Genoa or Lausanne?

Genoa has the sea, and that settles it. There is clear Mediterranean water at Boccadasse, the bathing establishments of Corso Italia and the swimming platforms below Nervi's promenade. Camogli, Sestri Levante and the sandier shore at Varazze are a train ride away. Expect pebbles, rented loungers and crowded summer weekends.

Lausanne swims in Lake Geneva instead, from lawns and piers at Vidy and the old lido at Bellerive. The water is cooler and the season shorter, so it makes a pleasant summer afternoon rather than a reason to come.

Genoa eats better from day to day. Pesto, focaccia, farinata and fried fish from the old friggitorie make cheap and very local meals, and the harbour trattorias cook seafood well. Lausanne's cooking is heartier and plainer: lake perch, papet vaudois and winter fondue. Its real strength is the Chasselas from the Lavaux terraces.

At the top end the order reverses. Lausanne has some of Switzerland's most celebrated tables nearby, while Genoa's fine dining is thin. For everything below that level, and street food above all, Genoa is the easier city to eat in.

Genoa has far more to see. Its medieval quarter is one of the largest in Europe, and the Rolli palaces along Via Garibaldi hang Van Dyck and Rubens in painted halls. Add the striped cathedral of San Lorenzo and the marble sculpture at Staglieno, and there is enough for several days.

Lausanne is smaller and relies on its museums more than its streets. The Gothic cathedral with its night watchman, the Olympic Museum at Ouchy and the Collection de l'Art Brut are all worth a visit, but two or three days cover them.

Neither city is built for partying, but they go out in different ways. Genoa's evenings mean aperitivo and wine in medieval squares such as Piazza delle Erbe, with waterfront bars at the Porto Antico and beach clubs along Corso Italia in summer. Lausanne has the clubs, stacked in the old warehouses of the Flon and filled with students at weekends, though drinks there cost a good deal more.

Lausanne has the edge, mostly because the Alps are so close. Villars, Leysin and Les Diablerets offer skiing and summer hiking within about an hour, the Jura has long ridge walks, and the vineyard path through Lavaux beside the lake is a classic. In the warmer months there is sailing and paddleboarding on the lake.

Genoa's outdoors is coastal and steep. There is the fortress trail above Righi, the cliff paths of Portofino down to San Fruttuoso, the Cinque Terre trails, and whale watching in the Pelagos Sanctuary. The walking is excellent, but there is nothing for skiers.

Both make superb bases, and the difference is the kind of outing. Genoa's trips run along the coast to Portofino, Camogli and the Cinque Terre villages, with Milan or Turin for a city day. From Lausanne they head to lakes and mountains: the Château de Chillon, Gruyères, Bern's arcaded old town and Geneva, almost all reached by train without a car.

Both cities work with children, but for different reasons. Genoa's Porto Antico puts a lot in one place: the large aquarium, the walk-through submarine at the Galata museum and funiculars to ride. Its dark, steep old town is hard work with a pushchair. Lausanne is calmer and greener, with the animal park and pedal boats at Sauvabelin and lakeside lawns in summer, but eating out as a family is costly.

Lausanne is the easier city to get around. It is compact, and the m2 metro carries you from the lakeshore to the upper town, so the steep slopes rarely get in the way. Swiss trains and lake boats cover everything further out.

Genoa's old town and harbour are walkable, but the caruggi are a maze, the buses crawl through congested streets and there is only one short metro line. Funiculars and public lifts help with the hills, and the coastal railway is the link that matters most.

Neither is a shopping destination, and the real difference is what you bring home. Genoa's best buys are edible or handmade: pesto, olive oil and candied fruit from long-established shops in the old town, and silver filigree from small workshops, with Via XX Settembre for mainstream fashion. Lausanne's Rue de Bourg is the place for a Swiss watch, jewellery or chocolate, and a bottle of Lavaux wine is easy to pack.

The gap here is wide enough to shape the whole trip. In Genoa an ordinary day of sightseeing stays modest: a sit-down lunch, a funicular ride up to Righi and a glass of Vermentino at aperitivo add little to the bill, and a comfortable central room still leaves money for trains along the Riviera. Spending climbs mainly on summer days in Portofino or Santa Margherita, and wherever a lounger has to be paid for.

In Lausanne the same kind of day costs far more, and the difference shows most at dinner and on the hotel bill. The free pleasures, the lakeside at Ouchy and the walk through the Lavaux vines, keep some days cheap, and Swiss trains make every outing quick. Even so, a week in Lausanne needs a much bigger budget than a week in Genoa.

For its size, Lausanne has the more serious stage life, and dance leads it. The city has the Béjart Ballet and the Prix de Lausanne, contemporary work at the Théâtre de Vidy, a full opera season and a respected chamber orchestra. In July the Montreux Jazz Festival is a short train ride away.

Genoa has opera, ballet and concerts at the Teatro Carlo Felice, concerts in honour of Paganini, and small clubs that keep its singer-songwriter tradition going. That makes a good evening or two rather than a reason to visit.

Lausanne is the more restful choice. The lakeside promenades and the paths through the Lavaux vines suit slow days, the grand lakeside hotels have large spas, and thermal water is close at Yverdon-les-Bains and Lavey-les-Bains.

Genoa's centre, with its port and traffic, is lively rather than calming. Its quiet side is the villa gardens at Nervi and the long lunches in the Riviera villages, and the nearest thermal springs are at Acqui Terme, more than an hour inland.