Belfast or Cork?

Neither city is a place to plan a trip around the beach, and the sea off both is a brisk dip rather than a swim. The difference is in getting there. From Belfast a short train ride along the lough reaches the coves at Helen's Bay and Crawfordsburn, while Cork's harbour beaches at Myrtleville and Fountainstown, and the long strand at Inchydoney, are much easier with a car.

Cork's Atlantic water is a degree or two warmer in late summer. From Belfast, the bigger beach outing is the long drive to the north coast strands at Whiterocks and Portstewart.

Cork has the stronger claim at the table. It rests on the English Market, where West Cork farmhouse cheeses, smoked fish, spiced beef and drisheen are sold under one roof in the middle of town, and on the good modern Irish kitchens nearby that buy from the same stalls. Kinsale's seafood is half an hour away.

Belfast eats well on its own terms, with Strangford oysters, Mourne lamb and dry-aged beef in the Cathedral Quarter and on the Lisburn Road, and grazing at St George's Market at weekends. It is at its best in the pub, with carefully poured stout and a long whiskey shelf. Neither city offers much variety or late-night eating.

Belfast gives a culture-minded visitor much more to do. Titanic Belfast on the old slipways, the Ulster Museum, Crumlin Road Gaol and the murals and peace walls of the Falls and Shankill tell a modern story of shipbuilding, linen and conflict that no other city on the island tells.

Cork's sights are gentler and quicker to see. There is St Fin Barre's Cathedral, the Shandon bells you can ring yourself, the Irish painting at the Crawford and the old city gaol. A day or two covers Cork, while Belfast rewards a longer stay.

Both cities go out to the pub rather than the club, but Belfast offers a fuller evening. The cobbled entries of the Cathedral Quarter pack many bars into a few streets, the Crown Liquor Saloon is worth a drink for its carved snugs alone, and weekend nights run livelier.

Cork's old wood-panelled bars off Patrick Street and Oliver Plunkett Street are just as friendly, often with music in a back room. The centre is busy mainly from Thursday to Saturday, though, and weeknights are quiet.

Belfast has the more dramatic country around it. Cave Hill and the Black Mountain rise straight behind the city, the granite Mournes drop to the sea about an hour south, and the Causeway Coast, with its basalt columns and rope bridge, is one of the finest coastlines in these islands.

Cork's surroundings are softer: sailing and kayaking in the harbour, the cliff walk at Ballycotton, the Old Head of Kinsale and the quiet inlets of West Cork. Its big mountain scenery is in Kerry, a long day away.

Both are good bases, and the difference is in the kind of day out. From Belfast the headline trip is Dublin, two hours by train. Closer in are the Norman castle at Carrickfergus and the cathedrals of Armagh, or you can drive up the Antrim coast to Dunluce and Bushmills or spend most of a day in walled Derry.

Cork's trips are shorter, and several go by rail: Cobh's emigrant harbour, plus Midleton's distillery and Fota House on the eastern line. Kinsale and Blarney are close by road, and Killarney, Cashel and Kilkenny make fuller days.

Belfast has more to keep children busy, especially when it rains. W5 offers hands-on science, Titanic Belfast holds older children, the zoo sits on Cave Hill, and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum has steam engines and trams.

Cork's best card is Fota Wildlife Park, a short train ride out, where animals roam with few barriers. The observatory at Blackrock Castle adds an indoor option, but beyond those two the list runs short.

Both centres are small enough to walk, but Belfast's is flat while Cork's climbs steeply to Shandon on the north side. Belfast's Glider lines cross the city quickly from east to west, while Cork's buses can be slow in traffic. Cork's most useful link is the suburban train to Fota, Cobh and Midleton.

In both cities, a car makes the coast and the countryside far easier to reach.

Neither city is worth the trip for shopping, and both centre on a high street of chains. Belfast has the glass-domed Victoria Square mall and Irish linen as its signature souvenir. Cork leans more on small independents off Princes Street and in the Huguenot Quarter, with knitwear, and farmhouse cheese from the English Market to take home.

Belfast is the easier city on the wallet. Hotel prices are fairer than in the big British cities, and the Ulster Museum, the Botanic Gardens and City Hall tours cost nothing, though meals and drinks still carry UK prices.

Cork shares Ireland's high costs. Hotel rooms are dear for a city of its size, and restaurant meals and pub rounds add up quickly. The walkable centre and market lunches help, but a stay will cost noticeably more than in Belfast.

Belfast has the broader stage. The Ulster Orchestra plays the Ulster Hall and the Waterfront Hall, the Grand Opera House takes touring opera and musicals, the Lyric stages Irish drama, and there are arts festivals in both spring and autumn, on top of trad sessions most nights.

In Cork the pub session is the main event, played round a table most nights, while the Opera House and the Everyman supply touring shows and drama. The jazz festival at the end of October is the city's big moment. Outside such weeks the formal programme is thin.

Neither city is built for unwinding, and both share a hardy crowd of cold-water swimmers who take year-round dips along the shore. Beyond that, a spa means a hotel spa in either place.

The difference lies in where you go to get away. From Belfast it is the country-house hotels outside town, or a day out on the coast and in the hills. Cork keeps it closer to home, with the resort spa on Fota Island in the harbour and the slower pace of a smaller city.