Cape May or Pittsburgh?

Cape May has a continuous lifeguarded strip of sand along its oceanfront, with gentle surf, quieter beaches at the Point and an Atlantic warm enough for long swims by August. The catch is that the season only runs from mid-June to mid-September.

Pittsburgh has no swimming of its own, because its rivers are for kayaks and rowing boats. Lake Arthur's small reservoir beaches are about 45 minutes away and Presque Isle on Lake Erie is a two-hour drive, so anyone set on sand and sea should choose Cape May.

Pittsburgh has more variety. There is the Strip District's long market street of grocers and fishmongers, and the pierogies and haluski of its Central and Eastern European families. Chef-led kitchens fill old industrial buildings in Lawrenceville and East Liberty, and there is plenty of craft beer.

Cape May does one thing well: scallops, flounder and oysters from its own fishing port, served in dockside shacks or in Victorian dining rooms, plus long breakfasts on the porch. Beyond seafood it soon comes down to fudge and taffy, and in winter many kitchens close.

Pittsburgh has the major museums. The Carnegie Museums share one building in Oakland, the Andy Warhol Museum and the Mattress Factory are on the North Side, and the Cathedral of Learning holds the Nationality Rooms. The inclines up Mount Washington lead to the view over the city's bridges, and together these fill several days.

In Cape May the streets themselves are the sight: whole blocks of gingerbread cottages and painted-lady guesthouses, best seen on a walking or trolley tour. The Emlen Physick Estate and the lighthouse climb add to it, but you will have seen everything in a day or two.

Neither is a clubbing city, but Pittsburgh has several bar districts to choose from. There are cocktail bars and breweries on Lawrenceville's Butler Street, student pub crawls along East Carson Street, and bars packed with fans on game nights. Cape May's evenings mean a pub or hotel bar near the mall, perhaps a cover band, and quiet streets by midnight, so for anything louder you drive to the Wildwoods.

Both are good for the outdoors, in very different ways. Cape May is flat coast, dune and marsh where the Atlantic meets Delaware Bay. In autumn, hawks and monarch butterflies pass through Cape May Point in great numbers, dolphin boats go out in summer, and you can kayak the back-bay marshes.

Pittsburgh is steep and wooded. There are ravine trails in Frick and Schenley Parks and bike paths along the rivers. About an hour and a half away, Ohiopyle has whitewater and waterfalls, and the Great Allegheny Passage cycle trail runs through the Laurel Highlands. Birders belong in Cape May, while hikers, cyclists and rafters will be happier in Pittsburgh.

The two have a similar number of outings, but of different kinds. From Cape May the best is the ferry across Delaware Bay to colonial Lewes, with the Wildwoods' boardwalk next door and Atlantic City about an hour up the coast.

Pittsburgh's trips are about architecture and history: Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob in the Laurel Highlands, the fort at Ligonier and the Flight 93 National Memorial. Apart from Cape May's ferry, both need a car for almost every outing.

Cape May is the old-fashioned seaside vacation that families have come back to for generations. There is lifeguarded sand, a surrey ride along the promenade, crabbing on the bay, the lighthouse climb and the free county zoo twenty minutes north. Rides and arcades mean a short drive to the Wildwoods, and some B&Bs in the historic district do not take small children.

Pittsburgh has just as much for children, but mostly indoors and spread across the city. The North Side has the Science Center's submarine, the Children's Museum and the National Aviary, Oakland has the dinosaur halls, and Kennywood's wooden roller coasters fill a summer day. It is the stronger choice when it rains, though the hills make a car useful with small children.

Cape May is a small, flat town for walking and cycling, with the historic district, the promenade and the Washington Street Mall all close together, though parking is a headache and no passenger trains run there. In Pittsburgh you can walk downtown and over the bridges to the North Side, with the T and the inclines to help, but beyond that the hills and a commuter-focused bus network push most visitors towards ride-hailing.

Neither city is worth visiting for shopping, and the difference is one of scale. Cape May has the three-block Washington Street Mall, with boutiques, bookshops and taffy, plus antique dealers and galleries in the historic district. Pittsburgh's shops are spread more widely: food stalls in the Strip District, vintage and design shops on Butler Street, and boutiques on Walnut Street in Shadyside.

Pittsburgh is clearly the cheaper place to stay. Hotel rooms, even downtown, cost well below coastal-city rates, and casual meals and beer are fairly priced, though tips and rides add up.

Cape May in summer is expensive. Victorian B&Bs charge premium rates and often set minimum stays, restaurant bills match a big city, and you pay for beach tags and parking. Spring and autumn are cheaper, and many visitors on a budget stay in the Wildwoods instead.

Pittsburgh has a full programme. The Symphony plays in Heinz Hall, and the Benedum Center hosts opera, ballet and touring musicals. There is theatre all year, a jazz heritage rooted in the Hill District that lives on in smaller clubs, and rock and indie bands in the clubs of Lawrenceville and the Strip.

Cape May offers a pleasant evening out rather than a reason to travel. There are plays in a converted church, historic American drama, a long-established chamber music festival in late spring and early summer, and summer concerts in Convention Hall. Out of season, all that is left is a few weekend shows.

Cape May is the more restful of the two, thanks to its pace rather than its spas. It has rocking chairs on the porches, afternoon tea, slow bike rides and sunsets over the bay, and it is at its calmest in spring and autumn. Pittsburgh has hotel and day spas and the warm glasshouses of Phipps Conservatory, but for a proper spa stay you have to drive to the Laurel Highlands.