Anaheim or Santa Barbara?

Neither city is a place for long swims, because the Pacific stays cool off both. From Anaheim the beaches mean a drive of about half an hour: the wide surf beach at Huntington, the Balboa Peninsula at Newport or the coves of Laguna. Without a car they are hard to reach.

Santa Barbara has the edge because the sand starts in town. East Beach and West Beach lie either side of Stearns Wharf, and the Channel Islands calm the swell, so Carpinteria's shallow state beach suits small children. The water is a degree or two colder, and early summer mornings are often grey.

In Anaheim, the resort district is mostly park counters and chains. The good food is a drive away, in Little Arabia's bakeries and grills on Brookhurst Street or the pho and banh mi of Little Saigon in Westminster and Garden Grove.

Santa Barbara eats better overall. Its cooking is built on spot prawns and sea urchin from the harbour boats, very well stocked farmers' markets, and Santa Ynez Valley wine poured in the Funk Zone's tasting rooms. Beyond Mexican food, though, the choice is narrower, and cheap late meals are hard to find.

Anaheim's one real landmark is Disneyland, the first Disney park and a genuine part of American history. Little survives of the old German and citrus town beyond the Mother Colony House and the packing houses. The Bowers Museum and the Nixon Library are both a drive away.

Santa Barbara is a sight in itself. After the 1925 earthquake it was rebuilt in white stucco and red tile, with the County Courthouse, the Old Mission and the Presidio all close together. That makes for two or three easy days rather than a heavy programme, but it is far more than Anaheim offers.

Evenings in Anaheim are shaped by the parks. Most end with the fireworks and a walk back to the hotel, perhaps with a drink on the promenade between the gates or in a brewpub in the centre. The bars near the stadiums only fill on hockey and baseball nights, and anything livelier means driving to Long Beach or Los Angeles.

Santa Barbara gives adults a little more to do after dark. The Funk Zone's tasting rooms and breweries are busy from early evening, and students crowd the bars and small dance floors on lower State Street at weekends. Places still close early and there is no club scene, so it suits a long dinner and a nightcap.

Anaheim itself is flat suburbia, so getting outdoors means a drive of up to 45 minutes. Within that range are chaparral trails in the Santa Ana Mountains, tide pools at Crystal Cove and the long Santa Ana River cycle path, all pleasant rather than striking.

Santa Barbara is far stronger. Trails to Rattlesnake Canyon, Seven Falls and Inspiration Point start where residential streets end, and the Los Padres National Forest lies over the ridge. Add the point break at Rincon and the sea caves of Channel Islands National Park, and it is a real outdoors destination, though summer fires sometimes close the trails.

Anaheim's central position is a real advantage if you have a car and patience in traffic. The Getty and Hollywood are about an hour away, Long Beach's Queen Mary and aquarium are closer, and ferries cross to Catalina. Mission San Juan Capistrano lies to the south, and San Diego is about two hours down the coast.

Santa Barbara has one excellent outing: over the mountains to the Santa Ynez Valley wineries, half-timbered Solvang and La Purisima mission. After that come Ojai and Ventura, while Los Angeles is too far for a comfortable day out.

Anaheim is built for children in a way Santa Barbara is not. Beyond the park gates, the county adds the Discovery Cube science centre in Santa Ana and the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, and the dry weather means few days are lost to rain. The drawbacks are long queues at peak times and needing a car for anything outside the resort.

Santa Barbara works on a smaller scale, which suits young children and parents who want a slower pace. MOXI's hands-on exhibits stand at the foot of State Street, the Museum of Natural History has a whale skeleton and a planetarium, and a bike path runs along the shore on clean, safe streets. Children who want big rides face a two-hour drive to the Los Angeles theme parks.

In Anaheim you can manage without a car only if you stay in the resort district, where many hotels are within walking distance of the gates and shuttles serve the rest. Beyond it, Orange County means freeways and slow buses, although Metrolink and Amtrak trains run from the station by the stadium to Los Angeles and San Diego.

Santa Barbara is easier to explore on foot. State Street runs flat from the Mission district to the waterfront, a shoreline path links the wharf and harbour, and the train stops near the beach. The trailheads and the wine country still mean most visitors drive for at least part of the stay.

The two are broadly level for shopping but go about it differently. In Anaheim you shop at malls and travel between them by car. There is Disney merchandise in the resort, the big luxury mall in Costa Mesa with most major fashion houses, and outlet centres for the mid-range.

Santa Barbara's shopping is smaller and done on foot. There are galleries and boutiques in the tiled paseos off State Street, such as La Arcada, upmarket shops in Montecito and design shops in the Funk Zone. The best things to take home are wine and produce from the farmers' markets.

Both are expensive, but Anaheim leaves more room to save. The big costs are park tickets and the hotels by the gates. Chain motels a short drive away and the suburban restaurants, including the Vietnamese and Middle Eastern districts, charge normal regional prices, though car hire adds to the bill.

Santa Barbara is dearer across the board. Rooms by the beach and in Montecito are among the priciest on the coast, and dinners and wine tastings are priced for wealthy visitors. Taquerias, free trails, midweek stays and beds in Goleta or Ventura help.

Anaheim's evening shows are mostly Disney's parades, water shows and stage musicals, which are polished but still theme-park entertainment. The arena books big tours. For a formal night out, you drive to the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa, home of the Pacific Symphony.

Santa Barbara has its stages in town. The restored Granada hosts symphony, opera and ballet, the Lobero has chamber music and jazz, and big touring bands play the Santa Barbara Bowl, an outdoor amphitheatre in a canyon above town. In summer the Music Academy of the West adds concerts, though the opera and theatre seasons are short.

A trip to Anaheim is hard to make restful, with early starts and crowded parks. Relaxing usually means a hotel pool between park days or a Korean-style day spa in the suburbs, and real calm means driving to the clifftop resorts at Laguna Beach or Dana Point.

In Santa Barbara the slow pace does much of the work, with quiet mornings and nothing urgent to see. There are resort spas in Montecito, plenty of yoga studios and a hike up to small hot pools in the hills. The Ojai Valley's spa resorts are an hour away for a proper retreat.