Atlanta or Savannah?

Savannah is far ahead here, although neither city is on the sea. Tybee Island is half an hour's drive away and has a broad, low-key Atlantic beach that is good for walks and paddling. The water is tinted by the marshes, but it is warm right through summer.

From Atlanta, both coasts are four to five hours away, so beach days are out. You can swim at Lake Lanier or Lake Allatoona, which are pleasant enough on a hot weekend but are local lake outings, not a seaside trip.

Atlanta offers more range. Its meat-and-three cafeterias and west side soul food kitchens serve Southern cooking at its most complete. Buford Highway then adds miles of Korean, Vietnamese, Mexican and Ethiopian restaurants that Savannah has nothing to match, though you will need a car to reach most of them.

Savannah's cooking is narrower but coastal. It serves Lowcountry dishes such as she-crab soup, Lowcountry boil, wild Georgia shrimp and roasted oysters in the cooler months, and family-style dining rooms are part of the local identity. Its small group of chef-led restaurants in restored townhouses is enough for a long weekend.

Savannah comes out ahead because the town itself is the attraction. Oglethorpe's 1733 grid of garden squares survives almost intact, lined with Federal and Greek Revival houses. Along with the Telfair Museums, the Owens-Thomas House and Bonaventure Cemetery, it makes a compact and atmospheric set of sights.

Atlanta lost most of its old fabric when it burned in 1864, so its strength lies in specific places rather than streets to wander. The King historical park on Auburn Avenue and the civil rights centre downtown are essential for understanding the movement, and the High Museum holds the larger art collection.

Atlanta has the bigger and more varied night out. Its clubs play the hip-hop and trap the city is known for, Edgewood Avenue has dive bars and small dance floors, Midtown has one of the South's largest LGBTQ scenes, and Buckhead has the dressier lounges. Each area is its own pocket, though, so you take a ride between them.

Savannah works the other way round. Drinks in to-go cups let you stroll between River Street, City Market and quiet townhouse cocktail bars on foot. It is relaxed and social, but loud with groups at weekends, and most of it winds down well before Atlanta does.

Atlanta has more variety. Piedmont Park and the BeltLine give you green space in town. Stone Mountain's granite dome and the Chattahoochee's wooded bluffs are close, and within two hours you reach the Blue Ridge foothills, Amicalola Falls and the start of the Appalachian Trail.

Savannah's landscape is flat, open salt marsh, best seen from the water by kayaking the tidal creeks, taking a dolphin trip or watching herons and wood storks. It is lovely, but there are no hills. In both cities spring and autumn are the seasons to be outdoors.

Savannah has the stronger day trips, with Charleston about two hours away for a second historic city. Closer by are Beaufort among the Sea Islands, Hilton Head, Fort Pulaski and the coastal villages of Jekyll and St Simons.

Atlanta's nearby trips are pleasant rather than memorable. They include college-town Athens, Dahlonega's gold-rush square among the vineyards, and Chattanooga's riverfront and Lookout Mountain. Savannah itself is too far for a day out from Atlanta. Both cities need a car for almost every excursion.

Atlanta is much better equipped for children. The Georgia Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta, Fernbank's dinosaurs, the children's museum, the Center for Puppetry Arts and Six Flags can fill a week, and hotels are roomy. The cost is plenty of driving and summer heat.

Savannah is manageable with children rather than made for them. Trolley tours, the free river ferry, the forts, ghost walks for older children and Tybee's sea-turtle centre make good outings, but there is no big zoo, aquarium or theme park.

Savannah is far easier on foot. The historic district is flat, compact and laid out on a grid, so most inns, restaurants and sights are a short walk apart, and a free shuttle and a river ferry fill the gaps. Only Tybee, Wormsloe and Bonaventure need wheels.

Atlanta was built around the car. MARTA's single useful rail line links the airport, downtown, Midtown and Buckhead. Away from that line and the BeltLine trail, the restaurants, parks and day trips mean driving or ride-hailing through heavy traffic.

Atlanta has the larger choice, but it is mostly malls. Buckhead's two big malls on Peachtree Road hold the department stores and luxury labels, and Little Five Points adds vintage clothing and records.

Savannah is better for a stroll than for a shopping list. Broughton Street has boutiques and home-goods shops, and there is art by students and graduates of the local art school and antique dealers among the squares. Neither city has a local craft that would make the trip on its own.

The two cost much the same overall, but the money goes in different places. In Atlanta, hotels are reasonable away from Buckhead and convention weeks, and Buford Highway eats cheaply. The costs that add up are car hire, parking and the steep entry charges at the big family attractions.

Savannah's inns in the historic district are priced for a popular weekend destination. Against that, walking the squares, Forsyth Park and the cemeteries costs nothing, and you can often manage without a car.

Atlanta is far ahead on any night of the year. The Woodruff Arts Center houses the Symphony and the Alliance Theatre, the opera and ballet run full seasons, and the Fox Theatre hosts Broadway tours. Its role in hip-hop, R&B and gospel also brings major concerts and fills mid-sized halls such as the Tabernacle.

Savannah's offer depends on timing. The spring Savannah Music Festival fills historic theatres and churches with chamber music, jazz and Americana, but outside the festivals there are only a few live-music bars and the occasional show.

Savannah is slightly more restful, not because of spas but because of its pace. You can sit on a bench under the oaks or in an inn's courtyard and do very little, especially midweek in spring or autumn.

Atlanta has the more interesting facilities. The big Korean bathhouses in the northeastern suburbs offer hot and cold pools and saunas, some of them open round the clock. Getting there means a drive, though, and the sprawl and traffic work against a relaxing stay.