Stuttgart or Trieste?

This is where the two cities are furthest apart. Stuttgart has no swimmable river or sea, so summer bathing means outdoor pools, some fed by the mineral springs. The nearest open water worth the trip is Lake Constance, more than two hours away.

In Trieste the Adriatic is part of everyday life. Locals lay out towels on the concrete steps and lawns at Barcola and climb down ladders into clear water, and there are pebble coves further along the coast towards Duino. Do not expect sand, but anyone happy to swim off rocks will be in the sea most summer days.

For food the two are about level, and in both the growers run their own seasonal wine taverns. Stuttgart's are the Besen, where wine and onion tart are served in the growers' own houses. The everyday cooking is Swabian, with Maultaschen and Käsespätzle served alongside Trollinger from vineyards inside the city limits. Stuttgart also has more fine dining, which matters if you are planning a special dinner.

Trieste eats at the crossroads of Italy, Austria and the Slavic world. Boiled pork is carved at the old buffet counters, and jota soup sits on menus beside sardoni, the small local anchovies, fried or marinated. Coffee is a ritual with its own vocabulary. Up on the Karst, the osmize sell their own wine, cheese and cured meats, and the city suits casual eaters better than anyone after a gourmet evening.

There is little to choose between them, but they offer very different kinds of sightseeing. Stuttgart's sights are modern and industrial: the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums, the Staatsgalerie and the Weissenhof Estate's Le Corbusier houses. The bombed old centre survives only in pockets around Schlossplatz.

Trieste keeps the look of a whole Habsburg port intact. Piazza Unità opens onto the sea, the Borgo Teresiano lines the Canal Grande, and San Giusto hill has its cathedral, castle and Roman theatre. Miramare Castle stands on the shore nearby. It rewards slow wandering more than ticking off museums.

Neither city is a party destination, but Stuttgart offers more of a night out. Theodor-Heuss-Strasse fills with bar-goers at weekends, there are clubs in basements and old industrial spaces with an electronic crowd, and the Cannstatter Volksfest beer tents liven up the autumn.

Trieste's evenings are built around the aperitivo, with spritz by the Canal Grande or in Cavana, and in summer the kiosks on the Barcola seafront. There are few clubs, and the city is mostly quiet by midnight.

Trieste has the more dramatic outdoors, and it starts closer to the centre. The Karst plateau rises straight behind the city. The Strada Napoleonica runs high above the gulf, Val Rosandra offers gorge hiking and climbing, and there are caves such as the Grotta Gigante. The water adds sailing, plus snorkelling and kayaking in the Miramare marine reserve.

Stuttgart's countryside is gentler, with wooded hills, vineyard trails and deer forests at the edge of the basin, and easy cycling along the Neckar. The cliffs of the Swabian Jura and the Black Forest ridges are about an hour away, which suits walkers more than anyone after sea or mountains.

Both are excellent bases. The difference is variety against convenience. From Stuttgart, fast and frequent trains reach Ludwigsburg's palace, Esslingen, Tübingen and Heidelberg with little planning, and the list runs on to Maulbronn, Hohenzollern Castle, Ulm and even Strasbourg.

From Trieste you can reach three countries. Aquileia's mosaics and the star-shaped town of Palmanova are in Friuli, Piran and Ljubljana are across the Slovenian border, and the Istrian towns are in Croatia. Some of these are easier by car, and Venice makes a long but realistic day by train.

Stuttgart is the easier choice with children. Wilhelma, with its zoo and gardens among Moorish pavilions, fills a whole day. Killesberg has a miniature railway and animal enclosures, and riding the rack railway is a treat in itself. Beer gardens and outdoor pools welcome families.

Trieste is calm and safe, but less of it is made for children. The Grotta Gigante, the aquarium and the grounds of Miramare are the highlights. Swimming is off rocks rather than sandy shallows, and the steep streets are hard work, so it suits older children better than toddlers.

Both have a flat, walkable centre with steep slopes beyond it, and they are about equally easy to get around. Stuttgart climbs its basin by rail: the Stadtbahn and S-Bahn share one ticket with a rack railway and a funicular, and the public stairways called Stäffele are shortcuts on foot.

Trieste has no rail network in town and relies on a dense bus system along the coast and up onto the Karst. Passenger boats cross the bay to Muggia, which is a pleasant way to travel. The steps up to San Giusto are a proper climb.

Stuttgart is the better place to shop. Königstrasse is one of Germany's longest pedestrian shopping streets, Breuninger covers luxury fashion, and smaller independent shops cluster around Calwer Strasse. Many shoppers also make the short trip to the Metzingen outlets.

Trieste has ordinary Italian high-street shops and nothing in the way of flagships. Its appeal lies in antique and second-hand shops in the old-town lanes, and in edible souvenirs such as roasted coffee, Karst honey and presnitz.

Trieste is the gentler city on the wallet. A standing coffee and a buffet plate cost little, the buses are cheap, and some of the best things to do are free: swimming at Barcola, the cathedral hill and walks on the Karst.

Stuttgart is a prosperous business city. Hotel prices jump during trade fairs, so weekends and the quieter months are the times to book. The tavern food is fair value for the portions, but smart dining and central rooms add up quickly.

Stuttgart has much the stronger stage scene. Its ballet is one of Europe's most respected companies, the Staatsoper is known for daring productions, and the Liederhalle hosts orchestras and a Bach tradition. Musicals and a jazz club keep the week busy, but book early for the ballet.

Trieste has an elegant opera house in the Teatro Verdi, an unusual taste for Habsburg operetta, a Slovenian-language theatre and summer concerts in the castle courtyard. Outside those, live music is thin.

Stuttgart comes out ahead for anyone who wants to soak. Bad Cannstatt and Berg have some of Europe's most productive mineral springs, which feed public baths with naturally carbonated warm water and saunas, an easy afternoon's break in the city.

Trieste offers rest of a different kind: an unhurried pace, long sittings in old coffee houses and sunset walks on the Molo Audace pier. Its spas are limited to hotels, though, so thermal bathing means leaving town.