Dusseldorf or Nuremberg?

You won't swim much in either city, and the difference lies in where you go. In Düsseldorf the Rhine looks tempting but is dangerous, so locals swim at Unterbacher See on the city's edge, which is close enough for an evening dip. Nuremberg's equivalent is the Franconian Lake District an hour to the south, with sandy strips, sailing and water warm enough for an afternoon with children in high summer, but going there takes the whole day.

Düsseldorf has more range. Besides its Altstadt brewhouses with Altbier, sauerbraten and Halve Hahn, it has one of Europe's largest Japanese communities around Immermannstrasse, as well as Carlsplatz market and some fine dining.

Nuremberg sticks closely to its own food: finger-sized bratwurst grilled over beechwood, Schäufele and Lebkuchen. Its real pleasure is Franconia's small breweries and the Kellerbier served in beer gardens. Beer lovers may even prefer it, but for variety Düsseldorf goes further.

Düsseldorf is a city for modern art. The Kunstsammlung's two houses, one with its large group of works by Klee and the other with a net slung high under a glass dome, and the Kunstpalast are the main reasons to go. The Altstadt was rebuilt after the war and has little old fabric, so beyond the galleries the sights are the Gehry buildings in the Medienhafen or a ride out to Benrath Palace.

Nuremberg has more to see. Its walls, the Kaiserburg, the two great Gothic churches and Dürer's house make a medieval townscape that was rebuilt but is complete, and the Germanisches Nationalmuseum alone can fill a day. The Rally Grounds and Courtroom 600 add history that few cities can show.

Düsseldorf is by far the bigger night out. On weekend nights the Altstadt, known as the "longest bar in the world", becomes a street party of Altbier drinkers. Carnival keeps the whole city out for days, and Carlstadt and the Medienhafen have cocktail bars for a calmer evening.

Nights in Nuremberg are smaller and spent mostly in bars. They are best in Gostenhof's alternative spots west of the walls, or on the squares and riverbanks in summer. It makes for a pleasant evening, but not a reason to book.

Nuremberg has more interesting country on its doorstep. The Reichswald pine forest starts at the edge of town, and Franconian Switzerland, with its limestone towers, caves and climbing routes, is about an hour away. The lakes to the south add sailing and paddling.

Düsseldorf's outdoors is flatter and tamer. It has Rhine meadows with long cycle paths to Kaiserswerth, Grafenberg forest and the Neandertal, with the hills of the Bergisches Land within half an hour. It is good for a bike ride, but neither city has mountains.

Both are excellent bases, and the difference is in the kind of places you visit. From Düsseldorf most trips are to the large cities of the Rhineland and the Ruhr. Cologne cathedral is under half an hour away, and there are also Bonn, the Brühl palaces and Zollverein's industrial heritage, with Aachen and Dutch Maastricht further out.

Nuremberg's trips lean towards well-kept old towns: Bamberg, Regensburg on the Danube, Würzburg's Residence, and walled Rothenburg and Dinkelsbühl on the Romantic Road. Bayreuth and Munich are also within reach. Choose Düsseldorf for big cities and a trip across the border, and Nuremberg for half-timbered and baroque towns.

Both are safe, manageable cities for children, but their main attractions differ. Düsseldorf has the Aquazoo, the tilted windows of the Rheinturm, the free game park in Grafenberg and Phantasialand within an hour. Nuremberg makes the most of its toy-making past with the Toy Museum, full-size locomotives at the railway museum, a zoo set in wooded former quarries and, in Advent, a children's Christmas market. The only hard part for small legs is the cobbled climb to the castle.

You won't need a car in either city. Düsseldorf's centre is flat and compact and is tied together by the riverside path. Its regional network runs well beyond the city to Cologne and the Ruhr, and the airport is only minutes away by train.

In Nuremberg, the sights sit inside walls about 1.5km across, with the station at the gate, so most days are spent on foot. For anything further out, trams, buses and S-Bahn trains on one ticket reach the zoo, the Rally Grounds and neighbouring Fürth.

Of the two, Düsseldorf is the city for shopping. The Königsallee, with luxury flagships along its canal, sets the tone. Schadowstrasse and the Kö-Bogen cover the mainstream, and Flingern's boutiques and the stationery and homeware shops of the Japanese quarter add range.

Nuremberg's Königstraße is mostly chain stores, and its appeal lies in souvenirs: decorated Lebkuchen tins, wooden toys, tin figures and crafts from the Handwerkerhof. In Advent the Christkindlesmarkt gives it a seasonal draw that Düsseldorf lacks, but the rest of the year shopping is no reason to go.

Nuremberg is easier on the budget, with filling tavern meals, cheap local beer and modestly priced sights. Düsseldorf's hotels are expensive for a city of its size and restaurants around the Königsallee charge to match, though brewhouse meals and noodle bars keep daily costs down. Both have the same trap: trade fairs push room prices sharply up, and in Nuremberg so does the Advent market, so check the dates before booking.

Düsseldorf has the deeper programme through the year. The Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the Tonhalle in its domed former planetarium and the Schauspielhaus give it opera, symphony concerts and leading theatre. Political cabaret, small jazz venues and its place in history as the birthplace of Kraftwerk add more.

Nuremberg's Staatstheater stages opera, ballet and drama well in its Art Nouveau house, but its best moments are seasonal. In summer there are open-air orchestra concerts in the Luitpoldhain and the free Bardentreffen folk weekend in the old town's squares.

Neither city has springs of its own, and both rely on the German sauna habit, where saunas are mostly mixed and swimwear is not worn. Nuremberg is a little more convenient, with a large thermal spa in Fürth a short U-Bahn ride away and saline pools you can float in at Bad Windsheim. Düsseldorf's big thermal complexes are up to an hour out, with Aachen's hot springs further still. To unwind, Düsseldorf has the Rhine meadows and the Japanese garden in the Nordpark, while Nuremberg has beer gardens on the Pegnitz.