Austin or Pensacola?

Austin is far inland, so swimming there means fresh water: the bracing spring-fed pool at Barton Springs, the gentler Deep Eddy, and boat days among the coves of Lake Travis. These make fine summer afternoons, but they are not a beach vacation.

Pensacola has the real thing, and this is the widest gap between the two cities. Twenty minutes from downtown, Santa Rosa Island has miles of white quartz sand and clear green Gulf water, warm and usually gentle from late May to early October, with shallow water on the sound side for toddlers. The one caution is rip currents on rough days.

Austin has the stronger food, built on two things it does exceptionally well. One is brisket smoked over post oak, sold by weight on butcher paper; the other is Tex-Mex, led by breakfast tacos. Food trucks, beer gardens and the kitchens of East Austin and South Congress give plenty of variety for a few days, and the barbecue in Lockhart is a short drive away.

Pensacola eats well but more simply. Most of it is Gulf seafood, such as oysters, grouper sandwiches and royal red shrimp, eaten at casual places on the water, plus a handful of modern Southern restaurants around Palafox Street. The beach strip leans on chains, so food is rarely what brings people here.

The two are close here, and two or three days covers either, but what you see is different. Austin's strength is its museums, most of them around the University of Texas: the Blanton for art, the Bullock for Texas history, the LBJ Library and the Harry Ransom Center with its Gutenberg Bible. The pink granite State Capitol anchors the centre.

Pensacola offers history you can walk through instead. The restored colonial and Victorian houses of the Seville district reflect a past under five flags, brick Fort Pickens stands on the island, and the huge National Naval Aviation Museum sits on an active base where you need ID to get in.

Austin is much the livelier of the two, helped by a large student population. Sixth Street fills with shot bars and patios, the bungalow bars of Rainey Street draw a slightly older crowd, and the east side has the dive bars and beer gardens locals prefer. Clubs are few, and bars stop serving at 2am.

Pensacola's evenings are smaller and depend on the season. You get pubs, rooftops and taprooms on Palafox Street and in Seville Quarter, sand-floored beach bars in summer, and the rowdy roadhouse on the state line at Perdido Key. Midweek and out of season, the city winds down early.

Both are good for the outdoors, in very different terrain. Austin's is limestone and canyon: trails and climbing walls along the Barton Creek Greenbelt, paddling on Lady Bird Lake, the bat flight at dusk, and the granite dome of Enchanted Rock within two hours.

Pensacola's is flat and watery, and slightly richer for wildlife. The national seashore has dunes, salt marsh and maritime forest, the bay has herons, ospreys and dolphins, the clear Blackwater River is good for canoeing, and divers can explore a sunken aircraft carrier offshore. In both places, summer heat pushes activity into the early morning.

Austin has more worth driving to. San Antonio, an hour and a half away, has the Alamo and its UNESCO-listed Spanish missions. The Hill Country adds Fredericksburg, founded by German settlers and surrounded by wineries, the dance-hall village of Gruene, and small towns such as Wimberley.

From Pensacola the best outing is Mobile, an hour west, for its antebellum streets and long Mardi Gras tradition, with Fairhope across the bay. To the east, Destin and Seaside are pleasant, but mostly they offer more beach. Either way you will need a car.

Pensacola has the edge for families, mainly because the beach keeps children busy. The summer water is warm and gentle, the sound side has calm shallows for toddlers, and many condos have kitchens and pools. The naval aviation museum, the lighthouse climb and the tunnels of Fort Pickens fill the other days.

Austin is easy-going with children but offers smaller pleasures, such as Zilker Park's miniature train, the Thinkery and the bat flight. The bigger waterparks are an hour away in New Braunfels. In both cities summer heat shapes the day, and neither has a big theme park close by.

Neither works without a car, but Austin is a little easier. You can walk around downtown, the Capitol and Rainey Street. South Congress and the east side are short rides away by bike, scooter or the lakeside trail, and buses and a single commuter rail line help with some trips.

In Pensacola only Palafox Street and the historic district are walkable. Buses are infrequent, and the seasonal beach trolley covers only the island strip. The beach, the naval station and Perdido Key are separated by highways and bridges, so nearly every trip is a drive.

Austin gives shoppers more to do, though neither city is a shopping destination. South Congress makes a good afternoon of independent boutiques, vintage clothing and cowboy boots, and Western wear is the thing to take home. Luxury brands are in an open-air mall on the northern edge of the city.

Pensacola has a few boutiques and antique shops on Palafox Street, crafts at the Saturday market and a standard chain mall inland.

Pensacola is the cheaper trip, though neither is a bargain. Rooms in town and inland cost noticeably less than beachfront ones, island prices fall sharply out of season, seafood is fairly priced and the largest museum is free.

Austin's downtown hotels are priced like those of any major American city, and they climb steeply during the big festival and motor racing weeks. Cheap tacos, food trucks and free sights such as the Greenbelt and the Capitol keep daily costs down. In both cities, the hire car adds to the bill.

This is what sets Austin apart. Bands play every night on Red River Street, Sixth Street, South Congress and in east-side bars, often with no cover charge. The music runs from blues and indie to Texas country, with couples two-stepping in the honky-tonks. The Long Center adds symphony, opera and ballet, though on a modest scale.

Pensacola's stage is busy for a city its size. It centres on the restored 1925 Saenger Theatre, home to the symphony, opera, ballet and touring shows, with community theatre and a few bars with bands besides. It makes a pleasant evening, but not a reason to come.

Neither city has thermal baths or a spa tradition, but Austin offers more if you want to unwind on purpose. It has a strong yoga and fitness culture, day spas, and spa resorts on Lake Austin and in the Hill Country for a proper restorative stay.

Pensacola has hotel day spas and massage studios, but its real asset is the slow pace. Out of season, the island and the quiet stretches of Perdido Key are easy places to switch off.