Dresden or Hamburg?

Neither city is a beach destination, and in both the Elbe has sandy banks but currents and shipping that rule out swimming. Hamburg comes out a little better because the Baltic resorts of Travemuende and Timmendorfer Strand, with their wicker beach chairs, are about an hour away, an easy summer day out.

From Dresden the sea is a long journey. On a hot day it has the gravel-pit lakes on the city edge, the ponds around Moritzburg and the outdoor pools, which are fine for a swim but nothing more.

Hamburg eats better, and it eats like a port: herring and shrimp rolls at the Landungsbruecken, Labskaus, eel soup, Franzbroetchen for breakfast, plus a modern dining scene that runs up to serious fine dining.

Dresden's cooking is heartier and narrower, with sauerbraten, dumplings and game, and it is at its best at the coffee table with Eierschecke and Stollen. What Hamburg cannot match is the wine from the Elbe valley around Meissen and Radebeul, where dry Riesling and sparkling wines appear on local lists. For variety in Dresden, eat in the Neustadt rather than around the Frauenkirche.

Dresden has the deeper collections. The Sistine Madonna in the Zwinger, the treasures of the Green Vault and the Albertinum's Romantics all sit within a short walk of the Frauenkirche, enough for three or four full days of baroque palaces and galleries, though much of the old town is a careful reconstruction.

Hamburg's strength lies in its streets and buildings: the canal-side warehouses of the Speicherstadt, the Chilehaus and the harbour views from the Elbphilharmonie plaza. Its Kunsthalle has Caspar David Friedrich too, but here the sightseeing is spread across districts and waterside walks, with no single historic core.

Hamburg is one of Germany's great nights out. The Reeperbahn brings neon, music clubs and cabaret, the bars keep going until dawn, and each district has its own mood, from the alternative Schanzenviertel to the smarter bars around the Alster.

Dresden's going-out is concentrated in the Äußere Neustadt: student bars, beer kiosks and pavement drinking on summer nights, with a few clubs in old industrial buildings. It is friendly and fine for a few evenings, but the old town goes quiet after dinner.

Dresden has real scenery on its doorstep. Saxon Switzerland's sandstone towers, the view from the Bastei and the multi-day Malerweg begin less than an hour upriver, and the Ore Mountains add summer hiking and some cross-country skiing.

Hamburg's outdoors is flat and built around water: sailing and paddling on the Alster, canoes on the northern canals, and the riverside path to the wooded slopes at Blankenese. The orchards of the Altes Land in blossom and the heather of Lueneburg Heath are lovely, but gentle.

Both cities make good bases, and Dresden has the slight edge for variety. Meissen's porcelain and cathedral, the Königstein fortress, Moritzburg's lakeside lodge, Leipzig and the intact old town of Görlitz are all within easy reach, and Prague is possible as a long day out.

Hamburg's day trips are a run of brick Gothic Hanseatic towns. Luebeck is the standout, with Lueneburg, Bremen and Schwerin's castle close behind. It is a coherent set and all of it is easy by train, though less varied than Dresden's mix of baroque, porcelain and a neighbouring country.

Hamburg is the stronger city with children. Miniatur Wunderland can fill half a day, Hagenbeck's moated enclosures and tropical aquarium are good in any weather, and a harbour ferry, the museum ships and the old Elbe tunnel make a full day on their own. Two theme parks are about an hour away.

Dresden works at a slower pace: the children's railway in the Großer Garten, trams and trains in the Transport Museum, and paddle steamers up the Elbe. Formal galleries and cobbles will tire younger children, and there is no aquarium or theme park to fall back on.

Neither city needs a car, but Hamburg's network is more complete. U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines reach every district, the airport is on the S-Bahn, and the harbour ferries run on the same ticket, so a commute doubles as a port tour.

Dresden is smaller and more compact. The old town sights and the Neustadt are a walk apart, and trams cover the rest of the city. Suburban trains and slow paddle steamers handle Meissen, Pillnitz and Saxon Switzerland.

Hamburg shops like the wealthy merchant city it is. Luxury labels line Neuer Wall, covered arcades link the streets around the Jungfernstieg, and the Karolinenviertel adds vintage and streetwear. Tea, coffee and maritime goods make the obvious things to take home.

Dresden's high streets are mostly chains. The interest lies in the Neustadt's second-hand shops and the Kunsthofpassage, and above all in local craft: Meissen porcelain and wooden toys from the Ore Mountains, with the Striezelmarkt filling the Altmarkt in Advent.

Dresden is the cheaper stay. Hotels are reasonable most of the year and eating in the Neustadt is good value, though paying separate entry at each of the big museums adds up over a few days.

Hamburg is one of Germany's pricier cities. Rooms climb steeply during trade fairs and on summer weekends, and central restaurants charge accordingly. Fish rolls, the bakeries and free sights such as the Elbphilharmonie plaza and the Speicherstadt help to balance the bill.

Both are serious music cities, but in different ways. Dresden's strength is depth of tradition: the Semperoper with the centuries-old Staatskapelle and its history of Wagner and Strauss premieres, the Kreuzchor in the Kreuzkirche and Bach in the Frauenkirche.

Hamburg offers more range. The Elbphilharmonie and the Laeiszhalle carry the classical seasons, the Hamburg Ballet and leading theatres add drama and dance, and there are large musical theatres and the St Pauli rock clubs where the Beatles once played. Choose Dresden for opera and choral music, Hamburg for a bit of everything.

Neither city has thermal springs of its own, and both share the German habit of a long afternoon in a public sauna. Dresden's advantage is the thermal pool at Bad Schandau, which pairs well with a day in Saxon Switzerland.

Hamburg has the more handsome bathhouse in the art nouveau Holthusenbad, plus a top tier of hotel spas. Its quiet moments come on the Alster and in the Japanese garden of Planten un Blomen, while Dresden's come in the open Elbe meadows and on a café terrace above the river.