Bruges or Saint-Malo?

Neither has warm water. Both face cold northern seas that reach only the high teens in late summer, so what separates them is how close the sand is. From Bruges the beach is an outing: a short train to Blankenberge, then the coast tram along wide, flat sands. It is worth an afternoon in a sunny spell.

In Saint-Malo the Sillon beach and the coves below the ramparts are part of the town itself. The Bon-Secours tidal pool lets you swim at any state of the tide, and low water doubles the sand and opens walks out to the island forts. Dinard's more sheltered beaches are a short boat ride across the estuary.

Bruges has the edge, mostly thanks to Belgian beer: long lists of Trappist and abbey ales poured in wood-panelled cafés. Alongside come mussels with frites, beef stewed in beer and waterzooi, and there is chocolate in every other window.

Saint-Malo's cooking is simpler and more coastal. It is built on buckwheat galettes and dry cider, with Cancale oysters eaten by the harbour wall and seafood platters along the ramparts. Both share the same trap, a tourist core that feeds day visitors poorly. Head for the side streets in Bruges, or out to Saint-Servan and Cancale from Saint-Malo.

This is where the two differ most. Bruges is a medieval city that survived largely intact: a whole UNESCO-listed centre of canals, guildhalls, the Belfry and the Begijnhof. Its art matches the setting, with van Eyck at the Groeninge, Memling in St John's Hospital and Michelangelo's marble Madonna in the Church of Our Lady.

Saint-Malo's walled town looks fine from the walk around its ramparts, but much of it was rebuilt after 1944, and its corsair history shows in street names more than in museums. The cathedral, the castle and a low-tide walk to Chateaubriand's grave on the Grand Bé make a good day, and after that there is not much left to see.

Both go quiet early and neither is a place for clubbing. What differs is the drink and the season. Bruges evenings revolve around strong Trappist ales in brown cafés and vaulted cellar bars, and students keep a few of them busy around the Eiermarkt and 't Zand all year round.

In Saint-Malo it means a drink in a pub, wine bar or Irish-style bar inside the walls. These are lively in July and August with sailors and young visitors and sleepy the rest of the year, and the nearest clubs are in Rennes.

Around Bruges the land is Flemish polder: wide skies, grazing meadows, old dykes and poplar-lined canals. The towpath to Damme makes a lovely easy ride, and the Zwin salt marsh near Knokke is good for birdwatching, with blustery dune walks close by. It is gentle country for an afternoon, with no hills or forests to fill several active days.

Inland, Saint-Malo is no more dramatic, just flat farmland without hills or big woods, so everything that sets it apart happens at the shoreline. Tides of up to about 13m drain the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel into vast flats of sand and mud, and the coast looks completely different twice a day. Separately, seals live off the islands and seabirds work the rocks and the flats. Here the sea is the landscape, and it is far wilder than anything on the Flemish side.

Both make good bases, but Bruges is the easier and richer one. Belgium's frequent trains put Ghent under half an hour away and Brussels and Antwerp around an hour, each a major city of art. Ypres and the First World War memorials of the Westhoek, and Lille across the border, widen the choice further.

Saint-Malo's big draw is Mont-Saint-Michel, with Dinan, Cancale and Rennes all close by and Dinard just across the water. Apart from the train to Rennes and the Dinard boat, though, most of these trips are much easier with a car.

Saint-Malo gives children more to do: wide beaches for sandcastles, the sea pool at Bon-Secours to jump into, forts to walk out to at low tide, pirate stories on the ramparts and the Grand Aquarium for a wet day. Parents do need to keep an eye on the fast incoming tides.

Bruges works best for short treats: a canal boat, the Belfry climb, feeding the swans at the Minnewater, with Boudewijn Seapark for a longer day out. Beyond those, its real attractions are paintings and churches, and pushchairs struggle on the cobbles.

Bruges is the easier place to be without a car. The whole old town inside the canal ring is flat and can be crossed on foot in about half an hour. Bikes are the local way to get about, and trains run often to the coast and the big Flemish cities. The cobbles are the only real complaint.

Within the town Saint-Malo is simple too, with a walled centre for pedestrians, the seafront promenade to Paramé, buses to Saint-Servan and fast trains to Rennes and Paris. Further out the buses thin out, and most visitors end up driving.

Neither is a fashion destination, and in both the best buys are things to eat. Bruges has more depth there: chocolate makers on every street and specialist beer shops selling bottles and glasses from across Belgium. The Saturday market on 't Zand and the flea market along the Dijver are good for browsing.

Saint-Malo's shops lean towards the sea, with striped sailor tops, oilskins, faience, salted butter and caramels, plus produce markets in the town and in Saint-Servan. For anything bigger, you go to Rennes.

Neither is cheap, and a similar trip costs about the same in each. Where they differ is when the prices bite. Bruges is priced for a steady flow of visitors all year, with weekends the dearest. You save by staying midweek or near the station and eating away from the Markt.

In Saint-Malo the pressure is seasonal. Rooms inside the walls and along the beach climb and sell out in July and August, then ease in spring and autumn. A galette and cider also makes a cheap meal, which is hard to find on Bruges's main squares.

Bruges has a real year-round programme for a small city. The Concertgebouw specialises in early music, chamber music and contemporary dance, the ornate Stadsschouwburg puts on theatre, the Belfry carillon plays over the rooftops, and a long-running early-music festival takes over in summer.

Saint-Malo's cultural life comes in bursts: La Route du Rock, the Étonnants Voyageurs literary festival and Quai des Bulles for comics. Outside those dates there is a modest theatre season and the odd concert in the cathedral, and on most evenings nothing is on.

Saint-Malo has a real tradition here in thalassotherapy, the French seawater cure. Its large centre on the Sillon beach has heated seawater pools and hydrotherapy, and Dinard across the estuary has the same tradition. Out of season, a weekend of treatments and long walks on the empty sand at low tide makes a genuinely restful break.

Bruges has only hotel and day spas, so its calm depends on timing. The canals, the Begijnhof and the Minnewater are peaceful early and late, and the Sint-Anna quarter stays quiet even at midday.