Ghent or Rothenburg ob der Tauber?

Neither is a place for swimming, but Ghent at least has options. Trains reach Ostend in about an hour, and the coast tram links sandy resorts backed by dunes, though the North Sea stays cool. In town, the Blaarmeersen lake has a sandy shore with supervised swimming in summer.

Rothenburg sits on its hilltop deep in Franconia, far from any coast. Swimming in summer means the town's outdoor pool or a drive to the grassy bathing areas of lakes such as the Altmühlsee.

Ghent eats and drinks much better. Waterzooi, beef stewed in dark beer and grey shrimp croquettes are proper Flemish cooking, vegetarians are well looked after, and the beer list in an old café can run to Trappists, lambics and abbey ales.

Rothenburg's cooking is hearty but narrow: Schäufele, dumplings and bratwurst, with Silvaner from the dumpy Bocksbeutel as the highlight. Many places on the Marktplatz cook for coach parties, so for a better meal look for a family guesthouse or a Tauber valley wine tavern.

Both are medieval, but in different ways. Ghent is a working city, where the Graslei guildhalls, the Gravensteen and the three towers lined up from St Michael's Bridge sit among everyday life. It also has the deeper art: the van Eyck altarpiece, the Museum of Fine Arts, the SMAK and the STAM.

Rothenburg is the more complete survival, with its wall walk, the Plönlein and almost nothing modern inside the gates. Riemenschneider's Holy Blood Altar is a true masterpiece, but beyond it and the Medieval Crime Museum you run out of sights sooner.

The gap here is wide. Ghent's university keeps the Overpoort loud and late in term time, the cafés around the Vrijdagmarkt and Oudburg suit a long evening over strong beer, and the Gentse Feesten turns July into ten days of street party.

In Rothenburg the main evening outing is the night watchman's tour, and after that the wine taverns wind down and the lanes go silent. For a real night out you have to go to Würzburg or Nuremberg.

Ghent's surroundings are flat meadow and polder, best seen by bike. You can ride along the Leie to Sint-Martens-Latem, go out to the Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen wetlands to watch birds, or take a kayak or rowing boat out at the Blaarmeersen. The nearest hills are the gentle, cobbled slopes of the Flemish Ardennes around Oudenaarde, and the coastal dunes and the Zwin bird reserve are within an hour.

Rothenburg's countryside starts right at the town walls. Paths drop from the walls into the Tauber valley, and the Tauber valley cycle path follows the river through vineyards and villages. The orchards are at their best in spring blossom and autumn colour. Both places are gentle rather than dramatic, and neither has mountains, large lakes or wild country within easy reach.

Ghent is the stronger base, mostly because of the trains. Bruges, Brussels and Antwerp are each under an hour away, Mechelen, Leuven, Ypres and Lille are easy to reach too, and you never need a car.

Rothenburg's neighbours are lovely, among them Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen inside its crater and Würzburg with its Residenz. But rail journeys mean a change off a quiet branch line, so a car makes all the difference.

Ghent edges ahead for children because it has a little more to fill the days: the Gravensteen's battlements, canal boat trips, the old toys at the House of Alijn, and the Blaarmeersen's lake beach and playgrounds, all in a centre largely free of cars.

Rothenburg works like a storybook for a day or two, with ramparts to walk, a tower to climb and the night watchman with his lantern. After that, families need to plan excursions. In both towns the cobbles are hard on pushchairs.

Ghent is easier on every count. Its flat centre is walkable and mostly car-free, trams fill the gaps, cycling is the local habit and frequent trains make a car pointless.

Inside the walls, Rothenburg is simple on foot, though the climb back up from the valley is steep. It falls behind once you leave town: the branch line needs a change at Steinach and the buses are sparse, so a car is the practical choice.

Ghent has everyday shopping with some character. Chains line the Veldstraat, the Serpentstraat and Onderbergen have independent design, there is vintage around the Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat, and there are weekend flea and flower markets. Chocolate, cuberdons and the city's mustard are the best buys.

Rothenburg does one thing well, which is Christmas: shops of baubles, nutcrackers and carvings open all year, and a much-loved Christmas market. Beyond that, the Herrngasse and Schmiedgasse mostly sell souvenirs.

Neither is cheap, but Rothenburg is a little easier on the wallet. Beer and wine in the inns are fairly priced, entry fees are modest, and staying outside the walls or in a nearby village saves a good deal.

Ghent has Belgian prices, so sit-down dinners with a few beers add up, though frites stands, bakeries and set lunches help and several churches are free. Rooms in Ghent get scarce and dearer during the Gentse Feesten, while Rothenburg's peaks come in December and on summer weekends.

Ghent has a real stage life for its size. There is opera and ballet in the nineteenth-century opera house, bold theatre at NTGent, early music at De Bijloke in a medieval hospital, and free stages all over the centre during the Gentse Feesten.

In Rothenburg, performance mostly means local history, above all the costumed Meistertrunk play, along with summer open-air theatre and organ concerts in St Jakob's. On most evenings there is no show to go to.

Calm in Ghent is a city kind of calm. You find it in the walled gardens of the beguinages, on a slow walk along the Coupure canal, over a long afternoon on a café terrace, and on Sundays, when the centre goes quiet. If you want treatments, there are only a few private saunas and hotel spas.

Rothenburg has the edge for anyone who wants proper bathing. At Bad Windsheim's Franken-Therme the salt water lets you float without effort. In town, some of the larger hotels have small spas, and the Burggarten above the valley is a quiet place to sit once the day visitors have left.