Geneva or Luxembourg?

Neither city has a coast, but Geneva swims in its lake right in the centre. The Bains des Pâquis jetty, Genève-Plage and the Eaux-Vives lawns put a summer dip a short walk from most hotels, and the water warms to around 23°C by August.

In Luxembourg, swimming means leaving town, either for the Upper Sûre reservoir an hour north or for the old gravel pits at Remerschen. That makes it a planned outing on a hot day rather than part of daily life.

Both cities eat expensively and well at the top end, and both are thin on cheap casual food. Where they differ is flavour. Geneva leans French with Alpine comfort food: perch fillets from the lake, fondue and raclette in wood-panelled brasseries, and the canton's own Chasselas and Gamay.

Luxembourg is more of a crossroads. French fine dining sits alongside German and Belgian beer habits, long-running Portuguese and Italian neighbourhood places and a few hearty local dishes such as smoked pork collar with broad beans. The wine is Moselle Riesling and crémant, and lunch menus are the smarter way to eat.

The two are evenly matched, and each takes two or three days, but they tell different stories. Geneva's sights are about ideas: the cathedral where Calvin preached, the Reformation Wall, the Palais des Nations, the Red Cross museum and the science on show at CERN.

Luxembourg's are about place. The main sight is the fortress itself, with its casemate tunnels cut into the rock and the view from the Corniche down to the Grund. The palace, the cathedral and MUDAM's contemporary art make up the rest.

Neither is a city for big nights out, and both wind down early. Geneva's late bars are in the slightly rough-edged Pâquis, with wine terraces in Carouge and club nights in the alternative centres of Plainpalais and Jonction. On summer evenings people drink by the lake.

Luxembourg packs its going out into the old brewery site at the Rives de Clausen and the riverside pubs of the Grund. The crowd is international and busiest on Thursday and Friday, because many residents leave at weekends.

Geneva has mountains and Luxembourg does not, which settles it for anyone after the outdoors. From Geneva you can take the cable car up the Salève, hike the Jura, sail or paddleboard on the lake and reach Chamonix in about an hour, with ski days possible in winter.

Luxembourg's green is gentler and closer to hand: wooded gorges through the city centre, the mossy sandstone passages of the Müllerthal and quiet walking in the Ardennes. It is at its best in autumn and suits walkers more than climbers or skiers.

Geneva and Luxembourg are equally good bases for days out, and each makes use of a neighbouring country. Geneva's outings are mostly about lake and mountain scenery: steamers to Lausanne, Montreux and the Château de Chillon, the Lavaux vineyard terraces, and Annecy just over the French border.

Luxembourg's outings are more about history in three countries. Roman Trier and Gothic Metz are each under an hour away by train. Inside the country there are the hilltop castle at Vianden, the abbey town of Echternach and the Moselle wine villages for a slow afternoon of tasting.

Both cities are safe, calm and easy with a pushchair, and neither has a zoo, aquarium or theme park. Geneva's best card is the big animal dioramas at the Natural History Museum, with lakeside playgrounds and the little boats across the harbour as extras.

Luxembourg answers with the fortress tunnels and ramparts, which children treat as an adventure, and the small Parc Merveilleux at Bettembourg. Either city fills two or three days. After that, Geneva families head for the mountains and Luxembourg families for the castles.

Both are easy to get around, with walkable centres and reliable trams. Geneva's extra is the lake: the yellow harbour boats are part of the network, and the airport is a few minutes from the centre by train.

Luxembourg's extra is that every tram, bus and second-class train in the country is free. The city is built on several levels, though, so public lifts and a funicular do the work of linking the valley quarters.

For shopping, Geneva is in a different league. The Rue du Rhône is one of the world's great streets for watches and jewellery, and Carouge's craft workshops and the Plainpalais flea market add character beyond the luxury brands.

Luxembourg's Grand-Rue has premium brands for a wealthy local crowd but much less range. The things worth taking home are Villeroy & Boch porcelain and a bottle of Moselle crémant.

Both cities are costly, but Geneva is harder on the wallet. Hotels are expensive all year and dearer still during big conferences. Free museums, free local transport for hotel guests and the cheap lidos help a little, and many visitors sleep in France.

Luxembourg is expensive too, but somewhat easier. Public transport is free for everyone, room rates can fall at weekends when business travel drops away, and a lunch menu or a glass of crémant keeps costs down.

Geneva has the deeper home-grown stage. The Grand Théâtre puts on its own full season of opera and ballet, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande plays in the gilded Victoria Hall, and the Comédie stages French-language theatre.

Luxembourg's highlight is the Philharmonie on Kirchberg, which has excellent acoustics and a steady stream of touring orchestras. Its Grand Théâtre mostly hosts visiting productions, though, so the programme is good rather than distinctive.

Neither city is built around wellness, and both are restful, but they bathe in different ways. Geneva's habit is cold water: in winter the Bains des Pâquis turns into a sauna and hammam, regulars plunge straight into the lake, and Évian is close across the border.

Luxembourg's answer is warm water at the mineral spring and landscaped park of Mondorf-les-Bains, about half an hour away. In town, the walks along the Pétrusse valley are the place to slow down.