Strasbourg or Stuttgart?

Neither city has a beach, and neither is a place for a swimming vacation. Strasbourg has lifeguarded gravel-pit lakes such as the Baggersee, which the tram reaches, with grassy banks and fresh water for a hot afternoon. Stuttgart's summer swimming happens in outdoor pools, some fed by mineral springs, and its nearest proper lake is Lake Constance, more than two hours south.

Strasbourg eats better. Alsatian cooking mixes French and German traditions, from choucroute and baeckeoffe to tarte flambée and foie gras, and the wood-panelled winstub with a pichet of Riesling is one of the best settings in the region. Its markets and December mulled wine add to that, though the restaurants by the cathedral lean on tourist menus.

Stuttgart's Swabian food is just as hearty but has a narrower range: Maultaschen, Käsespätzle and Zwiebelrostbraten in traditional taverns. Its charm is that vines grow inside the city limits, and seasonal Besen taverns pour local Trollinger in the growers' own houses. Neither city offers much international variety.

Strasbourg is the stronger sightseeing city. The pink sandstone cathedral with its astronomical clock, the Grande Ile and Petite France, and the German-built Neustadt form one intact, UNESCO-listed townscape. The Palais Rohan, the Oeuvre Notre-Dame and the Alsatian Museum fill the gaps between walks.

Stuttgart's heritage was badly damaged by bombing, so its appeal is industry and modern design. The Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums are world-class, the Staatsgalerie holds fine European painting, and the Weissenhof Estate's Le Corbusier houses are a landmark of modern architecture. Historic buildings survive in pockets around Schlossplatz rather than as a whole old town.

Neither city is built for late nights, but the evenings feel different. Strasbourg's are student-led, with bars and beer cellars in the Krutenau and summer terraces along the river, and only a handful of clubs. Stuttgart has a strip of bars and lounges on Theodor-Heuss-Strasse and basement clubs with a small electronic music following. Its liveliest weeks are the beer tents of the Cannstatter Volksfest and the late-summer wine village.

Both give easy access to the outdoors, but the terrain differs. Strasbourg is flat, which makes it ideal for cycling along the Rhine and the canals, and its riverside forests have storks and beavers. Hills mean going out to the Vosges or the Black Forest.

Stuttgart sits in a basin, so you can walk from the centre up into vineyards and the forests of the Rotwildpark. The Swabian Jura, with cliff-edge trails and caves, and the northern Black Forest are each about an hour away.

Both are excellent bases for day trips, and each can visit the other. From Strasbourg, the trips run through Alsace: Colmar by train, the wine villages of Riquewihr and Eguisheim, and Haut-Koenigsbourg on its ridge. Baden-Baden and Freiburg are just across the Rhine, but the vineyards are easier by car or bike.

From Stuttgart, more of the trips work by rail. Ludwigsburg's palace and Esslingen are short S-Bahn rides, Tübingen is under an hour, and the fast train reaches Heidelberg in about forty minutes. Hohenzollern Castle and Ulm's huge spire are further away.

The two are equally good with children, but the highlights differ. In Strasbourg, the flat, car-free centre suits pushchairs, the boat trips and the Orangerie's storks are easy wins, and Europa-Park is about an hour away. In Stuttgart, Wilhelma's zoo and gardens can fill a whole day, and the Killesberg railway and rack railway are treats in themselves, though the hills mean some climbing and a big theme park needs a trip out of the city.

Strasbourg is the simpler city to get around. Its historic island takes about twenty minutes to cross on foot, much of it is pedestrianised, and separated bike lanes and trams cover everything else, including a line over the Rhine to Kehl.

Stuttgart's flat core is just as walkable, but the city climbs steeply up the sides of its basin, so you rely more on the Stadtbahn and S-Bahn. One ticket covers trains, buses, the rack railway and the funicular. The stepped Stäffele lanes make useful, if tiring, shortcuts.

Stuttgart is better for shopping, especially for brands. Königstrasse is one of Germany's longest pedestrian shopping streets, Breuninger brings luxury and designer labels, and the Metzingen outlets are half an hour away.

Strasbourg has little fashion of note. Its strength is regional goods: Soufflenheim pottery, printed linens, kougelhopf moulds and Alsace wine from the small lanes near the cathedral, plus the Christmas market in December.

Costs are broadly similar, and neither is a budget destination. Strasbourg has the advantages of free sights in its old town and good-value wine by the pichet, but hotels get expensive during the Christmas market and the weeks when the European Parliament sits. In Stuttgart, trade fairs push up hotel prices, while weekends and quieter months are noticeably cheaper.

Stuttgart is far ahead on stage. The Stuttgart Ballet, famous since John Cranko's time, shares the state theatre with an opera company known for bold productions. The Liederhalle hosts orchestras and a strong Bach tradition, and big musicals and a well-known jazz club fill the rest of the week.

Strasbourg has a respectable programme for its size. The Opéra national du Rhin, a full philharmonic season and the Théâtre National de Strasbourg are the core, and the Musica festival makes autumn the time for contemporary music.

Stuttgart has the better bathing on its doorstep. The Cannstatt and Berg springs are among the most productive mineral sources in Europe and feed public baths with warm, carbonated pools and saunas. The city's pace is businesslike, though.

Strasbourg has the tiled Bains municipaux, with a hammam and saunas, but its real spa day means going to Baden-Baden. In return, it offers a slower pace, with canal-side walks and long winstub lunches, except in December.