Cape May or Salem, Massachusetts?

This is the widest gap between the two. Cape May has a continuous strip of sand along the oceanfront, with lifeguards and the promenade behind it, so a full beach day is the natural rhythm of a summer stay. Cape May Point has quieter stretches, and at Sunset Beach you can hunt for Cape May diamonds.

Salem's own shores at Salem Willows and Winter Island are for paddling and picnics, and the good sand, such as the dunes of Crane Beach, is a drive away. The Gulf of Maine also stays several degrees cooler than the Atlantic off New Jersey, so swimming in Salem is brief and bracing.

The two eat at much the same level and both rely on local seafood, but in different settings. Cape May is a working fishing port, so scallops and flounder appear in dockside shacks and in formal Victorian dining rooms alike, and brunch on a veranda is part of the stay.

Salem leans more towards chowder and lobster rolls, with bistros, brewpubs and a few international kitchens around the pedestrian centre. Its edge is that a serious dinner in Boston is a short train ride away. In Cape May, many kitchens cut their hours or close in winter.

Cape May's appeal is its whole Victorian townscape rather than particular sights: gingerbread cottages and hotels with long porches, plus the Physick Estate, the lighthouse and a wartime fire-control tower. It makes a lovely backdrop, but a day or two covers it.

Salem has considerably more to see. Two layers of history run through the town: the witch trials of 1692 and the seafaring wealth that followed. You see them at the Witch House, the wharves and custom house of the maritime park and the Federal houses of Chestnut Street. The Peabody Essex Museum is a major collection in its own right.

Neither is a place for a late night, and both go quiet well before midnight. In Cape May, evenings centre on pubs and hotel bars near the beachfront, often with a cover band and a crowd of families and wedding parties. Salem leans more towards taprooms and cocktails in historic buildings.

The ways to find a livelier night differ. From Cape May you drive to the boardwalk bars of the Wildwoods, while from Salem you take the train into Boston. In October, Salem's Halloween season brings costumed crowds that keep its own bars busy.

Cape May has the edge, thanks to its position on one of North America's great migration routes. In autumn, hawks, songbirds and monarch butterflies pass through Cape May Point State Park and Higbee Beach. In summer the dolphin-watching boats almost always find dolphins, and the walking through marsh and dunes is all flat.

Salem's outdoors is spread along a rockier coast: the Marblehead headlands, the granite shore at Halibut Point, sea kayaking among the harbour islands and whale-watching boats from Gloucester. Its best birding, on Plum Island, and its autumn colour need a drive.

From Cape May, the best outing is the ferry across Delaware Bay to colonial Lewes. The Wildwoods are next door and Atlantic City is about an hour away. Philadelphia makes a long, tiring day, and almost everything needs a car.

Salem is much the better base. Boston is half an hour away by commuter train, and the same line reaches Gloucester and Rockport. Lexington, Concord, Marblehead and Newburyport add Revolutionary and colonial history within easy reach.

Cape May is the stronger choice for families, particularly with young children. Lifeguarded sand, quiet streets, surrey rides on the promenade, crabbing on the bay and a free county zoo nearby make for easy days, and the Wildwoods' rides are close by when children want more noise. Be aware that some B&Bs in the historic district turn away small children.

Salem suits older children better, with pirate and witch museums, the replica tall ship and the old arcade at Salem Willows. Its focus on hangings and dark history can upset little ones, and there is less made purely for children.

Both town centres are compact and flat on foot, so the difference lies in getting there and going further. In Cape May, the historic district, the promenade and the Washington Street Mall are close together and easy by bicycle. There is no passenger rail, though, so most visitors drive in and need the car for the Point, the zoo and the Wildwoods. Parking is a headache in summer.

Salem is easier overall because its commuter rail station is a short walk from the centre. Trains run direct to Boston and Cape Ann, so a stay without a car is realistic.

Neither is a shopping destination, and both are for browsing more than buying. Cape May's Washington Street Mall mixes clothing boutiques, bookshops, kitchenware and fudge, and there are antique dealers and galleries in the historic district.

Salem's shops along Essex Street and Pickering Wharf are more unusual: tarot cards, crystals, herbs and spell books, some sold by practising witches, plus antiques and a good museum shop.

Both are costly, but Cape May is harder on the wallet in summer. B&Bs and oceanfront hotels charge premium rates, often with minimum stays, and you also pay for beach tags and parking. Spring and autumn ease the bill, and staying in the Wildwoods is the usual way to save.

Salem's rooms also cost what you would pay around Boston, and October is especially expensive. Daily costs are lower, though: the town is walkable, the train to Boston is inexpensive and most sights charge modest fees.

Cape May offers more for an evening out. One theatre company runs a long season in a converted church, another stages historic American drama, and a long-established chamber music festival fills its churches in late spring and early summer. There are outdoor concerts in summer too.

Salem's own stage is smaller: a modest theatre company, occasional events at the Peabody Essex Museum and bands in a few bars. For opera, an orchestra or major theatre, you take the train to Boston.

Cape May is the more restful of the two. Rocking chairs on the porch, afternoon tea in guesthouse parlours, slow bike rides and sunsets over the bay set the pace. Spring and autumn are especially calm, and a few day spas offer treatments.

Salem has day spas plus tarot readers, crystal healers and meditation sessions that suit its spiritual side. Outside October, a walk along Chestnut Street is peaceful enough, but the Halloween season is anything but restful.