Bruges or London?

Neither city is a beach destination, but the seaside works differently. From Bruges, a short train to Blankenberge puts you on the coast tram along wide, flat sandy beaches, from the dunes near France up to Knokke.

London's nearest seaside is Brighton's pebble beach, an hour away, with sandier shores further off at Margate and Whitstable. Swimming in the city itself means the lidos at Brockwell Park and Parliament Hill and the Hampstead Heath ponds, which Bruges has nothing to match.

London eats far more widely. Bangladeshi cooking on Brick Lane, Punjabi food in Southall, Caribbean and West African kitchens south of the river, a serious fine-dining layer and markets such as Borough give it a range Bruges cannot approach.

Bruges is narrower but has a clear identity: Trappist and abbey beers poured in their own glasses, mussels with frites, beer-braised beef, waterzooi and chocolate. Its weakness is the set-menu restaurants on the main squares, so it pays to eat on the side streets.

Bruges gives you one complete medieval picture: the Belfry over the Markt, the Burg with the Basilica of the Holy Blood, the Begijnhof, and Van Eyck and Memling within a few minutes' walk. Two days take in the core, and the setting is the main attraction.

London works on another scale. The British Museum, the National Gallery, the V&A and both Tates are each a day's visit, and most are free. They sit alongside the Tower, Westminster Abbey, St Paul's and Greenwich. A culture-led trip to London can fill a week without repeating itself.

The gap here is wide. A night in Bruges is a long, unhurried session over strong ale in a vaulted cellar or brown café around the Eiermarkt, then a walk by the canals. Most of the centre is asleep by midnight on weeknights.

London lets you pick a district to suit the mood: Soho for late cocktail bars and its long-established gay scene, Shoreditch, Hackney and Dalston for clubs and warehouse parties, Brixton and Peckham for big venues and rooftops. Weekends especially run long and loud.

London has more green space to enjoy. Richmond Park's deer and ancient oaks, the views from Hampstead Heath, Kew and the Thames Path are all within the city, and the Chilterns and the Downs offer marked walks an hour away.

The flat polder around Bruges is gentler and better on two wheels than on foot. The towpath ride to Damme, quiet lanes towards the Dutch border and the birdlife of the Zwin salt marsh make a pleasant afternoon, but nothing more demanding than that.

Both are excellent bases, and what differs is the kind of outing. From Bruges the trips are short and Flemish: Ghent and its Van Eyck altarpiece in under half an hour, Brussels and Antwerp a little further, the First World War memorials around Ypres, and Lille across the border.

London's outings cover a whole region of England: the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge, Windsor Castle, Roman and Georgian Bath, Stonehenge with Salisbury, and Canterbury. The journeys are longer, but the variety is wider.

London is much easier to fill with children's days. The Natural History Museum's dinosaurs, the Science Museum and the Young V&A cost nothing, the Diana Memorial Playground and London Zoo are in central parks, and Legoland and the Harry Potter studio tour are within reach. The drawbacks are long distances and Tube stairs with a buggy.

Bruges is safer-feeling and small enough that short legs cope. Canal boats, swans at the Minnewater, the Belfry climb and Boudewijn Seapark are good for a few days, and the beaches are close. After that, its paintings and churches will mostly appeal to the adults.

Bruges is a walking town. The egg-shaped canal ring can be crossed in about half an hour on flat, mostly car-free streets, bikes are easy to hire, and the station sends frequent trains across Flanders. The cobbles are the only real nuisance.

London is the more capable system for a much bigger area. The Underground, the Elizabeth line, buses, riverboats and cycle hire all run on one contactless payment, and you never need a car. The trade-off is time: crossing the city takes far longer, and rush-hour Tubes are packed.

Here London has a huge lead. It has the luxury houses of Bond Street, bespoke tailoring on Savile Row, Harrods, Liberty and Fortnum & Mason, plus Portobello Road, Columbia Road and the vintage shops of Spitalfields and Shoreditch. You can plan a whole trip around it.

Shopping in Bruges mostly means things to eat and drink: pralines from its many chocolate makers, bottles and branded glasses from beer shops, and bobbin lace if you find the genuine local work. The Dijver flea market is pleasant for a browse.

Both are expensive, but Bruges is noticeably easier on the wallet. Staying midweek or near the station and eating away from the Markt keeps costs down, and train fares to Ghent or the coast are modest.

London's central hotel rooms are among Europe's costliest and smallest, and theatre seats and pub rounds add up fast. Its big saving is free entry to the national museums, which in Bruges cost money.

Bruges takes music seriously for a small city, but its range is narrow. The modern Concertgebouw and the long-running summer festival focus on early music, chamber music and contemporary dance, the Stadsschouwburg hosts touring theatre, and the Belfry carillon plays over the rooftops. There is no opera company, so for a wider choice you take the train to Ghent or Brussels.

London is on another scale entirely. On any evening of a stay you could pick between a West End musical, drama at the National Theatre, the Globe or a fringe stage above a pub, opera and ballet at Covent Garden, one of five orchestras, the Proms in summer or a Soho jazz cellar. Bruges gives you a few fine concerts in a week, while London offers far more than one trip could ever take in.

Neither city has much of a spa culture, so the difference is in how you unwind. In Bruges, calm comes from the hour of day: the Begijnhof, the Minnewater and the Sint-Anna streets are deeply peaceful early and late.

London has real bathing history in its surviving Victorian and Edwardian Turkish baths in Bayswater and at Ironmonger Row, plus grand hotel spas and cold dips in the Hampstead ponds. Bath's thermal waters are a day trip away.