Graz or Innsbruck?

Neither city is a swimming destination, but Innsbruck has the slight edge. The Lanser See and Natterer See sit on the plateaus just above town and make an easy summer afternoon, and the clear Achensee further out is beautiful to look at even if few people swim in it for long.

Graz relies on the old gravel-pit lakes on the flat land to the south, mainly the Schwarzlsee, with jetties and kiosks. They are just as warm in high summer but less attractive, and a lake swim fits around a trip rather than shaping it in either city.

Graz is clearly the better place to eat. Styria has a distinctive regional larder: pumpkin seed oil on almost everything, cold fried chicken salad, Wurzelfleisch, and morning farmers' markets at Kaiser-Josef-Platz and Lendplatz. Crisp local Sauvignon Blanc is poured in town and at Buschenschank taverns under an hour away.

Innsbruck's cooking is hearty Tyrolean fare, such as Gröstl, Kaspressknödel and Kaiserschmarrn, and it is at its best in a mountain hut after a walk. In town the choice is narrower, there is no market culture, and the inns around the Golden Roof mainly serve tour groups.

Graz has the more complete historic townscape. Red roofs and arcaded Renaissance courtyards run from the Hauptplatz up to the cathedral and the Schlossberg's clock tower. The Landeszeughaus, an armoury still stacked with thousands of suits of armour as if a siege were coming, and the Baroque palace at Eggenberg give it more to fill the days. The Kunsthaus and the Murinsel add a modern contrast across the river.

Innsbruck's appeal lies in a few outstanding Habsburg sights rather than the old town as a whole. The Hofkirche, with Maximilian I's tomb and its ring of bronze figures, is the highlight of the city, and Ambras Castle's cabinet of curiosities is worth the short trip to the edge of town. In either city two or three days covers the sights comfortably.

Both are university towns where students keep evenings livelier than you would expect, and neither is a clubbing destination. In Graz the bars are spread through the old lanes of the Bermuda Triangle and the artier corners of Lend, and in summer they spill outdoors, though the town quietens when term ends.

Innsbruck's nights are concentrated in the brick arches under the railway viaduct, where small bars and clubs stay open late at weekends. In winter much of the partying moves out to après-ski in the resorts.

Here Innsbruck is in a different league. A funicular and cable cars take you from the old town to a ridge at about 2,300m. Behind it lies the Karwendel, and across the valley are glaciers, ski areas, via ferratas and rafting rivers, all reached without a car.

Graz offers greener, gentler country. The Schöckl, the Mur cycle path and the vineyard hills of South Styria are lovely for walking and cycling, and the Bärenschützklamm gorge is a fine outing, but proper alpine terrain is around two hours away.

Innsbruck makes the better base because it sits on the main Alpine rail lines. Hall in Tirol is ten minutes away, Munich and Salzburg are under two hours, and over the Brenner Pass Bolzano and Merano bring a taste of Italy without a car.

Graz's outings are more rural and rewarding in their own way, with the South Styrian Wine Road, Riegersburg on its volcanic crag, Admont's monastic library and Maribor across the Slovenian border. Most of them are much easier with a hired car.

In Graz the fun is packed into the city itself. Children ride the glass lift or the funicular up the Schlossberg and come back down by a long underground slide, the Märchenbahn rolls through fairytale scenes inside the rock, and the FRida & freD children's museum in the Augarten saves a rainy afternoon.

Innsbruck uses the mountains instead. The Alpenzoo, with its ibex, bears and wolves, is a funicular ride above town. Summer brings adventure trails, playgrounds by the huts and the plateau lakes, and winter brings ski schools on gentle slopes. Wet days take more planning there, while a long stay in Graz relies on countryside outings.

Both have small, flat centres that you can walk in minutes, and both have trams for the rest, so neither needs a car in town. Graz's mostly pedestrian old town and its easy cycling along the Mur make it slightly more relaxed on foot. Innsbruck's advantage is vertical, with a funicular from the old town to the Nordkette lifts, plus valley trains and winter ski buses that reach further than Graz's sparse rural buses.

Graz is the more rewarding place to browse. The Herrengasse and Sporgasse run through historic buildings, the old Kastner & Öhler department store has a rooftop view, and Lend adds vintage and design shops. The best things to take home are edible: pumpkin seed oil, Schilcher rosé and craft chocolate.

Innsbruck's Maria-Theresien-Strasse is mostly chains, so its specialities are elsewhere, in loden, dirndls, woodcarvings and Speck. Its excellent outdoor and ski shops are the real reason to shop there.

Graz is the easier city on a budget. Its large student population supports plenty of cheap lunches and bakeries, and hotels stay reasonable except during festivals and trade fairs.

Innsbruck adds an Alpine resort premium, especially in ski season and over the Christmas markets, and cable car tickets soon add up on an active trip. Visiting in spring or autumn and buying a city card that bundles lifts with transport helps a good deal.

Graz has much more to offer on stage. Its Opera is the second largest in Austria and runs a full season, and the Musikverein has hosted concerts for generations. Styriarte and the avant-garde steirischer herbst give the year two strong festivals, and the music university's jazz programme fills the clubs.

Innsbruck's Landestheater and symphony orchestra make for a solid provincial season. Its standout is the summer Festival of Early Music in settings such as the Spanish Hall at Ambras, which is worth planning around if early music is your interest.

Neither city has its own historic baths, and in both you have to go about an hour out for proper thermal water. From Graz that means the spa villages of eastern Styria, including Hundertwasser's grass-roofed Bad Blumau and the large pools at Loipersdorf. Back in town, coffee houses and the Stadtpark set a slow pace.

Innsbruck's version is Alpine: a hotel sauna with mountain views in Igls after a day on the trails, or the big spa complexes in the Ötztal and Zillertal.