Belfast or Oxford?

Belfast at least has the sea. Sandy coves at Helen's Bay and Crawfordsburn are a short train ride away, and the long north-coast strands of Whiterocks and Portstewart make a day out, though the water stays cold enough that a swim is a bracing dip.

Oxford is about as far inland as England gets, so swimming means the Thames at Port Meadow, the Cherwell or the open-air pool at Hinksey. On a hot afternoon a river dip can be pleasant, but neither city should be chosen for beach time.

Belfast eats better, mainly because of what comes off the land and loughs around it: Mourne lamb, dry-aged beef, Strangford oysters and mussels, cooked with care in the Cathedral Quarter and on the Lisburn Road. St George's Market makes a weekend grazing stop, and the Ulster fry gives it a local signature.

Oxford's strength is the pub, especially a Sunday roast by the Thames, plus the old Covered Market. For variety, head up Cowley Road for cheap international food or to Jericho's bistros. Neither is a food destination, but Belfast offers more that is distinctly its own.

Oxford is the richer place for sightseeing. The Radcliffe Camera, the Bodleian, the Sheldonian and Christ Church all lie within minutes of each other in honey-coloured stone, and the Ashmolean, Pitt Rivers and Natural History Museum give it museums of national weight. It fills two or three full days without strain.

Belfast offers a few strong sights spread across the city rather than a dense historic core. Titanic Belfast on the old slipways, City Hall, Crumlin Road Gaol and the Ulster Museum tell an industrial and political story. The guided walk along the Falls and Shankill murals is something Oxford has no equivalent for.

After dark, the Cathedral Quarter gives Belfast the edge. Its cobbled entries are lined with old bars around Hill Street, the Crown Liquor Saloon has carved wood and snugs, and a talkative crowd keeps weekend nights going. There are few clubs and they close fairly early, so plan on a long round of pubs rather than dancing until dawn.

Oxford winds down sooner. Its taverns fill with students in term, and the riverside pubs draw people on summer evenings, but on most nights the centre is quiet by midnight, and the long university vacation empties it further. Cowley Road's late bars and small clubs are the place to stay out, while Jericho's wine bars suit a drink after dinner.

Belfast has much the bigger landscapes. Basalt cliffs on Cave Hill and the views from Divis are a bus ride away. The granite Mournes and the Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede and the Glens of Antrim offer proper hill and coastal walking, with wind and rain as part of the deal.

Oxford's green space is gentler and closer to hand: Port Meadow with its grazing horses, Christ Church Meadow, and flat towpath walks along the Thames and Cherwell, with punting as the classic pastime. The Cotswolds, Chilterns and Ridgeway add rolling walks, not drama.

Oxford is the stronger base. Blenheim Palace is about twenty minutes away and the Cotswold villages are within an hour. London is roughly an hour by train, and Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Windsor and Bath are all reachable for the day, giving an unusually dense spread of famous places.

Belfast's outings are more about landscape and history together. A drive up the Antrim coast takes in Dunluce Castle and Bushmills, Carrickfergus has its Norman castle, and Armagh, Derry and Dublin by train round out a varied list, though the distances are longer.

Both are compact, safe-feeling and easy with children, with Belfast holding a slight edge for variety. W5's hands-on science, Titanic Belfast, the zoo on Cave Hill and the steam engines and trams at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum give several dedicated family outings.

Oxford wins children over with the dinosaurs of the Natural History Museum, the curiosities of the Pitt Rivers, a punt on the Cherwell and Christ Church's Harry Potter connections. Beyond those, its bigger draws such as the wildlife park and the studio tour need a trip out.

Oxford is easier to get around. Its centre can be crossed on foot in twenty minutes, several streets are closed to through traffic, bikes are everywhere, and the station is a short walk from the colleges with direct trains to London.

Belfast's centre is also walkable, and the Glider rapid buses and suburban trains along the lough cover the city well. Evening buses thin out, though, and reaching the Mournes or the Causeway Coast is far simpler with a hire car or a coach tour.

Oxford has a little more character to its shopping. Blackwell's on Broad Street, antique map and print dealers, the Covered Market's small traders and the independents of Little Clarendon Street stand out from the chains. The designer outlet near Bicester, about twenty minutes away, adds luxury labels.

Belfast is mostly high-street shopping around Donegall Place and the glass dome of Victoria Square. Its best buys are Irish linen, whiskey and local food, with crafts and vintage at St George's Market on weekends.

Belfast is clearly the cheaper stay, chiefly because hotel rooms at a fair price are much easier to find. Free entry to the Ulster Museum, the Botanic Gardens and City Hall tours helps, though meals and drinks still cost what they do across the UK.

Oxford's few central hotels and steady demand from university events keep rooms expensive, and many visitors sleep out by the ring road or come from London. Once there, free museums and a walkable centre ease the bill, but college entries and tours add up.

The two are evenly matched but sound very different. Belfast's live culture is informal and Irish: traditional sessions in city-centre pubs most nights, small-venue gigs in the Cathedral Quarter and Irish drama at the Lyric, with the Grand Opera House and two festivals adding scale.

Oxford's highlight is choral. Evensong sung by the choirs of Christ Church, Magdalen and New College is world class and free to attend. Concerts at the Sheldonian and the historic Holywell Music Room add chamber music, while its theatre and gig scene stays modest.

Neither city has a spa or bathing tradition, though Oxford is slightly better for slowing down. The Botanic Garden, walled college gardens, Magdalen's deer park and an afternoon on a punt offer real calm, best enjoyed early before the tour groups arrive.

Belfast relies on hotel and country-house spas, cold dips along the lough with the local sea swimmers, and quiet walks in the Botanic Gardens or along the Lagan. Those wanting to unwind usually head out to the coast or the hills.