Dresden or Prague?

Neither city is a beach destination, and in both the river is for boats rather than swimming. The difference is where locals go to cool off. In Dresden it is the flooded gravel pits on the edge of town and the ponds around Moritzburg. In Prague it is the Dzban reservoir in the Sarka valley, or the wooded Slapy reservoir about an hour south, which feels more like a day at a lake.

The two are close, and both serve hearty central European food built on dumplings and roasts. In Dresden the ritual is afternoon coffee with Eierschecke or Stollen, and the glass holds dry whites and sparkling wine from the vineyards of Radebeul and Meissen.

Prague is a beer city: unpasteurised pilsner from the tank, microbreweries, pub snacks and cheap chlebicky lunches. In both, the food gets better once you leave the showpiece squares, for the Neustadt in Dresden and for Vinohrady, Karlin or Letna in Prague.

Each rewards three or four days, but in different ways. Dresden's strength is indoors. The Sistine Madonna in the Zwinger, the treasures of the Green Vault and the Romantic painting in the Albertinum are collections that Prague's museums do not match. They sit in a baroque core that was largely reconstructed after 1945.

Prague is the better city simply to walk through. Its centre survived, so the Castle, Mala Strana, the Charles Bridge, Josefov and the Art Nouveau and Cubist buildings join up into one continuous historic townscape. The cost is heavy crowds at the main sights.

Prague has much more to offer after dark. Cheap beer keeps pubs full across several districts: Zizkov for plain local bars, Vinohrady for wine and cocktails, Letna and Riegrovy sady for summer beer gardens. There are big clubs that stay open until dawn and a more interesting techno circuit in Holesovice.

Dresden's evenings happen almost entirely in the Äußere Neustadt. Students drink in small bars and out on the pavements, and a few clubs occupy old industrial buildings. It is friendly and easy, but small, and the old town goes quiet after dinner.

Dresden has far more dramatic country on its doorstep. Saxon Switzerland starts under an hour upriver by suburban train, with the Bastei view, the multi-day Malerweg trail and a long tradition of free climbing on its sandstone towers. The Ore Mountains add summer hiking and some cross-country skiing.

Most of Prague's green space is in the city itself: Petrin Hill, Stromovka and the Divoka Sarka gorge. The Bohemian Karst around Karlstejn is gentle. Bohemian Switzerland, the Czech side of the same sandstone landscape, is about two hours away.

Both are excellent bases, and each counts the other as a day trip, about two hours apart by train along the Elbe. Dresden's outings are short and varied: porcelain in Meissen, the lakeside lodge at Moritzburg, the Königstein fortress, and fast trains to Leipzig or Görlitz.

Prague's outings are mostly Bohemian castles and history: the cathedral and ossuary at Kutna Hora, Karlstejn, Konopiste and the sobering visit to Terezin. Cesky Krumlov is far enough that many visitors stay the night.

Dresden is the easier city with children. The Großer Garten has a zoo and a miniature railway run largely by children, and the Transport Museum and the Hygiene Museum's hands-on section are good for rainy days. Paddle steamers and Moritzburg cover the outdoor days.

Prague has the single best attraction, the hillside zoo at Troja, as well as a storybook castle and an astronomical clock. Beyond those there is less to do, and steep lanes, the castle stairs and summer crowds make a pushchair hard work.

Both centres are easy to walk, and neither needs a car. Prague's public transport goes further, with three metro lines on top of dense tram routes that run through the night. The funicular and the river ferries use the same tickets, so outlying neighbourhoods are quick to reach.

Dresden gets by on trams, suburban trains and paddle steamers, which cover everything a visitor needs. The downsides in Prague are tiring cobbles and pickpockets on the crowded trams through the centre.

Prague offers a little more. It has luxury labels on Parizska, chains on Na Prikope, and distinctive Czech buys such as Bohemian crystal, garnet jewellery and marionettes, though much of the old centre is lined with identical souvenir shops.

Dresden's main streets are mostly chains on Prager Straße. Its character is in the Neustadt's second-hand and design shops, Meissen porcelain, wooden toys from the Ore Mountains and the Striezelmarkt in Advent.

Prague is a little cheaper, mainly in everyday spending. Beer, pub lunches and transport stay cheap if you eat in Zizkov or Vinohrady and avoid the exchange booths and the restaurants with views in the centre.

Dresden is moderately priced and cheaper than the cities of western Germany, and eating in the Neustadt is good value. Each major museum charges its own entry, though, which adds up, and rooms cost more during the Christmas market season.

Both are serious music cities, but in different ways. Dresden centres on the Semperoper and the Staatskapelle, with premieres by Wagner and Strauss in their history. The Kreuzchor boys' choir and a Dixieland jazz festival add to it.

Prague spreads its offer wider. It has three opera stages, including the Estates Theatre where Don Giovanni premiered, the Czech Philharmonic at the Rudolfinum and the Prague Spring festival. Black-light theatre and marionette shows need no Czech, though the many church concerts for visitors vary in quality.

Neither is a spa city. Dresden has the more practical everyday option: saunas at its municipal baths, and a proper thermal pool at Bad Schandau under an hour away. Prague offers hotel spas, massage studios and novelty beer baths, while the famous Czech spa towns lie far to the west.

In both, rest comes from slowing down. In Dresden that means the river meadows and terrace cafés, in Prague the grand coffee houses, Kampa island and the gardens below the castle.