Brighton or Maastricht?

Brighton at least has a beach to build a day around: miles of shingle from the Marina to Hove, lifeguards in season and a Channel that is swimmable on calm late-summer days. Most people sit and watch the sea rather than swim, but the seafront is still the centre of town life.

Maastricht is far inland. The nearest water is the old gravel-pit lakes along the Maas, with small sandy shores that are fine for a hot afternoon. If swimming matters, book a hotel with a pool.

The two eat about equally well, but in different ways. Brighton's strength is lots of small independent kitchens, a long-standing vegetarian and vegan reputation, serious coffee in the North Laine and seafood from the stalls under the seafront arches, with Sussex sparkling wine to drink.

Maastricht has a regional cuisine that Brighton lacks: zuurvlees, vlaai in every bakery, asparagus and game in season and Belgian beer everywhere. It also has a fine-dining tier unusually strong for its size, though there is less variety and almost no street food.

Maastricht has more to see. Two Romanesque basilicas, the Helpoort and medieval walls along the Jeker, the 13th-century bridge over the Maas, the Sint-Pietersberg tunnels and the Bonnefanten easily fill two days of sightseeing.

Brighton has one outstanding building in the Royal Pavilion, plus Regency crescents, the piers and the alleys of the Lanes. Beyond those, its appeal lies in the architecture and street scene rather than in collections or landmarks.

Brighton is the place for a night out. Students, a young population and generations of London weekenders keep the pubs full all week. Kemptown has one of Britain's oldest LGBTQ+ scenes, and West Street and the seafront clubs run into the small hours, though weekends can get rowdy.

Maastricht's evenings are quieter and centre on Belgian beer in brown cafés around the Markt and the Vrijthof. The big exception is carnival, when the whole city parties in the streets for days.

Brighton has the stronger outdoors. The South Downs begin at the edge of the city, with Devil's Dyke and the South Downs Way a bus ride away, and the chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head are the most dramatic coast in southern England. Windsurfing, kitesurfing and sailing off the seafront add a whole extra side.

Maastricht's countryside is softer: marl cliffs on the Sint-Pietersberg, orchards and sunken lanes in the Heuvelland, and the steep little climbs that road cyclists come for. Hoge Kempen and the Ardennes lie further off.

Both make excellent bases, but the trips are very different. From Brighton, London is about an hour by train, and the rest is classic English country: Lewes, Arundel, Chichester, Rye, the battlefield at Battle and the gardens of the Weald.

From Maastricht, the variety comes from crossing borders. Aachen's cathedral and Liège are each about half an hour away, Tongeren and Valkenburg are closer still, and Cologne, Brussels and Leuven are all manageable in a day.

Brighton is easier to fill with children. Rides on the Palace Pier, the Victorian aquarium, Volk's Electric Railway and paddling at Hove Lagoon are all on the seafront, though the shingle and the late-night weekend crowds take some of the shine off.

Maastricht is calm, safe and flat for a buggy, but in town there is little beyond the tunnel tours. The best family outings are a short trip away, at Valkenburg's caves and fairy-tale park or the zoo in Kerkrade.

Both centres are easy to walk, and the main difference is the ground underfoot. In Brighton the walk down to the sea is easy, but getting back to the station and up into Kemptown is a climb, and a frequent bus network covers the rest. In Maastricht the streets are flat and often pedestrianised, cobbles are the only hassle, and a bike along the river is the local way to get about.

The two are much alike for shopping, but the style differs. Brighton's North Laine is all vintage clothing, records, comics and alternative fashion, with jewellers and antique dealers in the Lanes. Maastricht dresses smarter, with designer boutiques in the restored houses of the Stokstraat quarter, brand names on the Grote Staat and a weekly market on the Markt. Neither has real luxury shopping.

Neither is cheap, and the costs come out about the same. Brighton's expense is the room, especially on summer weekends, but the beach, piers, Lanes and Downs cost nothing, and train fares mount up if you plan several day trips. Maastricht has typical Dutch prices, with bakery lunches and café beer a little easier than in the big cities. In both, staying midweek saves the most.

Brighton has much more on stage. Every May the Brighton Festival and the Fringe, England's largest, take over theatres, churches and pubs. The rest of the year the Dome, the Theatre Royal, a deep live-music circuit and a strong comedy scene keep things busy, and Glyndebourne's opera is nearby in the Downs.

Maastricht relies on the theatre on the Vrijthof, home to the regional orchestra and opera, plus church concerts and conservatory recitals. Its highlights are the big open-air summer concerts on the Vrijthof and the brass bands of carnival.

Maastricht is the better choice for unwinding. The thermal pools above Valkenburg, Aachen's ancient baths and the Belgian town of Spa are all within an hour, and the slow lunches and riverside walks suit a quiet break.

Brighton has no bathing tradition. The closest thing is the dawn sea swimmers and their seafront saunas. Peace there means a quiet winter weekday on Hove's lawns or a walk in the villages of the Downs.