Reykjavik or Stockholm?

Reykjavik's North Atlantic stays cold all year, and the one sandy spot, Nauthólsvík, is a geothermally warmed lagoon for a quick dip followed by the hot tub. Real swimming there means the heated outdoor pools.

Stockholm is no beach destination either, but in July and August it has a genuine swimming habit. Locals swim from Långholmen's rocks, at Smedsuddsbadet and in the lakes at Hellasgården, all reachable by metro or bicycle, and the archipelago ferries lead to more coves and jetties.

Reykjavik cooks superb raw materials, such as cod, langoustine, lamb and skyr, and lamb soup or a harbour-side lamb hot dog makes a good lunch. Beyond the streets around Laugavegur and the Old Harbour, though, the choice soon runs out.

Stockholm offers more depth and more ways to eat. Serious Nordic tasting menus sit alongside old dining rooms serving meatballs, herring and toast skagen, and Östermalms Saluhall shows it all under one roof. The fika habit in Södermalm and Vasastan cafés and the weekday lunch deal give the day a rhythm that Reykjavik has no real match for.

Reykjavik's sights fit into a day or two: Hallgrímskirkja's basalt-like tower, Harpa on the harbour, and small museums such as the Settlement Exhibition built around a Viking-age longhouse. Most visitors treat the city as a base rather than a destination.

Stockholm's sights are on a different scale. On Gamla Stan you have the Royal Palace and Storkyrkan among medieval lanes. Djurgården holds the almost complete 17th-century warship in the Vasa Museum and the farmhouses of Skansen. Add the Nationalmuseum, Moderna Museet and the woodland cemetery of Skogskyrkogården, and there is enough for a full week.

Drinks are heavily taxed in both cities, and in both many locals start the evening at home. Reykjavik's night out is the weekend runtur, a crawl through small bars along Laugavegur that turn into dance floors after midnight. It is friendly and compact, but most weeknights are quiet.

Stockholm offers more choice and more styles. Polished clubs with strict doors cluster around Stureplan, while Södermalm has relaxed neighbourhood bars and wine bars around Medborgarplatsen. On light summer nights the waterfront terraces add something Reykjavik's few blocks cannot.

This is Reykjavik's great strength. Tectonic rifts at Þingvellir, the Strokkur geyser, south-coast waterfalls, ice walks on Sólheimajökull and the steaming lava fields of Reykjanes are all within easy reach. Whale and puffin boats leave from the Old Harbour, and winter adds ice caves and the northern lights.

Stockholm's nature is gentler and much closer to the streets. Royal Djurgården's oak meadows, the pine forest of Tyresta and an archipelago of granite islands invite kayaking, sailing and flat waterfront cycling. It is pleasant rather than dramatic, and there are no hills of any height.

Iceland has so few towns that trips out of Reykjavik are mostly about scenery. The historic stops are Þingvellir, where the Viking-age parliament met in the open air, the saga sites at Borgarnes and Reykholt, and the wooden merchant houses of Eyrarbakki. They are pleasant breaks on a drive rather than places to aim for.

Stockholm has real towns within easy reach. Uppsala's cathedral and royal burial mounds are a short train ride away, Sigtuna is Sweden's oldest town, and Drottningholm Palace is reached by boat. In summer, ferries add Birka, Gripsholm Castle and archipelago villages such as Vaxholm.

Reykjavik is safe and relaxed with children, and the outdoor pools with slides and warm shallow ends are a daily treat, even in snow. Perlan's indoor ice cave works well for older children. The drawbacks are long coach days to the sights, harsh weather and the cost of feeding everyone.

Stockholm is built around family life, with buggies on every bus and playgrounds in every park. Djurgården alone fills several days, with moose and bears at Skansen, Astrid Lindgren's stories at Junibacken and the rides at Gröna Lund. The Tekniska museet and the natural history museum cover the rainy days.

Central Reykjavik is easy on foot, with Hallgrímskirkja, Tjörnin lake and the harbour within half an hour of each other. Beyond that there are only infrequent buses and no rail, so the Golden Circle and south coast mean a hire car or a tour, and winter ice makes even short walks harder.

Stockholm needs no car at all. The metro, trams, buses and harbour ferries share one ticket, and the rock-carved, painted metro stations are worth seeing in themselves. Bridges link the fourteen islands, and the ferry to Djurgården doubles as a sightseeing trip.

Shopping in Reykjavik takes an afternoon on Laugavegur and Skólavörðustígur. The best buys are a hand-knitted lopapeysa, outdoor clothing and small design pieces in lava stone or fish leather, and the weekend harbour flea market adds some local colour.

Stockholm is a shopping destination in its own right. Minimalist Swedish fashion and luxury houses line Biblioteksgatan and Norrmalmstorg, and NK is the grand old department store. For vintage shops and independent boutiques, the place to go is SoFo on Södermalm.

Both are expensive, but Reykjavik is in a league of its own. Even simple guesthouses cost more than hotels in most capitals, an ordinary meal is priced like a smart dinner, and tours and car hire add up quickly. Cheap pools, supermarket shopping and self-catering are the main savings.

Stockholm is pricey but easier to manage. The weekday lunch deal is a good-value way to eat well, hotel rates fall at weekends and in July, and many museums, parks and bathing spots are free.

Reykjavik's stage centres on Harpa, home of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and on a strong alternative and electronic scene in small central venues. Iceland Airwaves in late autumn is the moment when the city comes alive musically. Theatre is almost always in Icelandic.

Stockholm offers a fuller programme through the season. There are opera and ballet at the Royal Swedish Opera, orchestral concerts at the Konserthuset and Berwaldhallen, and a long-running jazz scene. In summer, Drottningholm Palace Theatre stages baroque opera with its original 18th-century stage machinery, which few cities can match.

In Reykjavik, hot water is everyday life. Every district has a geothermal outdoor pool with hot tubs at different temperatures, where locals soak in sleet or under the northern lights, with Vesturbæjarlaug a favourite. The Blue Lagoon's milky water in the Reykjanes lava fields is on the way to the airport.

Stockholm's way of relaxing is quieter and more about sauna. Centralbadet, the Art Nouveau bathhouse from 1904, and Sturebadet are long-established city spas, and at Hellasgården locals go from sauna to a hole in the ice. The calm pace and the fika break help, but there is nothing to match Reykjavik's daily round of geothermal bathing.