Gothenburg or Lubeck?

Neither city is a beach destination, and both have a short, cool swimming season. The difference is in the kind of shore. Gothenburg swims from smooth granite rocks and small coves at Askim and Hovås and on islands such as Styrsö and Vrångö, where the water is clear.

Lübeck has proper sand at Travemünde, with hooded wicker beach chairs and a chain of resorts along the bay. The water there is calm and shallow, which makes it the gentler option for small children.

Gothenburg eats better. It is a true seafood city, with shrimp, langoustines and autumn lobster from the Bohuslän coast. Feskekôrka and Stora Saluhallen show what is in season, and its fine dining is impressive for a city of its size. Fika in Haga is a pleasure of its own, though eating out is expensive.

Lübeck has two strong specialities, marzipan and North German fish such as smoked herring and plaice. It also has the old guild house of the Schiffergesellschaft and Rotspon aged in the city's cellars. Beyond those, the choice is mostly solid taverns and standard Italian and Asian food.

Lübeck is the stronger choice for sightseeing. Almost the whole island old town is a World Heritage site, with seven brick spires, the leaning Holstentor, the Marienkirche that set the model for brick Gothic churches, and courtyards and passages to explore. The Hansemuseum and the Buddenbrookhaus give it depth.

Gothenburg's history is quieter. You see it in the canal grid laid out by Dutch engineers, the wooden houses of Haga and the island fortress of Nya Älvsborg, with a good Nordic art collection on Götaplatsen. It is pleasant to explore rather than a reason to come.

Gothenburg has a real night out. The bars and student pubs around Järntorget, Linnégatan and Andra Långgatan are busy at weekends, two universities fill them in term time, and Avenyn has the bigger clubs, even if most places close in the early hours.

Lübeck goes quiet much earlier. There are wine bars and pubs on the Obertrave and a livelier promenade in Travemünde in summer, and that is about it. Locals take the train to Hamburg for anything more.

Gothenburg's sea landscape is the more striking. The bare granite islands of the southern archipelago, with heather and small harbours, are a tram-and-ferry ride away and suit kayaking and sailing. The Delsjön lakes and the start of the Bohusleden trail add forest walking.

Lübeck's country is gentler: beech woods, the reedy Wakenitz for canoeing, the crumbling Brodtener Steilufer cliff and the lakes of Holstein Switzerland. It is ideal for easy, flat cycling but has little that feels wild.

Both have a good spread of day trips, but they lead to different things. Lübeck's best outing is a big city: Hamburg is under an hour by train. Wismar and island-set Schwerin give you more Hanseatic and castle heritage, and all of it is easy without a car.

Gothenburg's trips follow the coast, to Marstrand under its fortress, Varberg's seaside bath house and the Trollhättan locks. Its finest places, the Bohuslän fishing villages and the Tanum rock carvings, are much easier with a car.

Gothenburg is built for children in a way Lübeck is not. Liseberg, Scandinavia's largest amusement park, is a short walk from the centre. Next door is Universeum's rainforest and aquarium, and children can climb through a submarine at the ship museum. Free penguins and seals in Slottsskogen help in any season.

Lübeck works well in summer, with Travemünde's shallow beach and Hansa-Park half an hour up the coast. Out of season it offers children little beyond the old town and its museums.

Both centres are compact and flat enough to walk, but Gothenburg reaches further without a car. Its large tram network covers almost every sight. One ticket also takes you on the river ferries and the boats out to the islands.

Lübeck's old town is an island about 2km long that you will mostly cover on foot, with some cobbles. Buses fill the gaps, and the regional train gets you to Travemünde or Hamburg quickly. It is simple, but there is less of a network once you leave the centre.

Gothenburg is the better place to browse. Kungsgatan has a long pedestrian run of Swedish and Nordic labels. Haga, Majorna and Linnéstaden add independent design shops, vintage and record shops. There is no luxury to speak of, but there is plenty of character.

Lübeck's Breite Strasse and Königstrasse are mostly German chains. The craft shops and galleries in the side passages are worth a look, and the souvenir everyone takes home is a box of marzipan.

Lübeck is the easier city on the wallet. Rooms in the old town are moderately priced, a fish roll at a harbour kiosk or a tavern meal costs little, and the train to the coast is cheap. The exception is Travemünde in July and August, when beach accommodation costs more.

Gothenburg costs noticeably more, and drinks in bars are especially dear. Weekday set lunches, picnics on the rocks and a transport ticket that covers the island ferries all help keep costs down.

Gothenburg has the bigger stage. Sweden's national orchestra plays in the Konserthuset on Götaplatsen, and the harbour-side opera house also hosts a contemporary dance company with a strong name in Europe. A long indie and metal tradition fills venues around Järntorget, and Way Out West brings major international acts to Slottsskogen in August.

Lübeck is smaller but has its own character. The organ tradition at the Marienkirche, where Buxtehude played, the Art Nouveau Theater Lübeck and the summer Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival are its highlights. For rock and jazz, people head to Hamburg.

Neither city suits a dedicated spa trip, and they unwind in different ways. Gothenburg does it the Nordic way, with a sauna and a jump into the sea from rocks and jetties, some of it all year. Valhallabadet is the plain municipal option in town.

Lübeck uses Travemünde's long history as a seaside spa resort, with wellness hotels and the indoor seawater pools at Scharbeutz. Its quiet courtyards and riverside benches are restful in themselves.