Milan or Rothenburg ob der Tauber?

Neither place is a beach destination, but Milan gives you more options for a swim. In the city there are the Idroscalo basin and open-air pools, and Lake Como and Lake Maggiore, with their pebbly lidos and swimming platforms, are about an hour away by train.

In Rothenburg, swimming means the town's outdoor pool or a drive of about an hour to the artificial lakes of the Franconian lake district. That is a planned outing rather than a quick dip.

Milan is much the stronger place to eat. Its own buttery northern dishes, such as saffron risotto and ossobuco, sit alongside good cooking from every Italian region, fine dining and an aperitivo ritual that can stand in for a light supper.

Rothenburg offers one cuisine done in a traditional way: Franconian roasts, Schäufele and bratwurst, with Silvaner in the Bocksbeutel bottle. The places around the Marktplatz mostly cater for coach parties, so the better meals are in family-run guesthouses and wine taverns away from the square.

Milan has more to see, and of higher rank: the Duomo and its rooftop terraces, Leonardo's Last Supper, the Brera's Italian paintings and Michelangelo's Rondanini Pietà at the Castello Sforzesco. These come in clusters within a largely modern city, and there is enough to fill several days.

Rothenburg works the other way round. The whole walled town is the sight, with gabled houses, the Plönlein and the covered rampart walk, and its single great artwork is Riemenschneider's Holy Blood Altar in St Jakob's. It makes a complete and atmospheric visit, but a short one.

Milan has a real night out: aperitivo running on into the bars along the Navigli towpaths, the gay scene around Porta Venezia, and clubs that range from dressy venues near Corso Como to warehouse nights on the city's edges.

Rothenburg's evenings are wine taverns, dinner and the night watchman's lantern-lit tour, and the lanes are silent by about eleven. If you want a club, you have to go to Würzburg or Nuremberg.

Milan has the better scenery within reach, though not in the city itself. The Po plain is flat and hazy, but within an hour by train you reach steep wooded lakeshores, sailing, and serious hiking and via ferrata on the Grigne ridges, and the Alpine ski resorts are possible as a long day out in winter.

Rothenburg's countryside starts at the town walls, which is a real advantage, but it is gentle: meadows and mills in the Tauber valley, the family-friendly cycle path through the vineyards, and the rolling Frankenhöhe. There are no mountains or big lakes.

Milan is one of the best bases in Italy for days out, because high-speed trains put Verona, Turin, Bergamo and Bologna within easy reach. Lake Como's villages, the Certosa di Pavia and Lugano across the Swiss border can also be done without a car.

Rothenburg's surroundings are lovely, with Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen inside its crater, Würzburg's Residenz and Nuremberg's castle all about an hour or less away. The catch is the branch-line railway, which makes a car close to essential.

For a stay of several days, Milan gives children more to fill the time. The science and technology museum, with its submarine, trains and hands-on labs, is good for a wet day. Parco Sempione has playgrounds and the small aquarium, and older children can be taken to Leolandia or to Gardaland on Lake Garda. The drawbacks are the heavy summer heat and headline sights that are mostly aimed at adults.

Rothenburg works best as a day or two of storybook adventure: walking the covered ramparts, climbing the Rathaus tower and following the night watchman with his halberd. Older children are often gripped by the shame masks in the Crime Museum. There is little traffic inside the walls, but there is also little made for children, and the cobbles and steep valley paths are hard on pushchairs and small legs.

In the centre, both places are walkable, but Milan connects far better beyond it. Its five metro lines, dense tram network and direct trains from Centrale, Garibaldi and Cadorna mean you never need a car, although the transfer from Malpensa is long.

Rothenburg can be crossed in fifteen minutes on cobbles, with a steep climb back up from the valley. Leaving it is the hard part: trains usually need a change at Steinach and regional buses are sparse, so the surrounding area is easier to see by car.

In Milan, shopping can easily fill a whole trip. In Rothenburg, it fills the gaps between sights. Milan's flagship stores line Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga, there are old shops under the glass roof of the Galleria and there is La Rinascente beside the Duomo. Corso Buenos Aires covers everyday shopping, and the Navigli have weekend antique markets.

Rothenburg sells one thing well, and that is Christmas. The shops on the Herrngasse and Schmiedgasse stock glass baubles, nutcrackers and Erzgebirge carvings all year, as well as teddy bears, cuckoo clocks and pewter. In December the market on the Marktplatz is one of the most atmospheric in Germany. Fashion and design shops are almost entirely missing.

Rothenburg is easier on the wallet. It costs about what you would expect in small-town Germany plus a tourist premium, entry fees to the sights are modest, and staying in a nearby village saves a good deal.

Milan is Italy's most expensive city, and hotels are especially hard on the budget during trade fairs and fashion weeks. Aperitivo snacks, lunchtime set menus and a room near a metro stop outside the centre help.

The two are a long way apart here. Milan has La Scala, with its season of opera, ballet and concerts, and gallery seats are within reach if you are persistent. Around it are the Piccolo Teatro, a symphony orchestra at the Auditorium, jazz rooms and big summer concerts at San Siro.

Rothenburg's performances are mostly seasonal: the costumed Meistertrunk play, summer open-air theatre and organ concerts in St Jakob's. On most evenings there is no show to go to.

Neither place is built for rest, and they are about level here, though the ways of finding calm differ. In Milan you seek it out: a thermal spa complex with outdoor pools in the city, the 1930s Bagni Misteriosi in summer, or a train to the quiet lakeside villas.

In Rothenburg, calm comes with the time of day. The town empties early in the morning and in the evening, which is when a walk on the walls is at its best. For proper thermal bathing you need to drive to Bad Windsheim or Bad Mergentheim.