Frankfurt or Lugano?

Neither city has a coast, but Lugano at least has a proper swimming lake. Its lidos have lawns, decks and ladders into water that warms to about 23°C in high summer, and boats run to village bathing spots around the shore.

Frankfurt offers outdoor pools and the gravel-pit lakes on its edge, such as the sandy Langener Waldsee. Locals use them on hot days, but they are not something to plan a trip around.

Frankfurt gives you more choice. Beyond the apple-wine taverns with Grüne Soße and Handkäs, there are good Turkish, Italian and Asian kitchens, cheap eating in the Bahnhofsviertel and the Kleinmarkthalle for regional produce.

Lugano's strength is the grotto: polenta, braised meats and local Merlot at granite tables in the hills. Beyond that the range is narrow and rarely cheap, so many visitors save their big meals for a trip across the Italian border.

Frankfurt has much more to see. The Städel is a gallery of international standing, the Senckenberg is one of Germany's largest natural history museums, and the rebuilt Römer, the cathedral and Goethe's birthplace are all close together under the tower skyline. That fills two or three days.

Lugano's arcaded old town, the Luini fresco in Santa Maria degli Angioli and the LAC collection are attractive but quickly seen. Most visitors cover them in a single day.

Frankfurt is the place to go out. Its techno and house clubs come from a real tradition, the Bahnhofsviertel has cocktail bars and late kiosks, and Sachsenhausen and Berger Straße cover pubs and neighbourhood bars. It is busy mainly at the weekend.

In Lugano, an evening means aperitivo under the arcades and a long dinner, and the town is mostly quiet before midnight. Its young people head to Milan for a night out.

Lugano's setting is the reason to go. Steep wooded mountains rise straight from the lake, funiculars and a rack railway reach the summits, and the Verzasca and Maggia valleys are about an hour away. Hiking is best in spring and autumn.

Frankfurt's countryside is greener and gentler. The Taunus and the Feldberg are easy to reach by S-Bahn, the Stadtwald is huge, and the Rheingau vineyard paths are lovely. Still, it is walking and cycling country rather than mountain scenery.

Both are superb bases for day trips, and the difference is the kind of place you reach. From Frankfurt, fast trains go to German cities and the Rhine: Heidelberg's castle, Cologne cathedral, Würzburg's Residenz and the castle-lined gorge, with Mainz and Wiesbaden on the doorstep.

Lugano's trips cross a border and lean towards lakes and Italy. Milan's Last Supper and Brera, Como, Bergamo's upper town, the castles of Bellinzona and the Borromean Islands are all within reach, and Morcote is a boat ride away.

Both work well for a few days with children, but in different ways. Frankfurt has the indoor and city attractions, such as the Senckenberg dinosaurs, a central zoo and the Palmengarten glasshouses. Its flat, compact centre is easy with a pushchair.

Lugano relies on the lake and the mountains: boat trips, lido slides, funicular rides and the miniature Swiss landmarks at Melide. Its steep streets and lack of a zoo or science museum make it better for younger children on outdoor days than for teenagers.

Both are easy without a car. Frankfurt has a full U-Bahn, S-Bahn and tram network that stretches into the region, and its airport is a short train ride from the centre. The many zones take some learning.

Lugano is small enough to walk, apart from the climb between the station and the lake, which a short funicular solves. Its extra transport is scenic: lake boats and mountain railways rather than metro lines.

Frankfurt is more useful for actual shopping. The Zeil has department stores and malls, Goethestraße has the luxury houses, and Berger Straße and Schweizer Straße have independent boutiques and delis.

Lugano's Via Nassa is good for browsing Swiss watches and Italian fashion under the arcades, and there is an outlet village near Mendrisio. Beyond that it has little depth, and keen shoppers go to Milan.

Neither is cheap, but Frankfurt is far easier on the wallet. Hotels are the main cost there, and they ease at weekends and in summer if you avoid the trade fairs. Meals in taverns and grills stay modest.

Lugano charges Swiss prices for everything, from lakeside rooms to boat trips and funiculars. Free regional transport with your hotel helps a little, and grotto lunches are the best value, but there is no cheap way to stay.

Frankfurt has the deeper stage life. It has an adventurous opera company, the Alte Oper concert hall, serious drama at the Schauspiel, contemporary dance and an English-language theatre, along with jazz cellars that go back to the post-war years. The season runs from autumn to early summer.

Lugano focuses on LAC, whose concert hall is home to the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana. In summer, Estival Jazz brings free concerts to Piazza della Riforma. For opera, people go to La Scala in Milan.

Frankfurt has the stronger bathing culture, though you find it in the towns around the city rather than in Frankfurt itself. Wiesbaden's Art Nouveau Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme and the thermal baths of Bad Homburg are both easy trips.

Lugano has no springs. It relaxes you through its pace instead, with coffee under the arcades, a bench in Parco Ciani and long grotto lunches, plus hotel spas and a pool complex near Rivera.