Belfast or York?

Neither is a beach destination, but Belfast keeps the sand closer. Helen's Bay and Crawfordsburn are a short train ride along the County Down shore, and the north coast strands at Whiterocks and Portstewart make a fuller day out. York is inland, so reaching the sea means an hour on the train to Scarborough's two bays, or longer to Filey and Whitby.

The water is cold on both coasts, the Irish Sea against the North Sea, so swimming is a quick, bracing dip either way, and the beach is an outing rather than part of the stay.

Belfast has the stronger table, built on what comes from the loughs and farmland around it: Strangford oysters, mussels, Mourne lamb and dry-aged beef, cooked with care in the Cathedral Quarter and along the Lisburn Road. St George's Market adds weekend grazing, and the pubs carry a serious whiskey shelf.

York's pleasures are more traditional: afternoon tea and fat rascals in old tearooms, Sunday roasts with Yorkshire pudding, and real ale and pies from the Shambles Market. Its modern restaurants are fewer, and tourist fare crowds the lanes near the Minster, so it pays to book rather than wander in.

Belfast offers a handful of strong sights, and its story is industrial and recent: Titanic Belfast on the old slipways, the domed City Hall, the Ulster Museum and, above all, the murals and peace walls of the Falls and Shankill, best seen with a local guide.

York goes much deeper. Two thousand years are packed inside its walls, from the Minster's medieval glass and the timber-framed Stonegate to the Viking street under Jorvik and the abbey ruins around the Yorkshire Museum. Add the National Railway Museum, and a history lover has more to see on every street.

Both cities go out to the pub, but Belfast keeps going with more energy. The cobbled entries of the Cathedral Quarter, the carved snugs of the Crown Liquor Saloon and the student bars along Botanic Avenue make for lively weekend pub rounds with a talkative crowd.

York's centuries-old inns on Stonegate, Micklegate and the riverside make a lovely ale crawl, but weeknights wind down early and weekends on Micklegate belong largely to stag and hen parties. Neither has much of a club scene, and from York the clubbers take the train to Leeds.

Belfast has wilder country close by. Cave Hill's basalt cliffs and the Black Mountain are a short bus ride from the centre, and within about an hour lie the granite Mournes and the Causeway Coast, with its hexagonal columns, rope bridge and cliff paths.

York sits on the flat Vale of York, so in town nature means the Ouse riverside, the Museum Gardens and the open Strays. The heather of the North York Moors and the limestone scars of the Dales are excellent walking country, but they are further out and much easier to reach by car.

Belfast's best outings are big ones: Dublin by train in about two hours, the Antrim coast with Dunluce Castle and Bushmills, and the walls of Derry. Several of them take most of a day.

York is better placed, because it is a rail hub with far more within an hour. Harrogate and Leeds are half an hour away, Durham's cathedral and castle under an hour, and Castle Howard and Fountains Abbey a short drive. Further out, the steam railway from Pickering and the abbeys at Rievaulx and Whitby easily fill a longer stay.

Both cities are compact and easy with children, and the difference lies in the kind of day out. Belfast leans towards science and open air, with the hands-on W5 centre, the zoo on Cave Hill and the steam engines and trams of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

York leans towards history brought to life: the locomotive hall at the National Railway Museum, Jorvik, ghost walks and the walls themselves. Belfast's wetter weather means planning more indoor days.

Belfast's centre is walkable, and Glider buses and lough-side trains cover the rest. But the sights are spread across the river from the university area to the Titanic Quarter, and buses thin out in the evening.

York is simpler. Almost everything lies inside or just outside the walls, much of it is pedestrianised, and the station puts Durham, Leeds and the coast within easy reach by fast train. For the countryside, both cities push you towards a hire car or a coach tour.

Belfast shops on the high street, while York shops in its medieval lanes. In Belfast the chains cluster around Donegall Place and Royal Avenue and under the glass dome of Victoria Square, with a few independents on the Lisburn Road. Irish linen, the cloth the city grew rich on, is the souvenir to look for, and St George's Market adds crafts, prints and vintage stalls at weekends.

York suits slow browsing, with independent bookshops, jewellers and antiques dealers along Stonegate and Petergate, though the Shambles leans towards souvenirs and wizard-themed shops. Its Christmas markets in late autumn and December are worth planning a trip around.

Belfast stretches a budget further. Hotels are easier to find at a fair price, and the Ulster Museum, the Botanic Gardens and City Hall tours are free, though restaurant meals and paid attractions still cost what they do elsewhere in the UK.

York's rooms inside the walls are in heavy demand and climb steeply at weekends, on race days and at Christmas, and most headline sights charge admission. Staying midweek or outside the centre helps, as do the free National Railway Museum and a walk on the walls.

In Belfast, live performance is part of an ordinary night out. Trad sessions run in city-centre pubs most evenings and bands play the small Cathedral Quarter venues. The Ulster Orchestra plays at the Ulster Hall, the Lyric stages Irish drama, and arts festivals fill spring and autumn.

York's programme is smaller but distinctive: pantomime at the historic Theatre Royal, early music in a medieval church, free choral evensong at the Minster and the Mystery Plays when they are revived on wagons in the streets. There is no orchestra of note, and the big touring shows go to Leeds.

Belfast's quieter side means hotel spas, slow walks in the Botanic Gardens or along the Lagan, and cold dips with the sea swimmers on the lough shore. Visitors who want real calm head out to the coast or the hills.

York is the more restful base and has proper bathing nearby: Harrogate's Royal Baths, with their Moorish-style Victorian Turkish bath, are half an hour away by train. In town, early mornings on the walls and long afternoon teas set an easy pace.