Gothenburg or Stavanger?

Neither is a beach destination, but Gothenburg makes a summer swim easier. The rocks and small coves at Saltholmen, Hovås and on islands such as Styrsö and Vrångö are a tram and ferry ride away, and the Kattegat gets a couple of degrees warmer than the open North Sea.

Stavanger has the finer sand: the long dune-backed beaches of the Jæren coast, at Sola, Orre and Brusand, are far bigger than anything near Gothenburg. They are colder and windier, though, and better for surfers and beach walks than for lazy swimming.

Both cities eat from the sea, but Gothenburg has much more depth. Feskekôrka and Stora Saluhallen show off the Bohuslän shellfish, the open shrimp sandwich is everywhere, and between fine dining and a quick lunch there is a real middle layer of fika cafés, craft breweries and wine bars in Haga and Linnéstaden.

Stavanger's top restaurants are ambitious, and the Gladmat festival makes a summer visit special, but below that level the harbourfront choice is narrow and predictable. Ryfylke lamb and Jæren strawberries are its own particular strengths.

These two are fairly evenly matched, and each takes about two days to see properly, but the kind of history differs. Gothenburg is a planned trading city, with Dutch-built canals, the East India Company building housing the City Museum, and a strong Nordic art collection on Götaplatsen.

Stavanger's appeal is older and more intimate. Gamle Stavanger is one of northern Europe's best-preserved timber quarters, the cathedral keeps its medieval character, and the Viking swords at Hafrsfjord and the Petroleum Museum span a thousand years of the city's fortunes.

Gothenburg gives you more choice after dark. Avenyn handles mainstream bars and clubs, while Järntorget, Linnégatan and Andra Långgatan pack student pubs, cocktail bars and dive bars into a walkable patch, and two universities keep it going in term time.

Stavanger's evenings centre on Øvre Holmegate and the quays around Vågen, which are charming on a light summer night but quiet midweek. Both close fairly early, but a weekend in Gothenburg simply has more streets to explore.

This is where Stavanger pulls well ahead. The Lysefjord's granite walls rise almost a kilometre, and Preikestolen and Kjerag are among the most famous walks in Scandinavia. You can add boat trips beneath waterfalls, Dalsnuten for an easy summit and the dune-and-lighthouse walks of Jæren.

Gothenburg's outdoors is flatter and gentler: bare granite islands for walking, cycling and sea kayaking, sailing culture, and lakes and forest at Delsjön. It is lovely, but there are no mountains.

Gothenburg has far more to fill a day away. Marstrand's fortress island, the Bohus ruins at Kungälv, Varberg's seaside fortress and Trollhättan's locks are all easy without a car, and the Tanum rock carvings and fishing villages such as Smögen reward a longer drive.

From Stavanger, most excursions lead into landscape rather than towns. Utstein Abbey and wooden Egersund make good half days, and Avaldsnes with its Viking farm makes a fuller one, but the list runs out quickly.

Gothenburg keeps children busy for longer. In the harbour ship museum they can scramble through a destroyer and a submarine, and the ferries out to the car-free southern islands turn an ordinary afternoon into an adventure, with rock pools and small coves at the end. Restaurants take families in their stride, so eating out with children is easy.

Stavanger is just as safe and relaxed, but it has less to fill the days. The children's museum and the oil-equipment playground at the Petroleum Museum are good for a morning, and the Jæren dunes give them room to run in summer. Preikestolen is a real highlight for school-age children who are used to walking, though it is too much for little ones.

Both centres are compact enough to walk, but Gothenburg goes much further without a car. Its large tram network covers nearly everywhere, and the same ticket covers river ferries and the boats to the southern archipelago.

Stavanger's buses, local train and fast boats work well for the city and Jæren. For Kjerag, the outer beaches or flexible fjord days, though, most visitors end up hiring a car and paying road tolls.

Gothenburg is the better place to browse. Kungsgatan has a long run of Nordic fashion labels, and Haga, Majorna and the streets around Andra Långgatan add independent boutiques, vintage shops and record stores.

Stavanger's shopping fits into a few streets around the cathedral, with chains, knitwear and design shops. It is worth it mainly for a good wool sweater or outdoor gear for the hikes.

Neither is cheap, but Stavanger is in a different league of expensive, with oil wealth pushing up meals, drinks, taxis and fjord cruises well beyond what Gothenburg charges. In Gothenburg, set lunches and ferries included in the transport ticket soften the costs. In Stavanger, supermarket picnics and free hikes are the main ways to keep the bill down.

Gothenburg has the bigger stage. The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Sweden's national orchestra, plays at Konserthuset, while GöteborgsOperan adds opera and a respected dance company. On top of that, the city has an indie and metal scene, and Way Out West brings major acts to Slottsskogen.

Stavanger's Konserthus at Bjergsted is an excellent hall with its own orchestra. Its year peaks with MaiJazz and the late-summer chamber festival, so it is better for planning around one event than for a varied week.

Both follow the Nordic habit of sauna followed by a cold dip, and neither has thermal baths. Gothenburg offers a little more: Valhallabadet's pools and saunas, bathing jetties along the shore, and ferry rides to the islands that slow the whole day down. In Stavanger the experience centres on harbour saunas and Gamlingen, the heated outdoor pool used in all weathers.