Baltimore or Portland, Maine?

Neither is a beach destination, but Portland has the better sand close by. Crescent Beach, Higgins Beach and Pine Point are all within half an hour, and Old Orchard Beach adds a pier and arcades. The Gulf of Maine stays cold enough that most people paddle rather than swim.

Baltimore's harbour is for boats, not swimmers. Its nearest real beach is Sandy Point, forty minutes away facing the Bay Bridge. In August the brackish bay is much warmer than the sea at Portland, but jellyfish and closures after heavy rain make it a family afternoon out rather than a beach day you can rely on.

Both cities put seafood first, but Portland does it with more consistency for its size. It has lobster rolls at harbour shacks, Maine oysters at raw bars, chef-run restaurants cooking local farm and fishing produce, and dozens of brewery tasting rooms in East Bayside and along Industrial Way. Many visitors plan the day around meals.

Baltimore's draw is the summer ritual of a steamed blue crab feast, crab cakes the rest of the year, and old market halls such as Lexington Market. Little Italy and the restaurants of Hampden and Harbor East add some depth, but the cooking has more character than variety.

Baltimore has much the weightier sights. The Matisses of the Cone Collection, the Walters' range from Egyptian antiquities to Fabergé, Fort McHenry and the B&O roundhouse fill two or three full days. The rowhouse streets of Fells Point and Mount Vernon add more.

Portland's sights are pleasant and compact: the Old Port's warehouses rebuilt after the fire of 1866, Winslow Homer at the Portland Museum of Art, Victoria Mansion and Portland Head Light. They make a backdrop for a coastal stay rather than a reason to come.

Both are bar towns with no real club scene, but Baltimore has more nights out and a later finish, with last call at 2am against Portland's 1am. It also has several distinct districts: the old taverns of Fells Point, Federal Hill's rooftops after an Orioles or Ravens game, and the dive bars of Station North.

Portland's evenings centre on the Old Port bars along Fore and Wharf Streets and on brewery taprooms that fill early, and midweek winter nights are quiet. Portland is for good drinks after dinner, while Baltimore suits a longer night moving between bars, with a taxi home through its quieter streets.

Portland has the better outdoors, and most of it is on the sea. There are island ferries across Casco Bay, sea kayaks, schooners and whale-watching trips from the harbour, and clifftop walks at Two Lights. The White Mountains are two hours away for serious hiking.

Baltimore's green spaces are gentler: the wooded gorges of Patapsco Valley, the trout streams of Gunpowder Falls and the large urban forest of Leakin Park. Sailing the sheltered Chesapeake from Annapolis makes a fine day, but the humid summers push hiking into spring and autumn.

Day trips are where Baltimore pulls well ahead. Washington DC and Philadelphia are each about an hour away by train, which makes the Smithsonian and Independence Hall easy days out. Annapolis, Gettysburg and Harpers Ferry are within reach by car.

Portland's excursions are a chain of smaller coastal towns: Kennebunkport, Ogunquit's cliff path, colonial Portsmouth, shipbuilding Bath and the harbour at Camden. They are charming, but they are small towns rather than big cities, and nearly all of them need a car.

Baltimore has the bigger attractions for children, and they sit together around the Inner Harbor. There is the National Aquarium with its rainforest and ring-shaped shark tank, the Maryland Science Center and Port Discovery. Further out are the zoo in Druid Hill and the locomotive hall at the B&O museum. Hot summers and the uneven city beyond the harbour are the drawbacks.

Portland is smaller and more relaxed, with a children's museum, island ferries, tide pools, lighthouses and the amusement pier at Old Orchard Beach. It has no zoo or aquarium, and for families it really only works in summer.

Both cities have a walkable centre and thin public transport beyond it, so the difference is in the layout. Baltimore's central neighbourhoods line a waterfront promenade, with water taxis out to Fort McHenry and excellent trains to Washington and Philadelphia. Hampden, the art museum and the zoo need a bus, a taxi or a car.

Portland's peninsula is a tighter, hillier walk from the Old Port to Munjoy Hill, with ferries from the waterfront to the islands. For the beaches, the lighthouse and the coast towns, a hire car becomes almost essential.

Portland is the better place to browse, though only by a little. Exchange, Fore and Middle Streets in the Old Port hold independent boutiques selling Maine woollens, pottery and art. Freeport's outlet stores, twenty minutes north, are a real draw for outdoor clothing and gear.

Baltimore's best street is the Avenue in Hampden, with vintage clothes, kitsch and local art, and Fells Point has antiques and records. Neither city has department stores or luxury labels.

Neither city is cheap, but Baltimore is easier on the wallet. Its hotels are good value for the East Coast and its two main art museums are free, though restaurant bills and frequent taxis add up.

Portland's rooms on the peninsula reach big-city levels in July, August and on autumn-foliage weekends, and lobster and oysters make eating out expensive. Seafood shacks, food trucks and travelling off-season are the ways to keep the cost down.

Baltimore has much more on stage. There is the symphony's full season at the Meyerhoff, frequent concerts at the Peabody Institute, touring Broadway shows at the Hippodrome and the jazz history of Pennsylvania Avenue. Add the indie and punk venues of Station North and a visitor has real choice from autumn to spring.

Portland manages a respectable calendar for its size: the symphony at Merrill Auditorium, Portland Stage, touring bands at the State Theatre and outdoor concerts in summer. That is enough for a good evening out, but not something to plan a trip around.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, and in both the spas are mostly in hotels, so the difference is in the pace. Portland is the more restful of the two, with ferry rides to quiet islands, dusk on the Eastern Promenade, a cold summer swim in the sea or a waterfront sauna.

Baltimore is gritty and urban, and its calm comes in small doses: an early walk on the harbour promenade, the shade of Druid Hill Park or a quiet hour in the Walters. Anyone looking for real rest tends to leave for the Eastern Shore.