Canberra or Hobart?

Neither city is a swimming destination, but Hobart at least has sand in town. Canberra is inland. Its summer swimming happens at river spots such as Casuarina Sands and Kambah Pool, without lifeguards, and the real coast is a two-hour drive over the mountain.

Hobart has Sandy Bay, Long Beach and Kingston Beach close by and Seven Mile Beach near the airport. The cold water means these beaches are for walks and quick, bracing dips, not for whole days in the sea.

Hobart eats better because it is built on its own produce: east-coast oysters, scallop pies, salmon, summer cherries, and fish and chips sold from boats at the dock. Salamanca Market is the easy way in, and pinot noir, sparkling wine and whisky are made close by.

Canberra's food scene is pleasant but thin. It is good for brunch in Braddon and Asian lunches along Woolley Street in Dickson. Its strongest card is the cool-climate wineries around Murrumbateman, a short drive out of town.

The two cities are equally rewarding, in very different ways. Canberra's appeal is national and institutional: Parliament House, the National Gallery's large Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collection, the War Memorial, and the planned layout of Burley Griffin's city seen from Mount Ainslie. There is almost no old streetscape to wander.

Hobart has history you can walk through. There are the sandstone warehouses of Salamanca Place, the Georgian lanes of Battery Point and the Female Factory convict site. On top of that comes MONA, a single museum unlike anything in Canberra, though two or three days cover the whole city.

Both cities are quiet after dark, and neither suits a big night out. Canberra's evenings follow the university and parliamentary calendar, with cocktail bars and small breweries on Lonsdale Street and a few student venues in Civic, and the city goes very still outside term time. Hobart's nights are wine and whisky bars and pubs in the old sandstone along Salamanca and in North Hobart, at their busiest when the yacht crews arrive around New Year.

Canberra earns its name of bush capital. Kangaroos graze at dusk, there are trails on Black Mountain and Mount Ainslie, and Namadgi's granite ranges are forty minutes away. It is good, open, easy walking country.

Hobart's outdoors is on another level. A 1,270m mountain with fern gullies and the Organ Pipes rises right behind the city, and within a couple of hours there are the highest sea cliffs in the southern hemisphere, Bruny Island's penguins and the edge of the southwest wilderness. Canberra has nothing that compares with that coastline.

Hobart has the destinations, and Canberra has pleasant drives. Around Canberra you find country towns such as Braidwood and Bungendore, and wine days in the Yass Valley. They are enjoyable, but there is no single place worth planning a trip around.

From Hobart, Port Arthur's convict ruins make a substantial day out. Georgian Richmond, the Huon Valley's orchards and the ferry to Bruny Island add variety. You need a car in both regions.

Canberra is the stronger choice with children, because so much is designed with them in mind. Questacon's hands-on floors, close encounters at the National Zoo, the children's galleries at the national museums and the playground at the Arboretum make for easy indoor and outdoor days.

Hobart works well too, especially for older children who like being outdoors. They can see Tasmanian devils at the wildlife sanctuaries, spot penguins and explore the grounds at Port Arthur, but there is less built for children and the weather limits beach days.

In Canberra, getting between sights takes planning. The parliamentary and gallery quarter, the cafés of Braddon and the suburbs are separate pieces of a planned city, so each move means choosing a bike, a bus or the car. The bike is the best choice here: off-road paths circle the lake and link the suburbs over gentle ground. The light rail is mainly useful if you are staying in the north, and with light traffic and easy parking, driving is simple.

Hobart is easier, because most of what a visitor wants in town is close together and you simply walk, though the walk back up from the waterfront is steep. Its boats give it something Canberra lacks, as the ride up the Derwent to MONA is part of the visit, not just a way to reach it. Outside the city the two even out, and Port Arthur or Namadgi are both much easier to reach with a hire car.

Hobart is the better place to shop, mainly for things made on the island. Salamanca Market fills the waterfront on Saturdays, and the warehouse galleries sell Huon pine woodwork, glass, gin and whisky all week.

Canberra's shopping is mostly the Canberra Centre mall, plus Sunday mornings at the Old Bus Depot Markets in Kingston. The national gallery shops are good for Aboriginal art prints. Neither city has a luxury street.

Both cities have Australian price levels, so expect meals, drinks and getting around to cost a lot. The difference is in where you save. In Canberra, almost every major institution is free to enter, and hotels tend to get cheaper at weekends once the political travellers leave. In Hobart, entry to the main sights costs more, and rooms are scarce in summer, but market food and self-catering with excellent produce keep the costs down.

Hobart has more going on and more character. The Theatre Royal is Australia's oldest working playhouse, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra plays on the waterfront, and the festivals linked to MONA bring experimental performance, including in midwinter.

Canberra's stage life is steadier and more conventional, with touring shows at the Canberra Theatre Centre and the symphony orchestra's season. Its standout event is the National Folk Festival at Easter.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, so in both, rest comes mostly from the slow pace. Hobart offers a little more. Long lunches, the Botanical Gardens, clean air and the countryside lodges and retreats close by make a restful stay easy to put together.

Canberra's calm comes from quiet lakeside mornings and early evenings. Beyond a few day spas, there is little to plan a restful trip around.