Brighton or London?

Brighton at least has a seafront to build a summer day around: miles of steep shingle from the Marina to Hove, lifeguards on the central stretch and a Channel cool enough to make a swim bracing. It is a place to sit by the water more than a swimming destination.

London has no shore of its own, and its seaside is Brighton itself, an hour away by train. Its swimming happens in fresh water instead, at the lidos and the Hampstead Heath ponds.

London eats on a different scale. Bangladeshi cooking on Brick Lane, Punjabi food in Southall, Turkish grills in Green Lanes, Borough Market and a large fine-dining scene mean you can eat across the world in a week.

Brighton's strength is narrower but real. Independent kitchens are packed into the North Laine and Kemptown, the city is known for vegetarian food and serious coffee, and Sussex sparkling wine comes from the hills behind town, but the top end is small.

The Royal Pavilion is a genuine marvel, and Brighton's Regency crescents and the Lanes reward a day or two of wandering. After that the list runs out.

London's runs for weeks. The British Museum, the V&A, both Tates and the National Gallery, mostly free, sit alongside a thousand years of landmarks from the Tower to St Paul's and Greenwich.

Brighton punches above its size, with a student crowd, the long-established LGBTQ+ scene in Kemptown and clubs in the seafront arches, all within a short walk of each other. West Street gets rowdy with stag and hen groups at weekends.

London offers far more choice, but you have to pick a district: Soho for late bars, Shoreditch and Dalston for clubs and warehouse parties, Brixton and Peckham for big venues. Getting between them takes more effort than a Brighton pub crawl.

Brighton has the edge for open country, since the South Downs begin at the city limits and Devil's Dyke is a short bus ride away. The Seven Sisters cliffs are close enough for an easy outing, and the sea adds windsurfing and paddleboarding.

London's green space is mostly inside the city: Richmond Park's deer, the heath above the skyline and Kew. Real hills mean an hour on the train, and the cliffs that are close to Brighton are a long day from the capital.

Both make excellent bases. Brighton has Lewes, Arundel, Chichester, Rye and the Sussex vineyards, with London itself an hour up the line.

London's rail hub reaches further and offers more variety: Oxford, Cambridge, Windsor, Bath, Stonehenge and Canterbury are all straightforward days out, and Brighton is one of the options too.

Brighton offers the classic seaside day: arcades on the Palace Pier, the old aquarium, Volk's Electric Railway and paddling at Hove Lagoon, all in a compact centre. The cold water and shingle limit beach time.

London simply has more to fill the days, much of it free: the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the Diana Memorial Playground and the zoo in Regent's Park. The trade-off is long distances and Tube stairs with a buggy.

Brighton is mostly a walking town, fifteen minutes downhill from the station to the sea, with a steady climb back and buses for Hove and the Downs.

London covers far more ground, and its Underground, Elizabeth line, buses and riverboats all run on one contactless payment. That gets you almost anywhere without a car, though journeys are longer and rush hour is crowded.

Brighton is good for quirky browsing: vintage, records and alternative fashion in the North Laine, and jewellers and antiques in the Lanes. There are no luxury streets.

London has everything Brighton lacks and plenty of what it has. Bond Street, Savile Row and the historic department stores sit alongside Spitalfields, Camden and Columbia Road, so a shopping trip has far more range.

Neither is cheap, but Brighton is easier on the wallet. Rooms ease off midweek and in winter, and once you are there walking and the free seafront keep the daily spend low.

London's central hotels are among Europe's costliest, and meals and theatre add up fast. The free national museums and the daily fare caps help, but they only soften the bill.

Brighton does well for its size. The Festival and Fringe fill the town every May, there is a deep pub-gig and comedy circuit, and Glyndebourne's opera is nearby in summer.

London is among the world's great stages. You get the West End, the National Theatre and the Globe, the Royal Opera House, five major orchestras and the Proms, with serious choice on any night of the year.

Neither city is made for rest. Brighton's version is simple and outdoors: a dawn dip with the year-round sea swimmers, a seafront sauna afterwards, and quiet midweek walks past the beach huts on Hove's lawns.

London gives you a little more to book. Historic Turkish baths survive at Ironmonger Row in Islington and in Bayswater, with steam rooms and plunge pools under tiled vaults. The grand hotels of Mayfair run full spas, and Bath's thermal waters are a day trip away.