Interlaken or Strasbourg?

Neither city has a sea, but Interlaken's lakes give it the edge. In July and August Lake Thun is warm enough to swim from the lidos at Neuhaus or the shore towards Spiez, and the turquoise water of Lake Brienz at Bönigen makes for a cold but memorable swim under the snow peaks.

Strasbourg's swimming is in old gravel pits such as the Baggersee, which the tram reaches, with lifeguards and grassy banks in high summer. They are fine for a hot afternoon but have none of the scenery, and the Rhine is not safe to swim in.

Strasbourg is the place to eat well. Winstubs serve choucroute, baeckeoffe and tarte flambée with a pichet of Riesling or Sylvaner, and the markets sell Munster and charcuterie. Beyond the tourist menus around the cathedral there is a strong fine-dining tier.

Interlaken feeds people reliably but rarely excites: fondue, rösti and raclette for visitors, plus a run of Indian and Asian places. Its best meals are up on a hut terrace above Grindelwald or Mürren, or a picnic of Alpine cheese from a mountain dairy.

This is where the two differ most. Strasbourg's UNESCO-listed centre runs from the pink sandstone cathedral and its astronomical clock through the old tanners' lanes of Petite France to the imperial avenues of the Neustadt. The Palais Rohan's three museums and a large modern art museum easily fill two or three days.

Interlaken has a row of grand hotels, the Kursaal and a few old timber houses in Unterseen, and little more. Visitors staying there go to Bern or Thun for history.

Neither is a late-night city, but Strasbourg has far more to do after dinner. Its university keeps the bars of Krutenau and Place Saint-Étienne full, and in summer the river terraces stay busy well into the evening.

Interlaken's evenings end early because its mornings start early. A few backpacker pubs and basement clubs near the hostels and the casino in the Kursaal are about all there is.

Interlaken is one of the great mountain bases in Europe. The Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, the waterfalls of Lauterbrunnen and the glacier views from the Jungfraujoch are all within an hour by rail. Paragliding, canyoning, rafting and winter skiing are run straight from town, and low cloud is the only thing that spoils it.

Strasbourg's outdoors are milder and take more effort to reach. The city has flat cycling along the Rhine and storks in the riverside forests, while the Vosges ridges and the fir woods of the Black Forest lie about an hour away and are easiest by car.

Both are excellent bases, and the difference is in what you go out to see. From Interlaken the trips are by lake and mountain: paddle steamers to Spiez and Oberhofen, Thun's castle, the woodcarvers of Brienz and Bern's arcades in under an hour, with Lucerne a longer scenic ride away.

Strasbourg's trips are about wine and the neighbouring countries. Colmar and wine route villages such as Riquewihr and Eguisheim lie to the south, while Baden-Baden, Freiburg and Heidelberg sit across the Rhine. Trains cover the cities well, but the Alsace villages are easier by car or bike.

Interlaken edges ahead for families who like the outdoors. Cog railways, gondolas and steamers are adventures in themselves, and the summit stations have playgrounds, cliff walks and summer toboggan runs. Rainy days are hard to fill, though, and the highest excursions can be hard on very young children.

Strasbourg copes better with a wet day. The Le Vaisseau science centre, boat trips around the Grande Ile, and the storks and rowing boats of the Orangerie keep children busy, and one of Europe's largest theme parks is about an hour away.

Both are easy without a car, but in different ways. Interlaken's small, flat town is only the start: mainline trains, narrow-gauge railways, cog lines, gondolas and lake steamers link up across the whole Jungfrau region, though the popular mountain trains can be packed in summer.

Strasbourg works as a city. You can cross its pedestrianised island on foot, trams run to the European quarter and over the Rhine to Kehl, and the separated bike lanes often make cycling the quickest way about.

Strasbourg gives a shopper more to work with. There are chain stores and a department store around Place Kléber, bookshops and delicatessens near the cathedral, and regional goods to take home: Soufflenheim and Betschdorf pottery, printed linens and Alsace wine.

Interlaken's Höheweg sells watches, army knives, cuckoo clocks and chocolate to tour groups. Carved wood from Brienz is the one truly local thing to buy.

Strasbourg is much easier on the wallet. Winstub meals, wine by the pichet, cheap trams and free sights such as the cathedral keep costs moderate. Hotels are the main expense, especially during the Christmas market and the weeks when the European Parliament sits.

Interlaken charges full Swiss prices, and the mountain trains and cable cars you go there for, the Jungfraujoch above all, add a large sum on top. Hostels, picnics and transport passes help, but only so far.

Strasbourg has a proper season. The Opéra national du Rhin plays on Place Broglie, the philharmonic runs a full programme, the Théâtre National de Strasbourg is one of France's leading stages, and the Musica festival brings contemporary music every autumn.

Interlaken's highlight is the open-air William Tell, performed each summer by local amateurs in the woods, along with yodelling and alphorn evenings for visitors. For an orchestra or a serious stage you take the train to Bern.

Strasbourg has more to offer here. Locals use the tiled pools, hammam and saunas of the Bains municipaux as a normal part of life, the thermal baths of Baden-Baden are under an hour away, and canal walks and long winstub lunches set an easy pace.

Interlaken relies on the spas of its grand Höheweg hotels and a town pool. Its calm is found elsewhere: early walks by the lake, steamer crossings and the car-free quiet of Wengen and Mürren, away from the crowded centre.