Prague or Rothenburg ob der Tauber?

Neither place is anywhere near the sea, so swimming is a summer extra in both. The difference is the setting. Prague's options are wooded reservoirs, with Dzban on the city's edge and Slapy on the Vltava about an hour south, where cabin settlements give it the feel of a lakeside retreat. Rothenburg has its outdoor pool and, about an hour's drive away, the grassy bathing areas of the man-made Franconian lakes such as the Altmühlsee.

The two kitchens overlap more than they differ: roast pork, dumplings and cabbage anchor both menus, and both towns have tourist cooking at their centres. Prague goes further. Its unpasteurised tank lager and microbreweries make it a real destination for beer lovers, and the neighbourhoods of Vinohrady, Letna and Karlin offer good pubs, cafés, Moravian wine bars and a modest modern scene to escape the Old Town menus.

Rothenburg has far less to escape to. Schäufele, bratwurst and dry Silvaner in the squat Bocksbeutel bottle are good in a family-run guesthouse or a Tauber valley wine tavern. Beyond those, choice is thin, and the sugary Schneeball pastry is more photograph than treat.

Both are rare survivals, but at very different scales. Prague is a whole capital preserved in layers: the castle and St Vitus Cathedral, Baroque Mala Strana, the Charles Bridge, the synagogues of Josefov, then Art Nouveau, Cubist buildings and the Dancing House. With the National Gallery's palaces on top, it needs three or four days.

Rothenburg's appeal is one intact walled town. You walk the covered rampart, look at the Plönlein and the view from the Rathaus tower, and see the Holy Blood Altar in St Jakob's and the Medieval Crime Museum. It is more complete and coherent than any single quarter of Prague, but a visit is rewarding and short.

Prague gives you a real night out in several styles, while Rothenburg barely offers one. Evenings in Prague are built around beer at long shared tables, with wine bars and summer beer gardens as the gentler options. They can run until dawn, either in the big clubs aimed at visitors or in the techno and alternative scene of Holesovice. It suits friends travelling together and anyone who wants the evenings to matter as much as the sightseeing, though couples may want to avoid the clubs in the centre, which are full of stag parties.

Rothenburg suits early risers and couples who want a quiet evening. A night here means a long Franconian dinner, a glass of Tauber valley wine and an early bed. There are no clubs, so for dancing you have to drive to Würzburg or Nuremberg.

Prague has more green within reach. Petrin Hill, the old royal park of Stromovka and the rocky gorge of Divoka Sarka lie inside the city, and the sandstone towers of Bohemian Switzerland and the Bohemian Paradise, both within about two hours, offer serious hiking.

Rothenburg's outdoors is smaller but closer. Paths drop straight from the walls into the Tauber valley, past mills and meadows, and the well-known Tauber valley cycle path runs downstream through vineyards. It suits easy walks and family cycling rather than anything demanding.

Both are good bases for touring, and Prague has a slight edge in range and ease. Kutna Hora, with St Barbara's Cathedral and the bone-filled Sedlec Ossuary, is about an hour by train, and Karlstejn's Gothic castle is a little closer. Terezin, a sobering visit, is about an hour north and is usually reached by bus. Further out are the vineyards at Melnik, Dresden's galleries two hours away by rail along the Elbe, and the spa colonnades of Karlovy Vary. Cesky Krumlov is far enough away that many people stay the night.

Rothenburg's outings are mostly more of the same theme, done well: Dinkelsbühl's walls, Nördlingen's ring of walls inside a meteorite crater, steep Schwäbisch Hall and the palace gardens at Weikersheim. Würzburg's Residenz and Nuremberg are each about an hour away. Because of the branch-line trains and sparse buses, nearly all of this works much better with a car.

Both have a storybook look that children enjoy, and both have cobbles that defeat pushchairs. Prague has more to fill the days: one of Europe's best zoos on a wooded hillside in Troja, the Petrin funicular and mirror maze, the National Technical Museum and river boats.

Rothenburg offers a car-free walled centre where children can walk the ramparts, climb the Rathaus tower and follow the night watchman's lantern, but after a day or two families will need excursions or a pool day.

On foot the two are alike: each historic core can be crossed in about fifteen minutes, over tiring cobbles. Beyond that, Prague has three metro lines, a tram network that reaches almost every neighbourhood and runs all night, and a single ticket system, so nobody needs a car. Watch for pickpockets on the busy central trams.

Rothenburg sits at the end of a branch line, so most rail trips need a change at Steinach, and the regional buses are thin at weekends. Inside its walls it is a pleasure to walk, but to see the region you will want to drive.

Prague has the wider range. Luxury labels line Parizska Street, chains fill Na Prikope, and the distinctive Czech buys are Bohemian crystal, garnet jewellery and marionettes. The small design and vintage shops of Vinohrady and Holesovice are worth seeking out past the souvenir stalls of the centre.

Rothenburg is narrower and more single-minded. Year-round Christmas shops sell baubles, nutcrackers and Erzgebirge carvings, and the December market on the Marktplatz is a real draw, but fashion and everyday shopping hardly exist there.

Prague is the better deal. Beer, pub lunches and public transport stay cheap, and staying a few tram stops out, then eating in Zizkov or Karlin, keeps a trip inexpensive. Avoid the exchange booths in the centre.

Rothenburg adds a tourist premium to normal German small-town prices, especially for rooms inside the walls in December and on summer weekends. Sleeping just outside the gates or in a nearby village is the way to save money.

Prague is a serious music city. It has three opera houses, including the Estates Theatre where Don Giovanni premiered, the Czech Philharmonic at the Rudolfinum, concerts in Smetana Hall, and black-light and marionette theatre that need no Czech.

Rothenburg's performing life is seasonal and historical: the costumed Meistertrunk play, summer open-air theatre and organ concerts in St Jakob's. On most nights there is no show to go to.

Neither town has a bathing tradition of its own, so the difference is in how you find calm. In Prague it means grand old coffee houses, the terraced gardens below the castle and quiet corners on Kampa or at Vysehrad, and you need a residential base away from the noisy core.

Rothenburg grows quiet without any effort at dawn and in the evening, and its walls and valley paths become deeply peaceful. It also has proper thermal bathing within an hour, at the salt-water pool in Bad Windsheim or the old spa town of Bad Mergentheim.