Lubeck or Stuttgart?

Lübeck has a real seaside. Travemünde is part of the city and has a long sandy beach with hooded wicker beach chairs, and Timmendorfer Strand and Scharbeutz are further along the bay. The Baltic is calm and tide-free but cool, so these are pleasant summer afternoons rather than a reason to book.

Stuttgart has nothing like this. The Neckar is a working river and Max-Eyth-See is not for swimming, so summer bathing means the outdoor pools. Lake Constance is more than two hours away.

Stuttgart eats better. Swabian cooking is distinctive, with Maultaschen, Käsespätzle and Zwiebelrostbraten served in wine taverns, wine from vineyards inside the city limits, and seasonal Besen taverns in growers' homes. It also has a deeper fine-dining tier than you would expect for its size.

Lübeck's strengths are narrower: marzipan from old confectioners, smoked herring, fish sandwiches from harbour kiosks and cellar-aged Rotspon, best enjoyed at the long tables of the Schiffergesellschaft. Beyond those, the choice is mostly ordinary taverns.

Lübeck has the edge for historic atmosphere. Its island old town has survived largely whole, a UNESCO-listed Hanseatic townscape of brick Gothic churches, the Holstentor and stepped gables, and the Hansemuseum and Buddenbrookhaus fill out a well-rounded two days.

Stuttgart's appeal is modern rather than medieval. The Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums, the Staatsgalerie and the Le Corbusier houses of the Weissenhof Estate are the draws, while the bombed centre keeps its heritage in pockets around Schlossplatz.

Stuttgart has more to offer after dark. Theodor-Heuss-Strasse fills with bars at weekends, clubs operate in basements and old industrial spaces, and the Cannstatter Volksfest beer tents bring the city's biggest crowds each autumn.

Lübeck winds down early. A wine bar in the old town or a drink on the Obertrave is the usual evening, and anyone wanting clubs takes the train to Hamburg.

Stuttgart has more varied country on its doorstep. Wine trails and the deer forests of the Rotwildpark start at the edge of town, and within about an hour lie the cliff paths and caves of the Swabian Jura and the fir-covered ridges of the northern Black Forest.

Lübeck's landscape is flatter and gentler. Its best outings are canoeing on the reed-lined Wakenitz, walking the clay cliff of the Brodtener Steilufer and long, easy bike rides along the coast.

Stuttgart has the deeper choice of day trips. Ludwigsburg Palace and Esslingen are a short S-Bahn ride away, Tübingen and Heidelberg are each under an hour, and Hohenzollern Castle, Maulbronn and Ulm Minster are all within reach. Strasbourg works as a long day out.

From Lübeck, the essential trip is Hamburg, with Wismar, Schwerin's island castle and lakeside Ratzeburg as good extras. After those, the list runs short quickly.

Stuttgart works for families all year. Wilhelma, a zoo and botanical garden among Moorish-style pavilions, can fill a whole day, and the Killesberg railway, the rack railway and the car museums keep children busy in any weather.

Lübeck is best for families in summer, when the shallow beach at Travemünde and Hansa-Park up the coast come into their own. Out of season it has far less made for children.

Both are easy without a car, but in different ways. In Lübeck almost everything sits on one small, flat island you can cross on foot, and the regional train takes about twenty minutes to the beach.

Stuttgart's centre is also walkable, but the city climbs the sides of its basin. Once you leave the flat core, you rely on the Stadtbahn, the rack railway, the funicular or the steep Stäffele stairways.

Stuttgart is the better place to shop. Königstrasse runs right through the centre, Breuninger has the designer floors, and the Metzingen outlets are half an hour away, so brand shoppers are well served.

Lübeck has a short high street on Breite Strasse and some craft shops and galleries tucked into the courtyard passages. Most people leave with marzipan and go to Hamburg for fashion.

Lübeck is the cheaper stay. Old-town rooms are moderately priced, fish kiosks and taverns are good value, and the train to the coast costs little. The exception is Travemünde in July and August, when seaside rooms cost more and book up early.

Stuttgart's prices follow its business visitors. Hotels are expensive during trade fairs and better value at weekends, and smart restaurants push costs up quickly.

Stuttgart is far ahead here. The Stuttgart Ballet, famous since John Cranko's time, shares the state theatre with an adventurous opera company, the Liederhalle keeps up a strong Bach tradition, and big musicals run all year at Möhringen.

Lübeck's highlights are quieter: organ concerts in the Marienkirche, where Buxtehude once played, productions at the Art Nouveau Theater Lübeck, and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in summer.

Stuttgart has a genuine bathing culture. Its mineral springs are among the most productive in Europe and feed the Cannstatt and Leuze baths, where you can soak indoors and out in naturally carbonated warm water.

Lübeck relaxes you more through its slow pace. Benches by the river, quiet courtyards and Travemünde's long spa-resort tradition, with saunas and the seawater pool at Scharbeutz, make for calm days but not a dedicated spa trip.