Copenhagen or Gothenburg?

Neither city is a beach destination, and both offer swimming as a summer extra in water of about 18-20°C. The difference is the kind of shore. Copenhagen has flat sand: Amager Strandpark's long beach and lagoon a few metro stops out, classic Bellevue to the north, and harbour baths where you can swim right in the city.

Gothenburg swaps sand for smooth granite rocks and small coves at Askim and Saltholmen and on islands such as Styrsö and Vrångö. Getting there is a short trip by tram and ferry, and it feels more like a day out by the sea than a dip between sights.

Copenhagen has the stronger food scene. Its foraging and fermentation restaurants draw travellers in their own right, and below them sit smørrebrød lunches, a bakery on almost every corner, Torvehallerne, and the natural wine and coffee culture of Vesterbro and Nørrebro.

Gothenburg is narrower but excellent at what it does: shellfish. Langoustines, oysters and the autumn lobster catch come in from Bohuslän, and Feskekôrka and Stora Saluhallen show what is in season. Beyond seafood and fika in Haga, everyday choice is thinner.

Copenhagen has much more to see. Rosenborg with the crown jewels, Amalienborg's guard change, Christiansborg over its medieval ruins, Nyhavn and the Round Tower, plus the National Museum and the Glyptotek, fill several days.

Gothenburg's appeal is atmosphere rather than landmarks. It has a Dutch-planned canal grid, the wooden houses of Haga under Skansen Kronan, and the art museum on Götaplatsen. Two days is enough.

Copenhagen stays out later and offers more. The converted butchers' halls of Kødbyen, the scruffier bars of Nørrebro and a good cocktail scene keep weekends going until morning.

Gothenburg's nights are friendly and student-driven, around Järntorget, Linnégatan and Andra Långgatan, with mainstream clubs on Avenyn. The club scene is small, though, and most places close in the early hours.

Gothenburg has the better outdoors. The bare granite islands of the southern archipelago, with heather, coastal paths and sea kayaking, start at the city's edge. The rocky Bohuslän coast, the Delsjön forest lakes and the Bohusleden trail are close by too.

Copenhagen's countryside is flat and gentle. You get deer among the oaks of Dyrehaven, an easy cycle along the Øresund and summer paddling in the harbour. For real drama you have to go about two hours to the cliffs of Møns Klint.

Copenhagen has more easy day trips by train. Kronborg at Helsingør, Frederiksborg and Louisiana sit on one line, Roskilde has its cathedral and Viking ships, and Malmö and Lund are only half an hour or so across the bridge.

Gothenburg's trips follow the coast. Marstrand under its fortress, Varberg and the Trollhättan locks are easy, but the fishing villages of Smögen and Fjällbacka and the rock carvings at Tanum really need a car.

Both are excellent with children, and each has a famous amusement park within walking distance of the centre. Copenhagen's Tivoli is the older and more charming of the two, with wooden rides and evening lights, while Gothenburg's Liseberg has the bigger, more thrilling rides.

Beyond that, Copenhagen adds Den Blå Planet, the zoo and Experimentarium. Gothenburg has a strong answer for rainy days in Universeum's aquarium and rainforest, plus free seals and penguins in Slottsskogen and a submarine to climb through in the harbour.

Copenhagen is slightly easier to get around. Its driverless metro runs around the clock and reaches the airport in about a quarter of an hour, and its separated bike lanes make cycling the natural way to see the city.

Gothenburg relies on trams instead. The network is large and the ticket also covers the river ferries and island boats, but trams slow down where the lines meet in the centre.

Copenhagen is the better place for shopping, especially for design. Furniture, lighting and ceramics shops, Royal Copenhagen on Amagertorv, Strøget, and the department stores Illum and Magasin du Nord give it real depth.

Gothenburg is Swedish high street along Kungsgatan and in Nordstan. Its most rewarding browsing is the vintage, craft and record shops of Haga, Majorna and Andra Långgatan.

Both are expensive, but Copenhagen is harder on the wallet. Hotels, meals and drinks cost a lot at every level, so bakeries, supermarket picnics and a bike do much of the saving.

Gothenburg is a notch easier. Weekday set lunches are the smart way to eat well, the transport ticket includes the archipelago ferries, and hotel rates can soften at weekends and in the Swedish summer.

Copenhagen gives you more choice for an evening out. Its main draw is the Royal Danish Ballet, which still performs the Bournonville repertoire, and Gothenburg has nothing to match it. Behind the ballet come opera on the harbour, a superb concert hall out in Ørestad and a jazz scene that peaks with a July festival spread across the city. Plays are mostly in Danish and hard going for visitors, so your tickets will mostly go on ballet and concerts.

Gothenburg's range is narrower, and its real strength is the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Sweden's national orchestra, in its 1930s hall on Götaplatsen. GöteborgsOperan adds opera, musicals and a contemporary dance company with a good name in Europe. The city's indie and metal side plays in the clubs around Järntorget, and in August Way Out West brings big international acts to Slottsskogen. It makes for a good night or two during a stay rather than a reason to book, and the drama is largely in Swedish.

Both follow the Nordic pattern of sauna and cold plunge, with no thermal springs. Copenhagen does it more fully, with wood-fired saunas floating in the harbour, the sea baths at Kastrup and Amager, and a calm city of lakes and palace gardens.

Gothenburg is simpler. You get a sauna and then a dip off the rocks or jetties, the plain municipal pools of Valhallabadet, and the slower pace of a ferry out to the islands.