Baltimore or Savannah?

Neither city is on the open sea, but Savannah has a real beach within reach and Baltimore effectively does not. Sandy Point, forty minutes from Baltimore, is a strip of sand on the brackish bay facing the Bay Bridge. Sea nettles drift in during summer, swimming sometimes closes after rain, and the Atlantic is a three-hour trip.

Tybee Island, half an hour from Savannah, has wide, flat Atlantic sand and warm water all summer. The sea is tinted by the marshes rather than clear and the town is low-key, but it works as a beach day in a way Baltimore cannot match.

Both are seafood towns with a strong regional identity and little range beyond it, so the choice comes down to which kitchen appeals to you. Baltimore means blue crabs steamed with Old Bay and cracked with mallets on brown paper, crab cakes, and old market halls such as Lexington Market. Little Italy and the pit beef stands add some variety.

Savannah cooks Lowcountry food: shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, Lowcountry boil and oyster roasts in the cooler months, often served family-style at long tables. Its best chef-led cooking is in restored townhouses near Forsyth Park, while Baltimore's is in Hampden and Harbor East.

Savannah has the edge, because the town itself is the attraction. Oglethorpe's plan of garden squares, live oaks and period houses turns every walk into sightseeing, and the Telfair Museums, the Owens-Thomas House and Bonaventure Cemetery round it out.

Baltimore is the other way round, with stronger collections but less of a single historic townscape. The Matisses of the Cone Collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the holdings of the Walters are both free to see, and Fort McHenry carries national history. The old streets survive in pockets such as Fells Point and Mount Vernon rather than across a whole district.

Both are bar towns with small club scenes, and the difference is in mood. Baltimore's evenings divide by neighbourhood: old taverns around the cobbled square in Fells Point, sports bars and rooftops in Federal Hill after Orioles and Ravens games, and dive bars in Station North.

In Savannah a night out is more of a stroll, because to-go cups let you drift between River Street, City Market and cocktail rooms in old townhouses. Weekends bring bachelorette parties, and St Patrick's Day turns the whole city into one large street party.

The outdoors is gentle around both cities, but the landscape is different. Baltimore has the wooded river gorges of Patapsco Valley, trout streams on the Gunpowder and a large urban forest in Leakin Park. The Blue Ridge and the Appalachian Trail are about an hour and a half west for anyone who wants hills.

Savannah is surrounded by flat salt marsh, best seen from a kayak at high tide or on a dolphin-spotting boat, with wood storks and egrets in the creeks. Both are at their best in spring and autumn, and in Savannah biting insects add to the summer heat.

Baltimore is the far better base for excursions. Washington DC and Philadelphia are each about an hour away by train. By car, Annapolis, Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry and the villages of the Eastern Shore are all within easy reach.

Savannah's best outing, Charleston, is two hours away by car. Beaufort, Hilton Head and Fort Pulaski are closer, and Jekyll and St Simons islands lie to the south. These are pleasant trips, but almost all of them need a car and none of them matches a day among the Smithsonian museums.

Baltimore is better set up for children. The National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center and Port Discovery are a short walk from each other on the Inner Harbor, with paddle boats and old ships in between, and the zoo and the train museum add more.

Savannah offers space and simple treats rather than big attractions: Forsyth Park, trolley tours, the free river ferry, ghost walks for older children and a gentle beach on Tybee. With no aquarium or large zoo, it suits families who are happy to wander.

Savannah is easier on foot. The historic district is flat and laid out on a grid, nearly everything a visitor wants is within a short walk, and a free shuttle and a ferry fill the gaps. Tybee and Bonaventure still need a car, a taxi or a tour.

Baltimore's walkable core is a waterfront strip from the Inner Harbor to Fells Point, with water taxis across to Fort McHenry. Beyond it there is one metro line and one light rail line, so Hampden, the art museum and the zoo mean a bus or a taxi, and more of the stay depends on a car.

Neither city is a shopping destination, but Savannah has a proper main street. The restored shopfronts of Broughton Street hold boutiques and home-goods shops, and the art school supplies shops selling work by its students and graduates.

Baltimore's best browsing is quirkier and more spread out: vintage clothes and kitsch on 36th Street in Hampden, records and antiques in Fells Point, and Old Bay souvenirs in the markets. For chain fashion, locals go to the suburban malls.

Costs are broadly similar. Both are priced as American cities, where tax and tip add to every meal. Baltimore's advantages are hotels cheaper than nearby Washington and free entry to its two big art museums, though most visitors also end up paying for taxis.

Savannah's inns in the historic district are priced for a popular weekend destination and cost more on spring weekends, but its main pleasures, the squares, the park and the cemeteries, are free. Motels by the highway are cheaper, but then a car becomes part of the budget.

Baltimore has the fuller calendar through the year. The symphony plays a full season at the Meyerhoff, the Peabody Institute puts on frequent concerts, many of them free, and the Hippodrome hosts touring Broadway shows. The small clubs of Station North cover indie and experimental music.

Savannah's offer is built around its festivals, above all the Savannah Music Festival each spring in historic theatres and churches, along with autumn jazz in Forsyth Park. Outside those dates there is little more than bar bands and buskers.

Savannah is the easier place to slow down. Neither city has a bathing tradition or much beyond hotel spas, but Savannah's historic district moves at an unhurried pace, with benches under the oaks and quiet inn courtyards. It is calmest midweek in spring or autumn.

Baltimore is gritty and urban. A morning on the harbour promenade or an hour in Druid Hill Park helps, but people who want real rest tend to leave for the Eastern Shore.