread of shopping. The luxury houses line Maximilianstrasse, department stores fill the pedestrian axis from Neuhauser Strasse, and independent boutiques sit in Glockenbach and Schwabing. The local thing to buy is Tracht, the dirndls and lederhosen made by specialist tailors.

Como has one great speciality, silk, sold as scarves, ties and fabric in old-town shops and at mill outlets on the edge of town. Otherwise the boutiques are few, and serious shoppers take the train to Milan.

Both are expensive, and they hit your wallet in different ways. In Como the cost comes in summer, when lakeside hotels and villa rentals serve an international luxury crowd. Spring, autumn and rooms back from the water are much kinder, and trattorias, trains and ferries are fair value.

Munich's hotels are dear all year and climb steeply during the Oktoberfest and the big trade fairs. You can save by bringing a picnic to a beer garden, enjoying the free parks and lakes, and visiting museums on Sundays, when several charge only a token fee.

Munich is one of Europe's great music cities. The Bavarian State Opera plays most of the year in the National Theatre and holds a summer festival. Three orchestras of real standing perform in halls such as the Herkulessaal and the Prinzregententheater, and the rococo Cuvilliés Theatre, a respected jazz scene and touring stadium acts at the Olympic Park add more.

Como's programme centres on the neoclassical Teatro Sociale and its open-air Arena in summer, plus chamber concerts in Romanesque churches and lakeside villas, where the setting is half the pleasure. On many nights there is little on.

Munich has a real bathing culture to offer. You can swim beneath the vaults of the Art Nouveau Müller'sches Volksbad, try German sauna rituals, or spend a day at the huge thermal complex at Erding, with the spa towns of Bad Tölz and Bad Reichenhall further out.

Como has no springs or bathing tradition, so pampering means the spas of the grand villa hotels. What it does well is quiet: slow ferry rides, gardens by the water and villages where evenings end early, best in spring and autumn.