Bruges or Lille?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Bruges is much better placed for a seaside afternoon. Blankenberge is a quarter of an hour away by train, and from there the coast tram runs along Belgium's flat, sandy shore, with promenades all the way.

From Lille the nearest sand is Malo-les-Bains at Dunkirk, about an hour away, and the dune beaches of the Opal Coast are further still. In both cases the water is the same chilly North Sea, so expect paddling and windy walks rather than swimming.

Both cities cook from the same Flemish recipe book, with waterzooi and beef stewed in beer on menus in each, so the difference lies in where and how you eat. Bruges is the place for beer itself, with long Trappist and abbey lists in brown cafés and chocolate in shop window after shop window. Its main squares cater to day-trippers, though, and the good everyday food is on the side streets. Its finest cooking is in farmhouses just outside town.

Lille's strength is the estaminets of Vieux-Lille, which serve potjevleesch, the welsh and Maroilles tarts to a more local crowd. The multi-ethnic Sunday market at Wazemmes widens the range a little beyond regional cooking.

Bruges is the more remarkable place to look at. Its entire medieval centre is listed by UNESCO, a ring of canals, guildhalls and almshouses, with the Belfry, the Burg and the Begijnhof minutes apart. Indoors there are Van Eyck, Memling and a Michelangelo Madonna. The price is crowded narrow streets by late morning in summer.

Lille has the bigger single museum in the Palais des Beaux-Arts, and the Flemish baroque streets of Vieux-Lille are handsome. Its sights are more spread out, though, with La Piscine and LaM out in Roubaix and Villeneuve-d'Ascq. It rewards a gallery lover more than someone who wants the whole town to feel like history.

Lille is clearly the better night out. Its huge student population fills the bars of Rue Masséna and Rue Solférino, especially on Thursdays. The brick cellar bars of Vieux-Lille suit a calmer evening, and Belgian clubs are close for a later night.

Bruges goes to bed early. An evening there means a long session over strong ale in a brown café or vaulted cellar around the Eiermarkt, then a walk along the lit canals. Dancing is limited to a couple of small weekend clubs.

Both cities sit in flat Flemish country, but Bruges has the easier and prettier outdoor afternoon. The poplar-lined towpath to Damme starts at the edge of the old town. The Zwin salt marsh and the coastal dunes are close for birdwatching and blustery walks.

Lille has the green loop of the Citadel park along the Deûle and short walks on low hills such as Mont des Cats. Its most dramatic scenery, the chalk cliffs of Cap Blanc-Nez and Cap Gris-Nez, is a long day away.

Both cities make excellent bases. Bruges offers Flanders in depth, while Lille offers wider reach. From Bruges, Ghent is under half an hour away and Brussels and Antwerp are on regular trains. Damme is a bike ride away, and the coast and the Ypres memorials are close at hand.

From Lille's two stations, Brussels is about half an hour away, Paris about an hour by TGV, and London possible by Eurostar. It also adds French trips of its own: Arras, the cathedral at Amiens, the Louvre-Lens, and the battlefields of Vimy and the Somme.

Bruges gives younger children more to enjoy inside the town itself. There are canal boats and horse-drawn carriages, swans to feed on the Minnewater and the climb up the Belfry. Boudewijn Seapark is on the southern edge of town, and sandcastle beaches are a short train ride away. The catch is the cobbles and the crowded summer streets, which make hard going with a pushchair.

In Lille, family time centres on the Citadel park, with its small zoo, playgrounds and flat paths for scooters. The natural history museum and the Forum des Sciences cover wet days. The bigger outings, Pairi Daiza and the Nausicaá aquarium, each take a full day out of the city, and the cobbles of Vieux-Lille are no kinder to wheels.

Bruges is a city for feet and bikes. The old town inside its oval of canals takes only about thirty minutes to walk from one side to the other, and locals ride rather than drive, so hiring a bike for your stay makes sense. The awkward part is arriving: the station is outside the canal ring, so with luggage you face a longish walk or a bus into the Markt.

Lille is the other way round. Lille Flandres and Lille Europe sit next to each other at the edge of the old town, so trains leave you almost at the door and each day trip is quick to start. Further out, the driverless VAL metro and the tram do the job a bike does in Bruges, taking you to places such as La Piscine in Roubaix. Both cities have a flat centre, neither needs a car, and in both the old streets are cobbled, which is hard on suitcase wheels.

Lille is the better place to shop. Beyond the chains of Rue Neuve and the Euralille mall, Vieux-Lille has independent fashion, design shops, delicatessens and a few luxury labels. The Braderie at the start of September turns the whole city into a vast flea market.

Shopping in Bruges is mostly things to take home and eat or drink: pralines, Belgian beer and glasses, and lace, though much of the lace is imported. The high street is largely chains, and the Saturday market on 't Zand and the Dijver flea market are pleasant for browsing.

Lille is the easier city on a budget. Rooms are reasonable for most of the year, apart from Braderie and trade-fair weeks. Estaminet meals, the metro and the museums are fairly priced, so a stay is comfortable, if never cheap.

Bruges charges for its beauty. Hotels inside the canal ring are dear, especially at weekends and in summer, and the restaurants on the squares charge a lot. Midweek stays, rooms near the station and meals away from the Markt all help, and the beer is fair value for its quality.

Lille has the fuller evening programme. There is opera and dance at the Opéra on the Place du Théâtre, a full symphonic season from the Orchestre National de Lille, drama at the Théâtre du Nord, and touring rock and pop at the Zénith.

Bruges has a narrower but distinctive programme. It is strong on early music, chamber music and contemporary dance at its Concertgebouw and during its summer early-music festival, and the Belfry carillon and church concerts add to it. There is no opera, so a big night out means a train to Ghent or Brussels.

Neither city has a spa tradition, so here wellness means calm rather than treatments, and Bruges has far more of it. Early in the morning and after the day-trippers leave, the canals, the Begijnhof and Minnewater park are very peaceful. The Sint-Anna and Langestraat quarters stay quiet even at midday.

In Lille, relaxing means hotel spas, tea rooms and café terraces in Vieux-Lille. Real thermal baths are a short train ride away at Saint-Amand-les-Eaux. The city's pace is easygoing, but it is not a place you go for rest.