Cape Cod or Catskills?

The gap between the two is large. Cape Cod offers three kinds of shore: open Atlantic sand from Nauset to Race Point, warm and gentle water on the sound at Falmouth and Harwich, and the long low-tide flats of Cape Cod Bay near Brewster. On top of that come the clear kettle ponds around Wellfleet.

The Catskills have no coast at all. Swimming there means the sandy beach at North-South Lake, a few town ponds and rock pools along the Esopus and in the Peekamoose valley. These are lovely spots, but the water is cold, and they are a pleasant extra on a summer day rather than a reason to choose the region.

Cape Cod has the stronger food, because it has something specific to eat: Wellfleet oysters, fried clams, lobster rolls and chowder at clam shacks near the harbours. Provincetown adds a broader, Portuguese-tinged choice.

The Catskills are farm country rather than fishing country. Eating there means maple syrup, cider, local cheese, roadside diners and farm-to-table dining rooms, with Kingston as the place with the most choice. In both regions many kitchens cut back once the summer and autumn rush ends.

Neither region is a culture trip, and both run out of major sights quickly. The difference lies in the story each tells. On the Cape it is maritime: captains' houses along the Old King's Highway, the Pilgrim Monument, lighthouses and the oceanographic village of Woods Hole.

The Catskills tell the story of painters and the landscape they painted: Thomas Cole's house, the Hudson River School viewpoints at Kaaterskill Falls, Woodstock's arts colony and the museum at Bethel. Kingston's stone houses of the Stockade district give the region its best historic streets.

For going out, Cape Cod is clearly ahead, almost entirely because of Provincetown in July and August. There, the tea dances on the waterfront lead into gay and lesbian bars, dance clubs and late crowds on Commercial Street, and Hyannis adds a smaller strip of bars.

In the Catskills, a night out is a brewery taproom or a country tavern, or perhaps cocktails in Kingston or Woodstock. There are no clubs, and only the casino near Monticello stays open late. Most visitors end the day by a fire pit.

The Catskills edge ahead because they have real mountains. Dozens of forested summits rise above 1,000m, and there are deep cloves, waterfalls, fire towers and famous trout rivers. In winter the region also has skiing and snowshoeing, and the autumn colour is the high point of its year.

Cape Cod's nature is gentler and wholly coastal: dunes in the Province Lands, salt marshes for kayaking and long flat rail trails for cycling. It is also excellent for wildlife, with humpback whales off Stellwagen Bank and large herds of grey seals near Chatham. There is no climbing of any kind.

Cape Cod has the more memorable outings, because they go by boat. Ferries from Hyannis and Woods Hole make Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard easy days out, and Plymouth, New Bedford and even Boston are within reach, though summer traffic over the bridges can slow the drive.

From the Catskills, the outings lead down the Hudson Valley: Olana, the antique dealers of Hudson, the Roosevelt home at Hyde Park and the sculptures at Storm King. Cooperstown is a drive to the west. These are rewarding trips, but every one of them is spent behind the wheel.

Cape Cod is the easier family choice by some distance. It has the shallow bay beaches and tide flats around Brewster and Dennis, warm sound water for young swimmers, flat bike paths and whale-watching boats. Rented cottages make days simple to organise, as long as you plan around traffic and beach parking.

The Catskills offer simpler outdoor time: short walks to waterfalls, tubing, apple picking, beginner ski lessons in winter and zip lines in summer. But sights are spread along winding roads, so there is a lot of driving with children, and a rainy day is hard to fill.

Both regions need a car, and they are equally awkward without one. The difference is in what slows you down. On the Cape it is crowds: the canal bridges and main roads jam on summer weekends, and village parking is tight. Ferries, the rail trail and a walkable Provincetown do make a car-free stay possible.

In the Catskills the roads are quiet, but they wind through cloves and over passes, so places close on the map take a long time to reach. Coaches from New York stop at a few towns, but trailheads and rentals lie beyond their reach.

Cape Cod offers somewhat more to browse. Provincetown and Wellfleet have galleries from the artists' colony tradition, Route 6A is lined with antique shops, and Chatham and Falmouth have neat main streets of boutiques and bookshops. Hyannis has a mall for anything practical.

In the Catskills, shopping is antique barns along Route 28, Woodstock potters and jewellers, and general stores in towns such as Phoenicia and Andes. Neither region is a place to shop for fashion.

Neither region is cheap, but the Catskills are kinder to a budget. Hiking, swimming holes and scenic drives cost nothing, and state campgrounds and older motels keep costs down. The Delaware County side is cheaper than the Woodstock area, and weekdays cost much less than weekends.

High summer on the Cape costs more. Rentals near the best beaches often go by the week, and ferries, seafood dinners and daily parking all add up. Staying in the mid-Cape motels or visiting in June or September softens the bill.

Both regions put on a real summer programme, and both go quiet in winter. Cape Cod leans towards theatre: the Cape Playhouse in Dennis, small repertory stages across the lower Cape, and Provincetown's nightly drag, cabaret and comedy.

The Catskills lean towards music. Folk and roots concerts play in Woodstock barns, the Maverick chamber series plays in its wooden hall in the woods, big touring acts appear at the Bethel amphitheatre, and bluegrass festivals fill the hills.

The Catskills are the more restorative of the two. Cabins with wood stoves, creekside farmhouses and quiet inns are built for slowing down. The Zen monastery at Mount Tremper, the Buddhist centre above Woodstock and the yoga retreats in the hills all take guests.

The Cape's calm comes from porches, empty sand and resort spas in Chatham and Brewster. In July and August, though, crowds and traffic break that calm, so the restful weeks there are in September and early October.