Bruges or Manchester?

Neither is a beach destination, but Bruges is much closer to the sand. Blankenberge is about fifteen minutes away by train, and the coast tram links wide, flat beaches and promenades all the way to Knokke, which makes a sunny August afternoon by the North Sea an easy extra.

Manchester's nearest coast is an hour or more away, at the dunes and pinewoods of Formby or the promenade at Blackpool, and the Irish Sea there is colder still. It makes a day out for sea air and fish and chips, not for swimming.

The two are close, and both are at their best with a glass in hand. In Bruges that means Trappist and abbey beers in wood-panelled cafés, with mussels, beef stewed in beer, waterzooi and chocolate. The squares around the Markt cater to day-trippers, though, and the everyday choice is narrow.

Manchester has no comparable local cuisine beyond pies and hotpot, but it has far more variety: Chinatown, the curry houses of Rusholme, food halls in the Ancoats mills and craft breweries under the railway arches. Choose Bruges for a distinctly Flemish meal and Manchester for range and cheap, filling meals.

Bruges has the richer sightseeing by a wide margin. Its entire medieval centre is a World Heritage site, and within a short walk you find the Belfry, the Burg, the Begijnhof and paintings by Van Eyck and Memling of a quality few cities of any size can match.

Manchester's history belongs to the cotton era rather than the Middle Ages, seen in the neo-Gothic Town Hall, the John Rylands Library, the Ancoats mills and the Science and Industry Museum. Its galleries are good and mostly free, but none of its sights has the international standing of the best in Bruges.

Manchester is much the better night out. The warehouse bars and DJ rooms of the Northern Quarter, the long-established Gay Village on Canal Street and the dressier Deansgate crowd keep weekends going late, and in autumn and winter there are big warehouse raves.

Bruges offers a different kind of evening: a long session in a brown café or vaulted cellar over strong ales, then a walk along the lit canals. Dancing comes down to one or two small clubs, and most of the centre is quiet by midnight on weeknights.

Manchester has real hill country on its doorstep. Trains reach Edale in under an hour for Kinder Scout and the ridge from Mam Tor, the West Pennine Moors lie to the north and the Lake District is a day out away, though rain and low cloud often come along.

Around Bruges the land is flat polder, ideal for an easy ride along the canal to Damme or a birdwatching walk at the Zwin salt marsh, but there is nothing to hike.

Both make excellent bases, and Bruges has the edge in how much it offers within short journeys. Ghent is under half an hour away, Brussels about an hour and Antwerp a little further. The First World War cemeteries around Ypres add a sombre contrast to all those medieval centres.

Manchester's list is long as well: Liverpool and Chester within about an hour, York across the Pennines, and Chatsworth and Buxton in the Peak District. Its outings lean more towards countryside, Roman walls and stately homes than Belgium's run of great art cities.

There is little between them for families, but what they offer differs. Bruges is small, safe and walkable, with boat rides, swans on the Minnewater and sandcastles at Blankenberge. The cobbles and summer crowds are hard on pushchairs, though, and the main sights are paintings and churches.

Manchester relies on free indoor museums with working engines and dinosaurs, the aquarium at the Trafford Centre with a real-snow slope beside it, and stadium tours, all useful on rainy days. The centre is rowdier at weekends, and the bigger draws, such as Chester Zoo, take a full day.

Bruges is easier mainly because it is so small. You can cross the whole old town inside the canal ring on foot in about half an hour, the centre is flat and largely car-free, and hiring a bike is the local way to get about. The cobbles are the main nuisance, especially with a suitcase.

Manchester's centre is walkable too, but reaching Salford Quays, Old Trafford or the airport means the Metrolink trams or buses. These get crowded when big events are on, and the rain often makes walking less pleasant.

Manchester is the better place to shop, with real breadth. Market Street and Exchange Square have the big names and two upmarket department stores, King Street and Spinningfields add designer labels, and the vintage and record shops of the Northern Quarter, along with Afflecks, give it a character of its own.

In Bruges, shopping is mostly for things to eat and drink: chocolate, specialist beers and their glasses, with lace as the traditional craft. The high street is largely chains, and the Saturday market on 't Zand and the flea market on the Dijver are pleasant to browse but not a reason to go.

Neither city is cheap, but Manchester is a little easier on the budget. Its free museums, curry houses and Chinatown help balance hotel rates that jump on football and concert nights.

In Bruges, the hotels inside the canal ring and the restaurants on the main squares are priced for a constant flow of visitors, especially at weekends and in summer. Staying midweek or near the station and eating on the side streets helps, and the beer and the day-trip trains are fair value.

Manchester is far stronger for an evening at a concert or the theatre. The Hallé and the BBC Philharmonic both play at the Bridgewater Hall, the Royal Exchange stages theatre in the round inside the old cotton trading hall, and the gig circuit runs from back rooms in the Northern Quarter to one of Europe's largest arenas.

Bruges takes music seriously but is small. The Concertgebouw specialises in early music, chamber music and contemporary dance, the Stadsschouwburg hosts touring theatre, and the Belfry carillon plays over the rooftops. For more choice, people take the train to Ghent or Brussels.

Bruges is the calmer place to unwind, though not because of spas, which in both cities come down to hotel and day spas. What it offers is quiet: the Begijnhof, the canals and the Minnewater park early and late in the day, and the Sint-Anna neighbourhood even at midday.

Manchester is loud and busy, especially at weekends, and the grand Victoria Baths are a heritage visit rather than a place to swim. To rest properly there, you usually leave the city for the Peak District or the old spa town of Buxton.