Dusseldorf or Cologne?

Neither city is for a beach trip. In both, the Rhine is too fast and too busy with shipping for a swim, and the coast is out of reach for a day out. What you get is a lake on a hot afternoon.

Cologne has several to choose from: Fühlinger See, Escher See and Otto-Maigler-See all have grass and small patches of sand. Düsseldorf's main option is Unterbacher See on its south-eastern edge, which has proper bathing areas, with gravel-pit lakes and outdoor pools further out.

The brewhouse meal is almost the same in both cities: sauerbraten, pork knuckle and the cheese roll called Halve Hahn, served by waiters who keep the glasses coming. The difference is in the glass, pale Kölsch in Cologne and dark Altbier in Düsseldorf, and Düsseldorf also has its own sharp brown mustard.

Beyond that, Düsseldorf eats better. Its Japanese quarter around Immermannstrasse brings ramen, izakaya and bakeries, and Carlsplatz market is a good place to graze. Cologne's best alternative is the Turkish and Middle Eastern food along Ehrenfeld's Venloer Strasse, and the rest of its range is decent but thinner.

Cologne has more to see. The cathedral is a first-rank monument, and behind it lie the Romanesque churches, Roman foundations and mosaics, and museums that run from medieval painting at the Wallraf-Richartz to Pop Art at Museum Ludwig, with Kolumba in between.

Düsseldorf is more narrowly an art city. Klee at K20, the net under the dome at K21 and the Kunstpalast are its strengths. Like Cologne, it was rebuilt after wartime bombing, but it has no landmark on the cathedral's scale, and its best historic building, Benrath Palace, lies out in the suburbs.

The two are closely matched, and both build their year around Carnival. The difference is in shape. Cologne's nights spread across neighbourhoods: brewhouses in the Altstadt, cocktails in the Belgian Quarter, students on Zülpicher Strasse, clubs in Ehrenfeld's old factories and a large, open gay scene around Rudolfplatz.

Düsseldorf concentrates its night in one place. The Altstadt's dense lanes turn into a standing street party at weekends, loud and sometimes full of stag groups, while the calmer cocktail bars are in Carlstadt and the Medienhafen.

Cologne is the better base for the outdoors, though neither city has dramatic scenery. Its Grüngürtel and Stadtwald give real green space inside the city, and the Siebengebirge hills with the Drachenfels, the Eifel's crater lakes and the Ahr vineyards are all closer to it.

Düsseldorf's outdoors is mostly the flat Rhine meadows, with sheep on the dykes and cycle paths to Kaiserswerth. Grafenberg forest and the Neandertal valley are its wooded escapes, and the Bergisches Land is half an hour away.

Both are excellent bases for day trips, and each is a short train ride from the other. The difference is which way they face. Cologne looks south and west: Brühl's palaces in a quarter of an hour, Bonn in twenty minutes, Aachen in under forty, and Brussels or the Rhine Gorge's castle towns within about two hours.

Düsseldorf is better placed for the north and the Ruhr. Zollverein and the industrial heritage of Essen are close, and Münster's gabled arcades are within reach, while Aachen, Maastricht and the Middle Rhine take longer than from Cologne.

Cologne gives children more. The old zoo with its elephant park, the Chocolate Museum's production line, the cable car over the river and Phantasialand a short trip south make a full week easy.

Düsseldorf is pleasant and orderly with a family but has fewer big draws. The Aquazoo, the tilted windows of the Rheinturm and the free game park at Grafenberg are good for a day or two, and Phantasialand and Movie Park take closer to an hour. In both cities, Carnival and weekend nights in the Altstadt are best avoided with small children.

Both are flat and easy on foot, with tram and light-rail systems that make a car unnecessary. Cologne's advantage is arrival: the station stands beside the cathedral, though its tram map is harder to read and services can be crowded.

Düsseldorf's centre is a little tighter, with the Altstadt, Königsallee and Japanese quarter all next to each other, and the airport is only minutes away by train. Its fare zones take some working out at first.

Düsseldorf is the shopping city of the two. The Königsallee, with its canal, jewellers and luxury flagships, has no real equivalent in Cologne, and the Japanese quarter's stationery and homeware shops add something unusual.

Cologne is strong for everyday shopping along Schildergasse and Hohe Strasse, and Ehrenstrasse and the Belgian Quarter are good for independent labels. Its distinct souvenirs are Eau de Cologne from the historic houses on Glockengasse and the Advent markets around its squares.

Costs are much the same, and in both the trade-fair calendar matters more than anything else, because hotel rooms become scarce and expensive during the big fairs. Cologne comes out slightly gentler, with moderate hotel rates in ordinary weeks and a free cathedral.

Düsseldorf's hotels run higher for a city of its size, and dining around the Kö is expensive. Its noodle bars and Altstadt brewhouses keep everyday spending reasonable.

Cologne's stage life is broader. The Philharmonie beside the cathedral hosts two orchestras, the broadcaster's ensembles add a big band and choirs, early music fills the Romanesque churches, and Ehrenfeld and the Südstadt have gigs most nights. Carnival sessions with dialect bands are a local tradition.

Düsseldorf has a respectable programme for its size: the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the domed Tonhalle and a leading Schauspielhaus whose plays need good German. Its distinct claims are political cabaret and its place as Kraftwerk's home city.

Both share the German habit of the mixed, textile-free sauna, and both send bathers to Aachen's hot springs. Cologne has the advantage of a thermal bath fed by mineral springs in the Rheinpark itself, looking across to the cathedral, and Aachen is closer.

Düsseldorf has to send you about an hour out for a full spa day. In return its pace is calmer, with the Hofgarten and the Japanese garden in Nordpark for quiet afternoons.