Cortina d'Ampezzo or Nuremberg?

Neither city is a swimming destination, but Nuremberg has the better summer fallback. The Franconian Lake District is about an hour south, with grassy shores, small sandy strips around the Brombachsee and water that can reach 23°C in a warm spell.

Cortina's lakes, Ghedina and Pianozes, are fed by snowmelt and are for walking round rather than swimming in. A dip there is a test of nerve, so in practice swimming means the hotel pool.

Both cities serve hearty regional food, but Nuremberg offers more. Its strengths are beechwood-grilled bratwurst, Schäufele and Lebkuchen, and above all beer, from the old-town taverns to the riverside beer gardens pouring Kellerbier from small Franconian breweries.

Cortina's best moments are casunziei and polenta with game, ideally on a rifugio terrace among the peaks. In the valley the choice is narrow and costly, with little casual or cheap eating.

There is a wide gap here. Nuremberg has an old town ringed by medieval walls and topped by the Kaiserburg, plus St Sebaldus, St Lorenz, Dürer's house and a national museum big enough to fill a whole day. The Rally Grounds documentation centre and Courtroom 600 add history that few cities can match.

Cortina has a pleasant centre with its basilica bell tower and the 1956 Olympic ice stadium, plus the Rimoldi art collection. Its most striking heritage is the First World War tunnels on Lagazuoi and the Cinque Torri, which take a day in the mountains to reach.

Nuremberg makes for the better night out, mostly in bars: taverns inside the walls, students on the riverbanks in summer and small alternative venues in Gostenhof. Cortina's evenings are après-ski drinks, a stroll along the Corso Italia and a long dinner. A few late, glamorous spots open only in the peak winter weeks, and the town is quiet by late evening for most of the year.

Cortina is among the finest mountain bases anywhere. The Tofane, Cristallo and Cinque Torri rise straight above town, the Tre Cime and Lago di Misurina are close and the Fanes-Sennes-Braies park begins at the valley's edge. Skiing, long-distance trails, via ferrata and paragliding are all on hand.

Nuremberg's outdoors is gentler. The Reichswald forest starts at the edge of town, Franconian Switzerland's limestone towers and climbing crags are an hour away and there are riverside cycle paths, which is good walking and cycling country without any drama.

Nuremberg is the far better base for excursions, and the train does the work. Bamberg is under an hour away, Regensburg and Würzburg about an hour each, and Rothenburg, Bayreuth and Munich are all in reach.

From Cortina most outings head into the mountains. San Candido, Brunico and Bolzano with its Iceman make good drives north into South Tyrol, while Venice is a long day by coach.

Nuremberg gives children more to do whatever the weather. There is the Toy Museum, full-size locomotives at the railway museum, a large zoo set in old quarries and a play park in Zirndorf. In Advent a separate children's market adds carousels and a little steam train.

Cortina works well for families who ski or hike, with beginner slopes at Socrepes, public skating and gentle walks to the huts. There is little built for children beyond the outdoors, though, so wet days drag and the costs mount.

Nuremberg is far easier. The walled centre is about 1.5km across and fully walkable, the station sits by the southern gate and one ticket covers the U-Bahn, trams and S-Bahn out to the zoo, Fürth and Erlangen.

Cortina's centre is small enough to cross in minutes, and ski buses link the slopes in winter. It has had no railway since 1964, though, and buses to the passes are infrequent, so many visitors end up hiring a car.

Neither city is a big shopping destination, and they appeal to different buyers. Cortina's Corso Italia is a single polished street of luxury fashion, furriers and upmarket ski wear, anchored by the old Cooperativa store. Nuremberg's high streets are mostly chain stores, and the things worth buying are Lebkuchen tins, wooden toys and Handwerkerhof crafts, with the Christkindlesmarkt as the highlight in Advent.

Nuremberg is much easier on the wallet. Filling tavern meals, cheap local beer and inexpensive transport keep daily costs moderate, and only the trade fair weeks and Advent push hotel prices up.

Cortina charges luxury-resort rates in the winter peak and in August, and lift passes and equipment hire add to the bill. The rifugi and the shoulder seasons soften the cost a little, but many budget visitors stay in neighbouring valleys and drive in.

Nuremberg has a real season. The Staatstheater stages opera, ballet and drama in its Art Nouveau house, two orchestras perform, and summer brings a big open-air concert in the Luitpoldhain and the free Bardentreffen. Cortina has no theatre or regular venue. Its music comes from summer chamber festivals in churches and the occasional mountain setting, with a few concerts around New Year.

The two are about even, but they relax you in different ways. In Cortina wellness happens in the hotel, with Alpine spas, hay baths and a massage after the slopes, plus the calm of a hut terrace in June or September. Nuremberg relies on public facilities in the German style, with the thermal spa and sauna gardens in Fürth, mixed nude saunas and floating in Bad Windsheim's saline pools.