Graz or Prague?

Neither city is a beach destination, and swimming in both comes down to inland water on hot summer days. What differs is the setting. Graz has former gravel pits on the flat land to the south, with the Schwarzlsee and its jetties and grassy banks the favourite. Prague offers the Dzban reservoir in the wooded Sarka valley on its edge, or the Slapy reservoir on the Vltava, about an hour away and lined with cabin settlements.

Graz is the better city for eating, because its cooking draws on a distinctive regional larder: pumpkin seed oil on almost everything, cold fried chicken salad, Wurzelfleisch, and crisp Sauvignon Blanc from the southern hills. The morning markets at Kaiser-Josef-Platz and Lendplatz show off the produce, and wine taverns are under an hour away.

Prague's table is built around its beer, and that beer is superb, poured with care in classic pubs. The food alongside it is hearty but narrow, with roast pork, dumplings and svickova. You also have to leave the Old Town and head to Vinohrady, Karlin or Letna to eat well.

Prague is in a different league. Its whole centre is a preserved sequence of Gothic, Baroque, Art Nouveau and even Cubist architecture, running from the castle and St Vitus Cathedral across the Charles Bridge to the Old Town and the synagogues of Josefov. It needs three or four days, and early starts to avoid the crowds.

Graz has a lovely, well-kept old town of tiled roofs and arcaded courtyards, and a few real highlights: the Landeszeughaus armoury, Schloss Eggenberg and the Kunsthaus across the Mur. It is quieter and easier to take in, but two or three days covers it.

Prague offers far more after dark. Zizkov's plain neighbourhood pubs, the wine and cocktail bars of Vinohrady and the summer beer gardens on Letna make for long evenings. There are big clubs open until dawn near Wenceslas Square and a techno circuit in Holesovice for those who want it.

Graz goes out on a much smaller scale, in the bar lanes of the Bermuda Triangle around Mehlplatz and the artier bars of Lend. It suits a relaxed evening with a glass of wine. It quietens in summer once the students leave.

Graz sits on the edge of the Alps, and that shows. The Schöckl rises above the city with a cable car and trails. The Bärenschützklamm climbs past waterfalls on wooden ladders, and the limestone peaks of the Hochschwab and Gesäuse are within about two hours.

Prague has fine green space of its own in Petrin Hill, Stromovka and the rocky Divoka Sarka gorge. Further out, the landscape is gentle, apart from the sandstone towers of Bohemian Switzerland, and there are no mountains to climb.

Prague has the stronger list of outings, and most are an easy train ride away. It includes Kutna Hora's cathedral and ossuary, Karlstejn castle, the sobering visit to Terezin, and even Dresden along the Elbe valley.

Day trips from Graz lead into the countryside: the South Styrian Wine Road, Riegersburg on its volcanic crag, the Lipizzaner farm at Piber and the library of Admont Abbey. The trips are charming, but many work far better with a car, with Maribor by train the main exception.

Graz is the easier city with children. Its centre is flat and calm, with trams that take buggies. Parents can ride up the Schlossberg and slide back down inside it, and the Märchenbahn tunnel train and the FRida & freD children's museum fill the gaps.

Prague has one big draw that Graz lacks, its excellent zoo at Troja, along with the astronomical clock and plenty of castle romance. Against that, cobbles, steep steps and summer crowds make it harder work with a pushchair.

Both cities are simple to get around without a car, and the difference is mainly one of scale. Graz is a small, flat, largely pedestrianised centre where trams and bicycles do the rest. Prague adds three metro lines and trams that run through the night, though its cobbles tire the feet and pickpockets work the busiest tram lines.

Neither city is a shopping destination, but they reward different purchases. In Graz the best buys are things to eat and drink, such as pumpkin seed oil, Schilcher rosé and apple brandy, along with loden and traditional costume. Prague has the luxury labels on Parizska Street and its own crafts in Bohemian crystal, garnets and marionettes, though you have to look past a lot of souvenir stalls to find them.

Prague is the cheaper of the two, provided you stay a few tram stops out and eat where locals do. Beer, pub lunches and transport stay inexpensive there, though the historic core and its exchange booths are priced for visitors.

Graz is fair rather than cheap. Its student lunch menus and bakeries help, but dinners, wine and hotel rooms cost what you would expect in Austria.

Prague is one of Europe's great music cities. It has three opera stages, including the Estates Theatre where Don Giovanni had its premiere, the Czech Philharmonic at the Rudolfinum and the Prague Spring festival. Black-light theatre and marionette shows also work for visitors who speak no Czech.

Graz does very well for its size, with Austria's second-largest opera house, the Styriarte and steirischer herbst festivals, and a jazz scene fed by its music university. It simply offers fewer evenings to choose from.

Graz has the edge thanks to its location. The Styrian thermal villages are about an hour east, with Hundertwasser's Bad Blumau and the large warm pools of Loipersdorf, which makes a spa day an easy addition to a city stay.

Prague's famous spa towns are far off in western Bohemia, so in the city wellness means hotel spas, massage studios and novelty beer baths. Rest comes more from Kampa island and the castle gardens than from any spa.