Busan or Hong Kong?

Busan has the better beaches. Haeundae, Gwangalli under the lit bridge and calmer Songjeong with its beginner surf are all on the metro, and Busan has a real beach-town feel in summer. The catch is that you can only swim for a couple of months, and Haeundae gets packed with umbrellas at the peak.

Hong Kong's water is warmer and the swimming season far longer, and Shek O or Cheung Sha on Lantau are pleasant. Still, the beaches are an afternoon break from the city rather than a reason to go, and summer storms often close them.

Hong Kong is one of Asia's great food cities, and Busan is not on that level. The range runs from morning dim sum, roast goose and wonton noodles to cha chaan teng milk tea and acclaimed Chinese and French dining in Central.

Busan is excellent but narrower. Its food is seafood eaten raw upstairs at Jagalchi, milky dwaeji gukbap, cold milmyeon and fishcake skewers, all of it Korean, with little foreign or high-end choice.

Hong Kong gives the sightseer more, mostly through its museums and cityscape. M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum in West Kowloon are serious collections, and the skyline from the Peak, Man Mo Temple and the Kowloon tenements fill out several days.

Busan's highlights are its temples, Beomeosa on the mountain and Haedong Yonggungsa on the sea rocks, along with the painted hillside of Gamcheon and the UN Memorial Cemetery. It is a rewarding two or three days, but with less depth than Hong Kong.

Hong Kong has more variety after dark. You can join the street crowds of Lan Kwai Fong, try the careful cocktail bars of Soho and Sheung Wan, stay late in Wan Chai or drink at rooftop bars facing the harbour, though drinks are expensive.

Busan's nights are cheaper and less planned. Dinner turns into rounds of soju in Seomyeon, craft beer by the bridge at Gwangalli and karaoke to finish. Neither city has much of a club scene.

Both cities let you go from the metro straight onto a trail, and Hong Kong has a slight edge for wilder ground. Its country parks cover much of the territory, with the Dragon's Back ridge, Lantau Peak and the volcanic columns and sea caves of Sai Kung, all best in the dry autumn and winter.

Busan's outdoors is mostly coastal. The Igidae cliff path, the Taejongdae headland and the Galmaetgil trail follow the sea, Geumjeongsan's fortress walls rise behind the city, and the Yeongnam Alps inland turn gold in autumn.

Busan has the better day trips, mainly because of Gyeongju. The old Silla capital is about half an hour away by fast train and has royal tomb mounds, Bulguksa and the Seokguram grotto. Tongdosa, Haeinsa with its Tripitaka blocks, the harbour at Tongyeong and Jinhae's spring cherry blossom add more, and ferries reach Tsushima in Japan.

From Hong Kong, Macau's Portuguese squares and Guangzhou's food and temples are easy to reach. Closer to home, the car-free villages of Lamma, Cheung Chau's fishing harbour and the stilt houses of Tai O on Lantau make good outings. Any trip to the mainland means a border crossing, so check the entry rules for your passport first.

Both are safe, clean and easy with children, and the difference is the kind of fun on offer. Hong Kong has the bigger attractions in Disneyland and Ocean Park's pandas, plus the Star Ferry and Peak Tram, but its hotel rooms are cramped and the crowds are heavy at weekends.

Busan gives children real beach days, the Haeundae aquarium, the sky-capsule rail and the theme park at Gijang. The effort is in the long distances and the steps up to its temples and Gamcheon.

Hong Kong is one of the easiest cities in the world to get around. The MTR, trams, Star Ferry and island ferries all run on one card, sights sit close together, and covered walkways and the Mid-Levels escalator help on humid days.

Busan's metro is clean and simple, but the city stretches along a narrow coast. Haeundae to Nampo-dong takes the best part of an hour, and many sights need a bus and a climb on top.

Hong Kong is a true shopping destination, with luxury flagships and malls tax-free, alongside Mong Kok's markets, Sham Shui Po's fabric lanes, Cat Street curios and the independent designers at PMQ. Busan has huge department stores in Centum City, cheap fashion under Seomyeon and Korean skincare everywhere. What it lacks is Hong Kong's range and character.

Busan is much the cheaper city, and the gap is largest on hotels. A room near Seomyeon or the station costs a fraction of a small Hong Kong room, and soup restaurants, markets and the metro keep daily spending low.

In Hong Kong, accommodation is among the dearest in Asia, and Central's bars and harbour-view dinners match Western prices. Noodle shops, the Star Ferry and free hiking trails soften the cost but don't close the gap.

Hong Kong has more to offer on a night out at the arts. The Philharmonic plays on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, the annual Arts Festival brings international names, and Cantonese opera at the Xiqu Centre is something visitors can't see in Busan.

Busan Concert Hall is a good place for a classical evening, and the autumn film festival is the city's big cultural event. Most other theatre is touring musicals in Korean.

This is where Busan clearly leads. Dongnae has been a spa district for centuries, with bathhouses fed by its own hot spring, and a body scrub followed by a long soak or a night in a jjimjilbang is easy to arrange. Temple stays and the quiet seafront help you slow down.

Hong Kong is fast and crowded and has no tradition of public bathing. It does have reflexology parlours on every block and polished hotel spas, but real quiet means a trip to Lamma, Cheung Chau or Ngong Ping.