Boca Raton or St. Augustine?

Boca Raton has the better beaches for swimming. Its beach parks on the barrier island, from South Beach Park to Red Reef and the shaded Spanish River Park, have soft pale sand behind dunes and sea grape, clearer water and a reef shallow enough to snorkel from the shore. Above all, the sea stays warm through the winter.

St. Augustine's sand on Anastasia Island is wide and flat, with the dunes and lagoon of the state park as the highlight and easy surf in summer. The water is greener and more churned, though, and in winter it turns cold. Its real advantage is that the beach is only a short drive from the historic centre.

Neither town is a food destination, and they fall short in different ways. Boca Raton dines well but predictably: steakhouses, sushi and Italian rooms in Mizner Park and the plazas, plus a strong Jewish deli and bagel tradition. St. Augustine is smaller and more local in flavour, with shrimp and oysters by the marsh and Minorcan dishes made fiery with the datil pepper.

For more variety, Boca Raton has Delray Beach's Atlantic Avenue next door and Miami further south. From St. Augustine the nearest real choice is in Jacksonville.

This is where St. Augustine leaves Boca Raton far behind. It has over four centuries of Spanish and American history: the coquina star fort on the bayfront, the old city gate and walled gardens of the Spanish quarter, and Flagler's Ponce de Leon Hotel with its Tiffany glass. The Cathedral Basilica, the lighthouse and Fort Matanzas add more.

Boca Raton's story begins in the 1920s land boom. Mizner's Mediterranean Revival buildings, the art museum and the Morikami gardens are pleasant visits, but a culture-minded traveller there soon ends up driving to Miami or Palm Beach.

Both towns go to bed early, and the evenings feel different. Boca Raton's are polished: wine bars and cocktail lounges around Mizner Park, and Delray Beach's later, louder strip fifteen minutes away. St. Augustine's are more casual, with taverns and courtyard bars along St. George Street, a cheerful weekend crowd of visitors and a few beach bars on the island. For clubs, Boca Raton is at least within driving distance of Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

Boca Raton's outdoors is out on the water. You can snorkel and dive the nearshore reef, take a charter boat into the Gulf Stream for sailfish and mahi-mahi, or join a sea turtle night walk at Gumbo Limbo in the nesting season. Half an hour inland, the Loxahatchee refuge adds alligators, wading birds and a first look at the Everglades.

St. Augustine's outdoors is salt marsh, dune and river. Kayak trips through the tidal creeks often meet dolphins and ospreys, the Guana Tolomato Matanzas reserve has long marsh walks for birdwatchers, and Anastasia State Park pairs dune trails with a calm lagoon for paddleboarding. It suits people who would rather watch wildlife from a paddle or a path than from a boat out at sea.

Boca Raton is better placed for days out. Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Delray Beach are all close, and the trains make Miami's Art Deco district, Little Havana and Vizcaya an easy day without a car. The catch is that most of these places share the same coastline.

St. Augustine's outings are more varied but longer, and all of them need a car. Choices include Jacksonville's museums, Victorian Fernandina Beach, and Kennedy Space Center or Orlando's theme parks, each about two hours away.

Boca Raton entertains children with sand and wildlife, and St. Augustine with history. In Boca Raton that means lifeguarded beach parks with shade, a first snorkel on Red Reef's shallow reef, the turtle tanks at Gumbo Limbo, the Children's Science Explorium and the playgrounds of Sugar Sand Park. Lion Country Safari, an hour north, makes a bigger day out, though almost every outing there means strapping children into the car.

St. Augustine wins children over with cannon firing and ramparts at the Castillo, the lighthouse climb, pirate museums, trolley rides and the Alligator Farm with its zipline. The main sights are a short walk apart in a safe, compact centre, though weekend crowds on the pavements can wear small legs out.

St. Augustine is the easier town to get around. The fort, St. George Street, Flagler College and the bayfront are all a few minutes apart on foot, and sightseeing trolleys cover the rest of the core. You only need wheels for the beaches.

In Boca Raton, only the area around Mizner Park is walkable. Beaches, malls and hotels are spread along wide roads, so a car or ride-hailing is essential. Its one advantage is the Tri-Rail and Brightline trains, which reach Miami and West Palm Beach without a car.

Boca Raton is a shopper's town. It has one of Florida's most upscale malls, full of designer labels, open-air boutiques in Mizner Park and Royal Palm Place, and Worth Avenue a short drive away. All of it is polished rather than individual.

St. Augustine has fudge and pirate souvenirs on St. George Street, more rewarding galleries and antique dealers on Aviles Street, and an outlet mall by the interstate. Datil hot sauce is the souvenir to take home.

Neither town is cheap, but Boca Raton costs more. Its winter hotel and resort rates match major international cities, restaurants are priced for wealthy locals, and the car, ride-hailing and beach parking add up. Summer is when the room rates ease.

St. Augustine's historic inns and old-town hotels also rise steeply at weekends and in peak season. Here, though, a chain motel by the highway or on the island, a midweek stay and free walks through the old streets bring the cost down further.

Boca Raton's stages lean towards classical music and theatre. You can hear recitals by the Lynn University conservatory, see a local ballet company and Broadway-style musicals, and catch open-air concerts and the yearly Festival of the Arts at the Mizner Park Amphitheater. Most of this happens in winter, and the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach is close by for opera and touring shows.\n\nSt. Augustine is for touring rock, country and folk. Its amphitheatre in the woods on Anastasia Island books bands through much of the year, and acoustic sets and cover bands play on old-town patios most nights. For opera or a full orchestral season, the drive is to Jacksonville.

Boca Raton is better for a pampering stay. Its large resort hotels have full spas and pools, and day spas and yoga studios are spread around the city.

St. Augustine has a few hotel treatment rooms and day spas. What it offers instead is a slower pace: B&B verandas, courtyard gardens and an evening walk along the bayfront seawall. Neither town has any bathing tradition.