Genoa or Milan?

Genoa has the sea on its doorstep. You can swim from the pebble cove at Boccadasse, the rock-built bathing establishments along Corso Italia or the platforms below the Nervi promenade, and the Riviera towns east and west are easy afternoon trips by train. Expect pebbles and rented loungers rather than wide sand.

Milan is landlocked, so a swim there means the Idroscalo basin, a city pool or a train to Lake Como or Maggiore. The lakes are lovely, but the water stays a little cooler than the Ligurian sea, and swimming will be an occasional outing rather than a daily habit.

Milan has the edge in range. On top of its butter-rich risotto, ossobuco and cotoletta, it serves cooking from every region of Italy and has a serious fine-dining tier. The aperitivo hour in Brera, Isola and along the Navigli is a meal in itself.

Genoa is narrower but intensely local. This is the place for pesto at its source, pansoti in walnut sauce and farinata from old friggitorie in the caruggi, with Vermentino and harbour seafood alongside. Its street food beats anything Milan offers, but there is far less choice beyond Ligurian cooking.

The two are level on heritage but very different to explore. Genoa gives you a whole medieval quarter of shaded lanes, with the Rolli palaces of Via Garibaldi above it and Staglieno's marble sculpture on the edge of town. It suits a visitor who likes to wander and find things.

Milan's treasures are fewer, but several are world-class: the Last Supper, the Duomo's rooftop among the spires, the Brera collection and Michelangelo's Rondanini Pietà. They sit in clusters within a largely modern city, and the Last Supper has to be booked well ahead.

Milan offers far more after dark. Bars spill onto the Navigli towpaths, Porta Venezia has the city's gay scene, and the clubs range from dressy Corso Como to warehouse nights on the outskirts. It is stylish rather than wild, and it quietens in August.

Genoa's evenings are smaller and more reserved: an aperitivo around Piazza delle Erbe, student bars near the university and summer beach clubs along the coast. Weeknights are quiet, so it is a place for a glass of wine in a medieval square rather than a long night out.

Genoa puts walking country right on the edge of town. A funicular climbs to Righi and the ring of hilltop forts, the Portofino promontory has cliff paths down to San Fruttuoso, and boats leave the harbour to watch whales in the Pelagos Sanctuary. The Cinque Terre trails are a train ride away.

Milan's surroundings are flat and often hazy, so the outdoors starts with a journey. Once you reach Como, Maggiore or the Grigne ridges, though, the lake sailing, via ferrata and winter skiing in the Alpine valleys are things Genoa can't offer.

Both are excellent bases, but Milan has the wider reach. High-speed trains put Verona, Turin and Bologna within about an hour or so, and Bergamo, Mantua, Cremona, the Borromean Islands and Lugano add variety in every direction.

Genoa's strength is one superb coastline. Portofino, Camogli, Sestri Levante and the Cinque Terre line the same railway, and Finale Ligure and Noli lie to the west. Milan itself makes a day trip from Genoa, while the Riviera is too far from Milan for a casual day by the sea.

Genoa does better with children, mainly thanks to the Porto Antico. The aquarium, one of Europe's largest, sits beside the Galata museum's walk-through submarine and the biosphere, and the funiculars and swimming coves add to the fun. The steep, dark old-town lanes and endless stairs are hard work with a pushchair.

Milan is flatter and easier to get around with small children, and its science museum is a good wet-day standby. Beyond that, most of its sights appeal to adults, and the theme parks at Leolandia and Gardaland mean a trip out of the city.

Milan is the easier city to get around. The centre is flat, the five metro lines and dense tram network cover almost everything, and the main stations connect directly to the lakes. The weak points are a hot metro in summer and the long transfer from Malpensa.

Genoa is a vertical city with a single short metro line. Its funiculars, rack railway and public lifts are part of the charm, but buses crawl through the narrow streets. The coastal railway does much of the useful work, reaching Nervi and the Riviera towns.

This is Milan's strongest lead. The Quadrilatero della Moda holds the flagships of houses born in the city, La Rinascente and the Galleria add history, and design showrooms, Brera boutiques and the Navigli antique markets give depth well beyond luxury labels.

Genoa offers solid high-street shopping on Via XX Settembre, but its real appeal is in the caruggi: candied fruit, olive oil, silver filigree and coral from long-established shops. Come for edible souvenirs and crafts, not for fashion.

Genoa is noticeably cheaper. Central hotels are more reasonable, focaccia and farinata cost very little, and trattoria lunches are fair. Costs climb in the Riviera resorts in summer and with paid loungers.

Milan is Italy's most expensive city. Hotel rates are high and spike further during trade fairs and fashion weeks. Lunchtime set menus, aperitivo snacks and a room near a metro stop outside the centre are the ways to keep a stay affordable.

Milan has the stronger stage by a wide margin. La Scala alone draws opera lovers from around the world, and the Piccolo Teatro, the symphony orchestra at the Auditorium and big summer concerts at San Siro fill out a full calendar. Plan around a quieter summer season for opera.

Genoa's Teatro Carlo Felice runs a respectable season of opera, ballet and concerts. Paganini concerts and the city's singer-songwriter clubs give it local character, but it is a programme for an evening or two rather than a reason to travel.

Neither city is a place to unwind, though Milan has slightly more on offer. It has a thermal spa complex with outdoor pools in the city itself and the 1930s Bagni Misteriosi pools in summer, and the quiet lakeside villas are an hour away.

Genoa has no spa culture of its own, and the nearest thermal waters are at Acqui Terme, over an hour inland. What it has instead is Nervi's seafront promenade and villa gardens, and long, slow lunches in the Riviera villages.