Boston or Salem, Massachusetts?

Neither is a beach destination, and both face the same cold Atlantic, which reaches only about 19°C at its warmest. The difference is in how you reach the sand. From Boston, Revere Beach is a few stops out on the Blue Line, and there are small harbour beaches in South Boston and Dorchester.

Salem's own shores at Salem Willows and Winter Island are more for paddling and picnics. What Salem does have is a shorter run to the better North Shore sand, with Devereux Beach in Marblehead next door and the dunes of Crane Beach about forty minutes away.

Boston eats on a different level. It has the North End's red-sauce dining rooms and cannoli, oysters and lobster rolls at Seaport raw bars, late dim sum in Chinatown, and chef-led New England cooking in Cambridge and the South End.

Salem serves the same chowder, fried clams and North Shore oysters in a small cluster of bistros and brewpubs around the wharf, but there is little fine dining and no market culture. Serious eaters in Salem tend to save their big meals for a day in Boston.

Boston has the broader and deeper offer. The Freedom Trail ties together the Revolutionary sites, Beacon Hill and Back Bay keep whole nineteenth-century neighbourhoods intact, and the Museum of Fine Arts, the Gardner and Harvard's collections could fill most of a week.

Salem is narrower but has a character of its own. The witch trials sit alongside the maritime park's wharves and custom house, the Federal mansions of Chestnut Street and the Peabody Essex Museum, whose Asian and maritime collections are worth the visit on their own. It is a rich two days rather than a week.

Boston is no late-night city, but it gives you far more choice of evening. There are Irish pubs around Faneuil Hall, game nights near Fenway, cocktail lounges in the Seaport and student bars in Allston and Cambridge, and the student population keeps them busy even on weeknights.

In Salem a night out usually means a taproom pint and an early night. October's costumed crowds liven things up, but there are no clubs, and anyone wanting more takes the train into Boston.

Boston has more green space inside the city. Olmsted's Emerald Necklace runs from the Public Garden to the Arnold Arboretum, kayaks go out on the Charles, ferries reach the Harbor Islands and whale-watching boats leave straight from the waterfront for Stellwagen Bank.

Salem's outdoors is mostly a short drive away. Halibut Point's granite shore, sea kayaking among the harbour islands and the birding refuge on Plum Island are its strengths. Neither has mountains, and in both the autumn colour is the high point of the year.

Both make excellent bases, and the difference lies in where they point. From Salem, the obvious day out is Boston itself, and the same rail line runs north to Gloucester and Rockport on Cape Ann, with Newburyport and Portsmouth also within reach.

Boston points south as well as north. Newport's Gilded Age mansions, Providence and Plymouth are all in range, and Salem, Lexington and Concord make easy outings by train.

Boston is much the stronger choice with children. The New England Aquarium, the Museum of Science and the Boston Children's Museum are all major institutions built for young visitors, and the swan boats and bronze ducklings of the Public Garden add a gentler afternoon.

Salem has the tall ship to climb aboard, the old seaside arcade and ice cream at Salem Willows, and the family spaces at the Peabody Essex Museum. However, much of its witch material dwells on executions and can upset younger children, so families staying there usually go into Boston for the bigger attractions.

Both are best on foot, and in both a car is more trouble than it is worth. Boston has the advantage of the T, which links the walkable core of Beacon Hill, Back Bay and the North End with Cambridge, Fenway and the airport, with harbour ferries on top, even if the Green Line is slow and service stops around midnight.

Salem's centre fits within a twenty-minute walk, and its station has direct trains to Boston and Cape Ann. Beyond that line, though, local buses are sparse, and places like Crane Beach or Concord really need a car.

For general shopping, Boston is clearly ahead. It has Newbury Street's brownstone boutiques and flagships, the department stores and luxury labels of Copley Place and the Prudential Center, antiques on Charles Street and bookshops in Harvard Square.

Salem offers something Boston doesn't: dozens of shops on Essex Street and around Pickering Wharf selling tarot cards, crystals, herbs and spell books, some run by practising witches. It is a memorable browse, but there is no fashion and there are no department stores.

Neither is a cheap trip, but Salem is the somewhat lighter one on your wallet. Its rooms are still priced like the Boston area's, and in October they are hard to find at a fair rate. Most of the saving comes from everything else: you walk everywhere, the sights charge modest fees and the train into the city is inexpensive.

Boston's hotel rooms are among the costliest in the country, and meals and drinks cost well above the national average. The free Freedom Trail and parks and a reasonably priced subway help, but only a little.

This is one of the widest gaps between the two. Boston has the Boston Symphony Orchestra in one of the world's finest concert halls, the Pops on the Esplanade, the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Ballet and drama at the A.R.T. that often goes on to New York. Berklee and Conservatory students fill small jazz rooms and give free concerts.

Salem has a modest professional theatre company, occasional events at the Peabody Essex Museum and October street performers. For anything bigger, visitors take the train into Boston.

Neither has a bathing tradition, and neither is really a place for a restful break. Boston has the edge, with day spas in Back Bay and plenty of calm green space in the Public Garden, along the Esplanade and in the Arnold Arboretum.

Salem's wellness offer leans towards its spiritual side, with tarot readers, crystal healers and meditation sessions alongside a few massage studios. A slow walk down Chestnut Street is pleasant outside October, but in the Halloween season the town is anything but quiet.