Genoa or Innsbruck?

Genoa is much stronger for swimming. Boccadasse's pebble cove, the bathing establishments on Corso Italia and the platforms below Nervi's promenade mean a swim is easy without leaving the city. Along the Riviera are Camogli, Santa Margherita and the sandier beaches at Varazze. Expect pebbles, rented loungers and busy summer weekends.

Innsbruck has no sea. Its swimming is in the shallow Lanser See and Natterer See on the plateaus, which are pleasant in high summer, or in the beautiful but cold Achensee. Treat it as an occasional afternoon out, not a reason to choose the city.

Genoa is the better place to eat by a wide margin. This is where pesto comes from, and the city has its own food at every level, from focaccia dipped in cappuccino and farinata eaten in the old-town lanes to pansoti in walnut sauce and fish in the harbour trattorias, all with a glass of Vermentino. The Mercato Orientale shows off the region's produce.

Innsbruck's cooking is filling Alpine food: Gröstl, Kaspressknödel and Kaiserschmarrn. It tastes best at a mountain hut after a walk. In town you will find traditional inns and coffee houses but no market culture or street food, and the places around the Golden Roof are aimed at tour groups.

Genoa has much more to see. Its medieval centre is one of the largest in Europe, and the Rolli palaces on Via Garibaldi have painted halls with Van Dyck and Rubens. Add San Lorenzo, the Palazzo Ducale and the marble sculpture of Staglieno, and the city easily fills several days.

Innsbruck's Habsburg heritage is smaller and fits into a compact arcaded old town. Its best single sight is Maximilian's tomb in the Hofkirche with its ring of bronze figures, and Ambras Castle's cabinet of curiosities is worth the trip out. Two or three days are enough to cover it.

Neither city is built for big nights out, and they come out roughly level. In Genoa the evening is aperitivo and late wine in the small bars around Piazza delle Erbe, with seafront bars and beach clubs in summer. Weeknights are quiet in this fairly reserved city.

Innsbruck's evenings depend more on its students, who fill the bars and small clubs in the brick arches under the railway viaduct. In winter many visitors do their partying at après-ski in the nearby resorts instead of in town.

Genoa has good walking: the ring of fortresses above Righi, the cliff paths of the Portofino promontory down to San Fruttuoso, the Cinque Terre trails, and whale-watching boats heading out into the Pelagos Sanctuary. Its strength is the meeting of hills and sea.

Innsbruck is in another class for the outdoors. The funicular and cable cars go from the old town up to the Nordkette ridge at about 2,300m, with the Karwendel nature park just behind it and glaciers in the Stubai valley. Skiing, hut-to-hut hiking, via ferratas, paragliding and rafting are all close to the city, so it suits anyone who wants to spend most days on the mountains.

Both are fine bases, but Genoa's railway has the stronger set of trips. Portofino, Camogli and Sestri Levante are under an hour or so along the coast, the Cinque Terre a little further, and Milan and Turin are close enough for a museum day.

Innsbruck's trips are more varied and spread across three countries. It is ten minutes to medieval Hall in Tirol, under two hours to Munich or Salzburg, and over the Brenner to Bolzano and Ötzi the Iceman. The Bavarian castles at Füssen are best reached by car.

Both cities work well with children, in different ways. Genoa puts everything in one place at the Porto Antico: the big aquarium, the science centre and the Galata museum's submarine. Away from the harbour, though, steep stairs and dark lanes make pushchairs hard work.

Innsbruck's flat, safe centre is easier to get around. Its appeal is the mountains: the Alpenzoo with its ibex and wolves, adventure trails, family swims in the lakes and ski schools in winter. It has fewer attractions built for children, so rainy days take more planning.

Innsbruck is the easier city to get around. The centre is flat and compact, trams and buses reach Igls and the Stubai valley, and the funicular to the Nordkette starts at the edge of the old town.

Genoa takes more effort. You explore the old town on foot, but its lanes are a maze and the city climbs steeply from the harbour. The funiculars and public lifts help, and the coastal railway is the best link to Nervi and the Riviera. Buses are slow in the narrow, crowded streets.

Genoa is a little better for shopping, mostly for food and crafts. The old town has long-established shops selling candied fruit, olive oil and pesto, plus workshops making silver filigree and coral, while Via XX Settembre and the Galleria Mazzini cover the main Italian labels.

Innsbruck's shopping is about the mountains: loden jackets, dirndls, Speck, schnapps and excellent specialist ski and outdoor shops. Neither city has a luxury district.

Genoa is the cheaper stay. Focaccia and farinata make cheap meals, trattoria lunches are fairly priced, and central hotels cost less than in Italy's most visited cities. Costs rise mainly in the smart Riviera resorts and with lounger hire on beach days.

Innsbruck adds an Alpine resort premium to Western European prices, and hotels cost most in ski season and around the Christmas markets. Cable car tickets mount up on an active trip, though the city cards help, and spring and autumn are clearly cheaper.

Genoa is slightly ahead here. The Teatro Carlo Felice on Piazza De Ferrari has a proper season of opera, ballet and symphony concerts, and the city of Paganini and the Italian singer-songwriters has small live-music clubs.

Innsbruck's Landestheater has a broad provincial programme. Its highlight is the summer Festival of Early Music, held in historic settings such as the Spanish Hall at Ambras Castle, and there are folk evenings with yodelling and brass. In neither city is the stage a reason to visit, but both have enough for an evening or two.

Innsbruck is the more restful choice. The town itself is calm, the hotel spas in Igls and on the plateaus come with mountain views, and the large thermal complexes in the Ötztal and Zillertal are about an hour away. A sauna after a day in the mountain air is the local idea of relaxing.

Genoa's centre, with its port, traffic and crowded lanes, is lively rather than relaxing, and spas are mostly in hotels. The calm is at Nervi's promenade and villa gardens or over a long lunch in a Riviera village. The nearest spa town with thermal waters is Acqui Terme.