Lyon or Zurich?

Neither city has a beach, but Zurich gives you far more swimming. Its clean lake, with wooden bathing houses and lawned lidos along the shore, and the river baths at Letten where you drift with the Limmat's current, mean a summer swim fits easily into a day of sightseeing.

In Lyon, the Rhône quays are for sunbathing, and the only swimming is at the bathing lake in the Grand Parc de Miribel-Jonage on the city's edge. The clear Alpine water of Annecy or the Lac du Bourget is a separate day out.

Lyon is one of the great eating cities of Europe, and on food it is well ahead of Zurich. Its bouchons serve quenelles, andouillette and praline tart, the fine-dining tradition goes back to the Mères lyonnaises, and the Halles and the Sunday markets on the Saône are reasons to visit in themselves. Beaujolais and the northern Rhône wines are close by, and set lunches make good meals easy to find.

Zurich cooks well but rarely surprises. The veal Geschnetzeltes, the fondue in old guild houses and the casual places in Kreis 4 and 5 are reliable. Its real strength is chocolate and the old tea rooms on Paradeplatz. It has few markets and costs a lot at every level.

Lyon offers far more to see. Its sights run from the Roman theatres on Fourvière through the Renaissance lanes and traboules of Vieux Lyon to the silk-weavers' hill of Croix-Rousse, and the Musée des Beaux-Arts is among France's best outside Paris. It takes several full days to see well.

Zurich's compact Altstadt, with the Grossmünster, the Chagall windows of the Fraumünster and the Kunsthaus collection, is fine but more modest. Two or three days cover the essentials.

The two are broadly level, and both have a serious electronic music scene. Lyon goes out in a more student, informal way, with wine bars across the Presqu'île, pubs in Vieux Lyon and barge bars moored on the Rhône. Away from weekends and term time, though, it winds down early.

Zurich's nights are harder-edged and focused on clubs. Kreis 4 and 5 and Zurich West run until morning at weekends, and in summer the drinking moves to the lake bathing houses. The cost of a round tends to shorten an evening there.

Zurich has the stronger outdoors. The lake has the snowy Glarus Alps at its far end, the Uetliberg ridge is a short train ride away, and high-mountain hiking or a ski day at Flumserberg is about an hour off.

Lyon's outdoors are gentler and more urban: car-free river quays for running and cycling, the large Parc de la Tête d'Or, and the Monts d'Or and Beaujolais hills nearby. The Vercors and the Alps are further away, and you need a car for most of the countryside.

Both are good bases, and Zurich has the edge because the Swiss rail network makes everything easy without a car. Lucerne, Bern, Basel, St Gallen and the Rhine Falls are all about an hour or less away.

Lyon's day trips are about wine and old towns: Roman Vienne, medieval Pérouges, the Beaujolais villages and the Burgundy towns around Beaune. Annecy and the Alps are within reach for a longer day.

Zurich is the easier city with children. The zoo with its Madagascar rainforest hall, the shallow lake lidos, boat trips and buggy-friendly trams make the days simple, and Winterthur's Technorama is close by.

Lyon is good too. The free zoo and pedalos in the Parc de la Tête d'Or, the dinosaurs at the Musée des Confluences and the Guignol puppet theatres all go down well. The stepped lanes on its hills are hard work with a pushchair, though.

Zurich is about as effortless as a city gets. Trams, S-Bahn trains, funiculars and even the lake boats share one punctual ticket, and the airport is a short train ride from the centre.

Lyon works well too. The flat Presqu'île is pleasant to walk, and the funiculars and bike-share fill in the gaps. Its metro is small and its hills are steep, though, so some trips mean a climb or a change of line.

Zurich is the stronger shopping city, mainly for its luxury. Bahnhofstrasse is a world-class street for watches and jewellery, and the viaduct arches in Zurich West add design shops. Outside that range, the choice is narrow and expensive.

Lyon is more everyday, with chains on the rue de la République and the big Part-Dieu mall. Its distinctive buys are silk from the city's weaving past, boutiques on Croix-Rousse and food from the Halles to take home.

The gap is wide. Zurich is among the most expensive places in the world to visit, from simple hotel rooms to a casual lunch, and even picnics by the lake and the free lidos only soften the cost.

Lyon is no bargain, but its hotels are reasonable for most of the year and its set lunches are generous. Your money goes much further there, as long as you avoid the big trade fairs and the Fête des Lumières.

The two are evenly matched on stage, and the difference is in what they do best. Lyon's speciality is dance, with the Maison de la Danse, the Biennale and summer performances in the Roman theatres on Fourvière.

Zurich's strength is opera. The Opernhaus on the lake ranks among Europe's most respected houses, and the Tonhalle hosts the orchestra. Its leading theatre performs mostly in German, but the Rote Fabrik adds indie and jazz.

Zurich is better for a restful trip. The thermal pools and rooftop bath in the old Hürlimann brewery, the lake bathing houses that become saunas in winter and the hot springs of Baden twenty minutes away give it a real choice of baths.

Lyon relaxes you in another way, through long lunches and quiet Sundays by the Saône. For proper thermal bathing, you would take a day trip to Aix-les-Bains.