Dusseldorf or Freiburg?

Neither city has a beach, and both rely on lakes. Freiburg is slightly better. On hot days the gravel-pit lakes on the Rhine plain warm up well, and Titisee and Schluchsee make a scenic, if cool, swim in the Black Forest.

Düsseldorf's best option is Unterbacher See on the edge of the city. The sandy Rhine banks are tempting, but the river is too dangerous for swimming, and the cold Dutch North Sea is a long way off.

At the table Düsseldorf and Freiburg are evenly matched. Düsseldorf's eating comes in two parts. There are the Altstadt brewhouses, where sauerbraten and Halve Hahn come with Altbier and the city's sharp brown mustard, and there is the Japanese quarter around Immermannstrasse, with its ramen counters, izakaya and bakeries. Those are what you come for, and beyond them the choice is solid rather than wide.

Freiburg's food is lighter, in the Baden style with a French accent: Flammkuchen, Schäufele, Black Forest ham and mountain trout, with dry Pinot from the Kaiserstuhl to drink. The Münster market, held every morning except Sunday, is the place to start, and the surrounding region has some of Germany's best fine dining. After a few days the menus start to repeat, and there is little international cooking to break the pattern.

Go to Düsseldorf for its art and to Freiburg for its old town. In Düsseldorf most of your time goes on galleries: the Klee works at K20, the net slung under the glass dome at K21 and the Kunstpalast, which runs from old masters to glass. Away from the museums, the sights to look for are Gehry's leaning buildings in the Medienhafen and the pink rococo Benrath Palace in the southern suburbs. The rebuilt Altstadt has kept less of its historic feel.

Freiburg is a city for wandering rather than for gallery visits. Its centre was also rebuilt after wartime bombing, but carefully, so it feels historic even if it is not truly old. The red sandstone Münster with its climbable tower, the medieval Martinstor and Schwabentor gates and the Bächle running beside the streets create that atmosphere. The Augustinermuseum adds medieval sculpture and painting, and a day or two covers it all.

Düsseldorf is the clear choice for a night out. The Altstadt's few hundred pubs and brewhouses fill the lanes until well past midnight, and Carnival turns the whole city into a party for days. It can get loud, and stag groups are part of the crowd.

Freiburg's nights depend on its students. Expect pubs and wine bars around the Martinstor, summer evenings on the squares and by the Dreisam, and a few clubs. It is friendly, but you would not travel there for the nightlife.

Freiburg wins easily on the outdoors. The Black Forest starts where the town ends, with ridge trails on the Schauinsland at about 1,280m, the Feldberg for hiking or winter skiing, the Ravenna gorge and excellent mountain biking.

Düsseldorf's countryside is gentle. There are flat cycle paths along the Rhine meadows to Kaiserswerth, walks in Grafenberg forest and the Neandertal, and the Bergisches Land within half an hour. It is fine for a relaxed day out, but there are no mountains.

Both are excellent bases for day trips, but you get different kinds of variety. From Düsseldorf you stay in one dense German region: Cologne cathedral is under half an hour away, with Bonn, the Brühl palaces, the Zollverein colliery and Aachen also in reach, all linked by frequent trains.

Freiburg's trips cross borders. Basel, Colmar, the Alsace wine villages and Strasbourg add France and Switzerland to Staufen, Breisach and Baden-Baden. For some of the Alsace villages, though, a car helps.

Freiburg is better for children. It is small, green and easy to cycle around, kids can play in the Bächle and ride the Schauinsland cable car, and Europa-Park, Germany's largest theme park, is about 40 minutes away. Its weak point is rainy days, as there is little to do indoors.

That is where Düsseldorf does better. The Aquazoo Löbbecke Museum and the tilted windows of the Rheinturm are good indoor options, and Phantasialand and the Carnival parades are fun outings.

Both are easy to get around without a car. Düsseldorf has a walkable centre linked by trams and light rail, the airport is only minutes away by train, and one regional network reaches Cologne and the Ruhr, although the fare zones can be confusing.

Freiburg is smaller and works better on a bike. The old town is largely car-free, the city is one of Germany's great cycling cities, and many hotels give guests a card that covers buses and trains into the Black Forest.

Düsseldorf is far ahead for shopping. The Königsallee has luxury flagships and jewellers along its canal, the city's trade-fair link with fashion shows in its department stores, and Flingern and the Japanese quarter add independent shops.

Freiburg is more about browsing than serious buying. It has the chains on Kaiser-Joseph-Strasse, bookshops and organic stores in the Gerberau, and wine, ham and wood carvings at the Münster market. There is no luxury shopping at all.

The two cost about the same, and the hotel bill is the expensive part in both. Düsseldorf's rooms can cost several times the usual price during the big trade fairs. In Freiburg there are not enough rooms for the demand, especially on summer weekends, which is why some visitors stay in Black Forest villages instead.

Day to day, Düsseldorf's brewhouse meals and Japanese noodle lunches are fair value. Freiburg's market snacks and free sights such as the Münster keep costs down, as long as you don't cross into Switzerland.

Düsseldorf has more going on in the evenings. There is opera and ballet at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the symphony orchestra plays in the domed Tonhalle, the Schauspielhaus is a major theatre for German speakers, and Kraftwerk's electronic legacy is part of the city's music history.

Freiburg has a smaller programme but one real highlight: the Freiburger Barockorchester, one of Europe's leading period-instrument ensembles. Add the municipal theatre and the summer Zelt-Musik-Festival, and there is enough for a good night out.

Freiburg is the better place to unwind. It has a thermal bath on the edge of the city, Bad Krozingen and Badenweiler with its Roman ruins are a short ride south, Baden-Baden is about an hour away, and the city itself moves at an easy pace.

Düsseldorf has no springs of its own. It relies on sauna areas in its public pools and thermal complexes up to an hour away, with walks in the Hofgarten and the Japanese garden in Nordpark for quiet time.