Como or Rothenburg ob der Tauber?

Neither is a beach destination, but Como does let you swim. From June to early September there are lidos with lawns and pontoons, including the one beside Villa Olmo, and up the lake at Moltrasio and the Tremezzina there are pebble jetties you can reach by ferry.

Rothenburg sits on a hilltop deep inland, so a summer swim means the town's outdoor pool or a drive of about an hour to the grassy shores of artificial lakes such as the Altmühlsee. In Como a dip fits into an ordinary afternoon, while in Rothenburg it takes a separate outing.

Como has the more rewarding table. Perch risotto, sun-dried missoltini and polenta from the valleys give it a distinct lake-and-mountain cuisine, and the early-evening aperitivo with small plates on the squares by the cathedral is a daily pleasure. The best meals are in family places up the lake or in the hills.

Rothenburg's cooking is Franconian and hearty: Schäufele, bratwurst and dumplings with Silvaner from the round Bocksbeutel bottle. Too many kitchens around the Marktplatz cook for coach groups, so it pays to find a guesthouse or wine tavern away from the square. Both are provincial in range, but Como offers more variety.

Rothenburg is the stronger cultural visit because the town itself is the monument. You walk the covered ramparts above the rooftops, stand at the Plönlein between its two gate towers, and find inside St Jakob's one of the finest carved altars of the late Gothic. The Medieval Crime Museum adds real substance.

Como's quality lies in individual buildings rather than a whole townscape. Its marble cathedral, the Romanesque San Fedele and Sant'Abbondio, and Terragni's Rationalist Casa del Fascio, a pilgrimage for architects, are worth seeing, with Volta's temple and the silk museum on top. Each town takes about a day, but Rothenburg stays with you more.

Neither town is made for late nights, but Como gives an evening more to do. It begins with an aperitivo and small plates on the squares by the cathedral, carries on into a long lake-fish dinner, and can end with a cocktail in one of the old town's few bars or a slow walk along the shore on a warm summer night. For dancing you have to go to Milan, which is close enough by train for a night out.

In Rothenburg the evening follows one gentle routine: dinner in a timbered inn, the night watchman's lantern-lit round through the emptied lanes, and perhaps a glass of Silvaner in a wine tavern before an early bed. That is charming for a night or two, but a late drink is hard to find, and anything livelier means a trip to Würzburg or Nuremberg.

Here the gap is widest. Como lies at the foot of a glacial lake hemmed in by steep wooded mountains. You can ride the funicular up to Brunate and walk the ridge to the Volta lighthouse, look towards the Alps from Monte Bisbino, kayak or paddleboard from the city shore, or tackle the climbs of the Triangolo Lariano by bike.

Rothenburg's countryside is soft and pastoral. Paths drop from the walls into the Tauber valley, past mills and the Topplerschlösschen, and the river cycle path runs through vineyards. It makes for lovely easy walking in blossom time or autumn colour, but there is nothing dramatic nearby.

Both make good bases, but Como's excursions are richer and easier. Boats run to Bellagio, Varenna, Villa Carlotta and Villa del Balbianello, and trains put Milan's Last Supper and Duomo about forty minutes away and Lugano about half an hour, so you never need a car.

Around Rothenburg, the outings are mostly other historic towns: Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen inside its crater, Schwäbisch Hall, and Würzburg's Residenz and Nuremberg about an hour away. Rail connections are awkward, so you really need a car, and after a few days the towns can start to feel alike.

For families the two are on a similar footing, but they suit different ages. Como works for younger children: boat rides, the funicular and paddling at a lido, with a flat promenade and Villa Olmo's gardens that are easy with a pushchair, all fitting a slow stay of several days.

Rothenburg plays to school-age imaginations. Walking the ramparts and following the lantern-carrying night watchman feel like a storybook, and older children love the Crime Museum. It is a short stop, though, and the cobbles and steep valley paths are hard on pushchairs and small legs.

Como is a little easier overall. Its old town and lakefront are flat and compact, and two stations give quick links to Milan, with the Swiss line running north. The weak point is the lake itself: slow ferries, shore roads that clog in summer and hard parking.

In Rothenburg, cars are kept to the edges of the walled centre, with parking outside the gates, and you can cross the old town on foot in about fifteen minutes. The lanes are cobbled, though, and the climb back from the valley is steep. Beyond the gates, the branch line usually means changing at Steinach and buses are sparse, so a car does most of the work.

Como has the better shopping, with silk at its heart. Scarves, ties and fabric come from old-town specialists and mill outlets that supply the fashion houses, there is a short run of Italian boutiques along Via Vittorio Emanuele II, and Milan is close for anything bigger.

Rothenburg's shops are devoted to Christmas all year: glass baubles, nutcrackers, Erzgebirge carvings, plus cuckoo clocks and pewter on the Herrngasse. Its Christmas market is famously atmospheric, but there is hardly any fashion or everyday shopping.

Rothenburg is easier on the wallet. Its prices are those of small-town Germany with a tourist premium on top, local beer and wine are fairly priced, and staying outside the walls or in a nearby village saves a good deal.

Como draws an international luxury crowd, and lakeside hotels and villa rentals in summer cost far more than in most of Italy. Staying back from the water, eating in the old town's trattorias and coming in spring or autumn all help, and the trains and ferries are cheap.

Como has a proper stage. The Teatro Sociale, a neoclassical opera house with tiers of boxes, puts on opera, ballet and concerts, and in summer moves outdoors to its Arena, while chamber music fills churches and lakeside villas. La Scala is a short train ride away.

Rothenburg's performances are mostly history. The costumed Meistertrunk play retells the town's Thirty Years' War legend, and there are summer open-air productions and organ concerts at St Jakob, but most nights there is no show at all.

Both places offer calm rather than spa culture, but in different forms. Como's calm comes from the setting: still water, gardens running down to the shore and slow ferry rides, with spas mostly found in the grand villa hotels.

Rothenburg is at its most peaceful early in the morning and once the coach groups leave, when the walls and valley go quiet. It also has an advantage Como lacks: real thermal bathing within about an hour, at the salt-water pool of Bad Windsheim or the older spa town of Bad Mergentheim.