Bergen or Stavanger?

Neither is a beach destination, but Stavanger has the better shore. The Jæren coast south of the city runs in long sandy beaches backed by dunes, from Sola to Brusand, quiet and broad enough for walks and even some surfing.

Bergen has no sand to speak of. Swimming there means jumping off the Nordnes piers, rocks along the fjord or freshwater lakes in the hills, with the heated seawater pool as the gentlest option.

Both eat mainly from the sea and both are expensive, so the difference is in emphasis. Bergen's signatures are its creamy fish soup, the harbour fish market and the skillingsbolle with coffee, with the better cooking in small dining rooms around the old centre.

Stavanger leans more on its farmland as well as its fish, with Ryfylke lamb and Jæren strawberries, a fine-dining tier that punches above the city's size, and the Gladmat festival filling the quays in summer. In both, the choice thins out quickly below the top tables.

Bergen has more to see. Bryggen's wooden Hanseatic wharf, Bergenhus Fortress with Haakon's Hall, the KODE art museums with their Munch works, Grieg's home at Troldhaugen and the Fantoft stave church make a richer and more varied list.

Stavanger's strengths are narrower. Gamle Stavanger's white timber houses and the medieval cathedral are fine, the Petroleum Museum explains the modern city, and the swords at Hafrsfjord recall the Vikings, but the whole round is shorter and lighter.

The two are fairly close, with Bergen a touch livelier thanks to its students and music scene, spread across the old centre, the streets behind the harbour and the university quarter. Stavanger squeezes its evenings into Øvre Holmegate's painted lane and the quays around Vågen, which suit outdoor drinks on light summer nights. In both, weekends carry the scene and high drink prices mean late starts.

Both are outstanding, but in different ways. Bergen's mountains begin in the city itself: the funicular to Fløyen, the cable car to Ulriken and the Vidden ridge walk between them need no transport at all, and Hardangerfjord and the Nærøyfjord are reachable by train and boat.

Stavanger's landscape is more dramatic but further out. The Lysefjord's sheer granite walls, Preikestolen and the tougher Kjerag hike are the headline days, and the Jæren dunes and sheltered Ryfylke waters add coastal walking and kayaking.

Bergen has the slightly stronger list, mostly because its outings double as scenic journeys. The train to Voss, the orchard villages of Hardanger, the boat to Rosendal's barony and the long day to Flåm and its mountain railway are all classic routes.

Stavanger's options are fewer and quieter: Utstein Abbey half an hour north, the white wooden town of Egersund by train, and a longer day to Haugesund and the Viking farm at Avaldsnes. The two cities are too far apart to visit one from the other.

Both are safe, calm and good with children, so it comes down to the kind of day. Bergen has the aquarium on Nordnes, the VilVite science centre and the funicular to Fløyen's playgrounds and troll-lined trails, though steep streets are tiring with a pushchair.

Stavanger adds things Bergen lacks: the Kongeparken amusement park, sandy beaches for summer afternoons and a playground built from oil equipment at the Petroleum Museum. Preikestolen makes a memorable walk for older children.

Bergen is easier to manage without wheels. Its sights sit within walking distance of the harbour, the Bybanen light rail runs to the airport, and trains and express boats handle the fjord trips, though the steep lanes and rain slow you down.

Stavanger's centre is even smaller and quick to cross on foot, but the countryside is the catch. Beyond the seasonal bus to Preikestolen, Kjerag, the outer beaches and much of the fjord side are far simpler with a hire car.

Shopping is modest and pricey in both, and the things worth buying are the same: wool sweaters, outdoor gear and Scandinavian design. Bergen has the edge in character, with craft workshops tucked into Bryggen's wooden passages, while Stavanger's best browsing is the handful of small independents around Øvre Holmegate.

Both are among the dearest places to travel in Europe, with meals, alcohol and fjord excursions costly in each. The savings differ slightly: in Bergen it is free hiking straight from the streets, while in Stavanger business hotels can drop their rates at weekends and in high summer. Supermarket picnics are the standard tactic in both.

Music runs deeper in Bergen. The Philharmonic plays a full season in Grieghallen, Grieg is performed at his own lakeside home in summer, Den Nationale Scene carries the memory of the young Ibsen, and the Bergen International Festival is a major spring event, followed by jazz and a rock festival at the fortress.

Stavanger has a fine modern concert hall at Bjergsted with its own symphony orchestra, and MaiJazz and a late-summer chamber festival are its peaks. It makes for a good evening out rather than a reason to time the trip.

Neither city is a spa destination, and in both the way to unwind is much the same: get properly hot in a sauna, then drop into cold salt water. In Bergen this happens by the old harbour, where a wood-fired sauna sits on the quay. If you would rather skip the shock of the fjord, there is the warm seawater pool out on Nordnes. For massages and treatments you depend on the hotels and a small number of standalone spas, and the city's slow pace does more to calm you down than any of them.

Stavanger spreads the routine further out, with public saunas along the fjord shore as well as in town, so a sweat and a dip can fit into a day on the water. Instead of a pool like Nordnes it has Gamlingen, a heated open-air pool near the centre where regulars swim in any weather, and the long light summer evenings by the water make it easy to stay out late. Beyond the sauna, treatments mostly mean a hotel spa.