Krakow or Prague?

Neither city has a beach, and swimming in either means a little planning. Krakow's best option is the Zakrzowek quarry, a short tram ride from the centre, with turquoise water under limestone cliffs but swimming only in fenced areas in summer.

Prague's choices are more spread out: the Dzban reservoir in the Sarka valley on the city's edge, or the wooded banks of Slapy about an hour south, which make a proper lake day out.

The two eat well at a similar level, though Krakow's kitchen has a little more range: pierogi with every filling, zurek served in a bread bowl, roast duck, milk-bar lunches and late-night zapiekanki at Plac Nowy. Flavoured vodka and craft beer fill the cellars.

Prague is built around the glass rather than the plate. Pilsner poured from tanks in classic pubs is the highlight, alongside svickova, dumplings and beer snacks. The tourist streets around Old Town Square are a poor place to eat, so the good meals are in Vinohrady, Karlin or Letna.

Prague has more to see, and more variety in it. The castle complex with St Vitus Cathedral, the Baroque palaces of Mala Strana, the Charles Bridge, the astronomical clock and Josefov sit alongside Art Nouveau facades and Cubist buildings found almost nowhere else. It needs three or four days, and early mornings help with the crowds.

Krakow is more compact, and two or three days covers it. The Main Market Square with the Cloth Hall and St Mary's altarpiece, royal Wawel and the synagogues of Kazimierz are its core. Its one great museum piece is Leonardo's Lady with an Ermine, and the Schindler Factory gives a vivid account of the occupation.

Both cities go out late and cheaply, but the settings differ. Krakow's nights are about bar-hopping through brick-vaulted Old Town cellars and the mismatched-furniture bars around Plac Nowy, and its large student population keeps them busy all week.

Prague's night out is the pub first, with long tables in Zizkov and beer gardens on Letna. It also has the better club scene for anyone after electronic music, with techno and alternative venues in Holesovice's former industrial buildings. Both old towns attract stag groups at weekends.

Within the city, Prague is the greener and hillier of the two. Petrin's orchards, the old royal park of Stromovka and the rocky gorge of Divoka Sarka feel more varied than Krakow's Planty and Blonia meadow.

Krakow has the bigger landscapes further out. The Tatras offer real alpine hiking about two hours south, and wooden rafts run down the Pieniny gorge. Prague has no mountains, though the sandstone towers of Bohemian Switzerland make excellent walking at a similar distance.

Both are excellent bases for day trips, with different strengths. Krakow's trips centre on two essential visits, the salt chambers and underground church of Wieliczka and the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial, with Zakopane and the pilgrim sites of Kalwaria and Czestochowa as extras.

From Prague, the attraction is a choice of castles and towns: Karlstejn, Kutna Hora with its bone ossuary, Terezin, the wine town of Melnik, and Dresden across the border. Cesky Krumlov is worth an overnight stay.

Krakow is the easier city with children. The dragon legend comes to life at Wawel, with a cave to explore and a metal dragon that breathes fire, and the indoor water park works in any weather. Energylandia is about an hour away by car. Several major sights deal with heavy history and are not suitable for young children.

Prague's highlight is its zoo at Troja, one of Europe's best, and the apostles of the astronomical clock delight children. Beyond those there is less to do, and the castle stairs and steep cobbled lanes are hard going with a pushchair.

Prague is easier to get around. Three metro lines, trams that run through the night and one ticket for everything, including the Petrin funicular, mean outer neighbourhoods are as easy to reach as the centre. Watch for pickpockets on the busy Mala Strana lines.

Krakow is mostly walking, which works because the Old Town, Wawel, Kazimierz and Podgorze sit close together. Trams cover the rest but can get stuck in traffic, and there is no metro. Trains to the airport and to Wieliczka and Auschwitz make it easy to manage without a car.

Neither city is worth the trip for shopping alone. What differs is what you bring home. In Krakow, it is amber, carved boxes and lace from the stalls of the Cloth Hall, plus blue-patterned Boleslawiec pottery and the Plac Nowy flea market.

Prague has the luxury labels on Parizska Street, which Krakow largely lacks, and its classic buys are Bohemian crystal, garnets and marionettes. Both old centres are crowded with souvenir shops, so the better browsing is in Kazimierz in Krakow, or in Vinohrady and Holesovice in Prague.

Krakow is the cheaper stay overall. Beer, milk-bar lunches, trams and museum tickets cost little, and mid-range rooms are reasonably priced most of the year. Only the Main Square and busy summer weekends push costs up.

Prague is cheap for beer and transport but expensive in its historic core, where hotels, river-view restaurants and exchange booths all target visitors. Staying a few tram stops out and eating in neighbourhood pubs closes much of the gap.

Prague is far stronger here. It has three opera stages, including the Estates Theatre, where Mozart premiered Don Giovanni, the Czech Philharmonic at the Rudolfinum and concerts in the Art Nouveau Smetana Hall. Black-light theatre and marionette shows work without any Czech.

Krakow's offer is smaller but distinctive. There are Chopin recitals in Old Town churches and palaces, jazz in brick cellar clubs and klezmer in Kazimierz, ending with the open-air concert of the Jewish Culture Festival on Szeroka Street. The philharmonic and opera have regular seasons.

Neither city has a bathing tradition of its own, so in both the everyday offer is hotel spas and massage studios. Krakow's advantage lies beyond the city. It has the more restorative options: slow hours of salt-air therapy deep in the Wieliczka mine, and the naturally hot pools of the Podhale region about two hours south, which combine well with a day near the Tatras.

Prague is the easier place to slow down without leaving town. Its grand old coffee houses, the terraced Baroque gardens below the castle and quiet corners such as Kampa island and Vysehrad give an afternoon real calm. A base in a residential neighbourhood keeps you away from the noise of the core. Its beer spas are a novelty rather than a cure.