Bath or York?

Neither city is a beach destination, but the coast within reach differs. Bath's nearest seaside is Weston-super-Mare on the Bristol Channel, where the water is brown and the tide goes out a very long way, so in summer locals swim in the Avon at the weir east of the city instead. Good sand means the Dorset or Devon coast, a long day out.

York has nowhere to swim in the city, but the train reaches Scarborough's two sandy bays in about an hour, with Filey and Whitby a little further. The North Sea stays cold, so treat it as a classic seaside day out rather than a swim.

Both cities are much alike here: tearooms, pubs and good local produce, with little range beyond British cooking. Bath draws on the West Country, with Somerset cider, local cheeses and its own Sally Lunn bun and Bath Oliver biscuit. The farmers' market in the old Green Park station is the place to try them.

York has fat rascals, Sunday roasts with Yorkshire pudding and ale from Yorkshire breweries. The Shambles Market also gives it some street food, which Bath almost entirely lacks.

Both are among England's richest historic cities, but their characters are very different. Bath is one unified Georgian set piece in honey-coloured stone, with the Royal Crescent, the Circus and Pulteney Bridge built above the Roman Baths. Much of its pleasure lies in how complete it feels.

York is layered instead, with Roman, Viking and medieval history side by side: the Minster's stained glass, walls you can walk on, the timber-framed Shambles and the Jorvik Viking Centre. York's museums are larger, above all the National Railway Museum, while Bath's are smaller and more intimate.

York has a little more going on after dark. Its centuries-old inns along Micklegate, Stonegate and the river make for a proper pub crawl. Weekends and race days at the Knavesmire bring crowds, along with stag and hen parties.

Bath's evenings are quieter: coaching inns, real-ale houses on Walcot Street, a few wine bars, and most visitors back at their hotel after dinner on weeknights. People from both cities go elsewhere for clubbing, but Bath has the shorter trip, with Bristol fifteen minutes away by train, while Leeds is half an hour from York.

The two are broadly level, but their countryside works differently. Bath sits in a bowl of hills, so you can walk straight out of town onto the Skyline loop or the Kennet and Avon towpath without any transport. The southern Cotswolds and Cheddar Gorge are close by too.

York itself is flat, with riverside paths and the open Strays. The real landscapes lie beyond: the heather of the North York Moors, the sea cliffs at Robin Hood's Bay and the limestone Yorkshire Dales are wilder than anything near Bath, but you will want a car to reach them.

Both make superb bases, so the choice comes down to which part of England you want to see. Bath opens up prehistoric and cathedral country: Stonehenge and Avebury, Wells and Glastonbury, Lacock and the southern Cotswolds, with Bristol a few minutes away by train.

York opens up the North: Durham's cathedral and castle, Harrogate and Leeds by train, and Castle Howard, Fountains Abbey and the ruined abbeys of the moors by road. From either city the towns are easy by rail, but the villages and great houses are much easier by car or on a tour.

York is the easier city with children. The hall of real locomotives at the National Railway Museum, Jorvik, the Victorian street in the Castle Museum and a walk along the walls fill two or three days. The flat centre is kind to small legs and pushchairs.

Bath has the steaming Roman Baths, which children love, and a large playground in Royal Victoria Park. Beyond that it is a city made for adults, its steep streets are hard work with a buggy, and families tend to spend days out in Bristol or at Longleat.

Both centres are compact, largely pedestrianised and best seen on foot, and in neither is a car worth bringing into town. The difference is the terrain. Bath climbs steeply from the river, so the upper viewpoints mean a stiff walk or a bus.

York is flat inside its walls and easy to cycle. Its station is also the bigger rail hub for trips further afield, while Bath's direct trains run mainly to Bristol and London.

Bath is the better choice for shopping. Milsom Street puts fashion and British brands inside Georgian buildings and SouthGate gathers the chains. The real strength is the independent shops: the lanes around the Abbey, the antiques on Bartlett Street and the artisan quarter of Walcot Street, with the old Guildhall Market and the shops on Pulteney Bridge adding character.

York's medieval streets, especially Stonegate and Petergate, are lovely to browse, but the Shambles leans towards souvenirs and wizard-themed shops. Its strongest season is the Christmas markets, and for serious fashion shopping locals go to Leeds.

Neither city is cheap, but York is noticeably easier on the budget. The National Railway Museum, the walls and the Museum Gardens are all free, and staying just outside the centre brings the bill down.

Bath is the more expensive place to stay, with scarce central hotels and high admission to the Roman Baths and the spa. In both cities, staying midweek and eating pub lunches save the most. In Bath you can also sleep in Bristol and come in by train.

Bath has the fuller stage programme. Its Georgian Theatre Royal stages touring drama, plays heading for the West End, opera and dance, and has a studio and a children's theatre alongside. Concerts in the Abbey and the Assembly Rooms and festivals of literature, music and Mozart fill out the year.

York has less on but some distinctive things: early music in a medieval church, free choral evensong at the Minster, and the Mystery Plays performed on wagons in the streets when they are revived. Bigger touring shows usually go to Leeds instead.

Bath is in a different league here. It is the only place in Britain where you can bathe in natural thermal water, from the rooftop pool of Thermae Bath Spa overlooking the Abbey to the small Georgian Cross Bath. Tea in the Pump Room rounds off a slow day.

York has only hotel spas and a few day spas, and its calm comes from early mornings on the walls or in the Museum Gardens. For proper bathing you take the train half an hour to Harrogate and its Victorian Turkish baths.