Cork or Dublin?

Neither city is a beach destination, and in both the cool sea leaves swimming to the hardy. The difference is getting there. Dublin's sandy strands at Dollymount, Sandymount and Killiney lie along the DART line, while Cork's beaches at Myrtleville and Fountainstown, or Inchydoney further west, are a drive away. Both cities have a loyal crowd of cold-water swimmers, at the Forty Foot in Dublin and in the harbour coves around Cork.

Cork has the better case for eating. The English Market puts West Cork farmhouse cheeses, smoked fish, spiced beef and drisheen under one Victorian roof. The modern Irish kitchens nearby buy from the same stalls, and Kinsale's seafood is half an hour away.

Dublin's bistros in Dublin 2 and Dublin 8 cook similar Irish produce well but leave less of a mark. Its strength is in the glass: slow-poured stout, whiskey distilleries and tasting bars. Neither city offers much variety, although Dublin's international range goes a little further than Cork's.

Dublin has far more to see. The Book of Kells and the Long Room, the free National Gallery and national museums, the Chester Beatty Library, two medieval cathedrals and Kilmainham Gaol make a full three days. Around them are Georgian squares full of Joyce and Wilde.

Cork works on a smaller scale. There is the island centre between the two channels of the Lee, the Shandon tower with bells visitors can ring, St Fin Barre's Cathedral and the Irish painting at the Crawford. Both cities have an old gaol worth visiting, but Cork's sights fit into a day or two.

In both cities going out means the pub, and in neither do clubs last long, because Irish closing rules end the night early. Dublin simply has much more of it: snugs and coal fires around Grafton and Baggot Streets, younger late bars along Camden, Wexford and George's Streets, and Temple Bar for anyone who wants noise.

Cork's nights are smaller and depend on the day of the week. Students fill the centre from Thursday to Saturday, and other nights are quiet. Its wood-panelled bars off Patrick Street, many with music in a back room, still make for a warm, talkative evening.

Dublin has the edge because so much is close and easy to reach by train. Phoenix Park, with its deer, lies inside the city. The DART runs to the cliff path at Howth and the coastal walk from Bray to Greystones, and the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough are about an hour away.

Cork's landscape is gentler and centres on the water. There is sailing and kayaking in the harbour, cliff walks at Ballycotton and the Old Head of Kinsale, and West Cork's inlets further out, most of them easiest with a car. Pack waterproofs for both.

Both cities are excellent bases, and the difference is in what they reach. Dublin's trips lead into deep history: the passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth, Tara and Trim in the Boyne Valley, the monastic valley of Glendalough, and Belfast by train.

Cork's outings are coastal and closer. Cobh's emigrant and Titanic story is a short train ride away, the Midleton distillery is further along the same line, and Kinsale with Charles Fort and Blarney are close by road. Killarney and the Rock of Cashel make longer days. Kilkenny is within reach of either city.

Dublin gives children more to do. Dublin Zoo in Phoenix Park, the free natural history museum, Dublinia's Viking displays and hands-on children's museums cover dry and wet days alike, and a theme park is within half an hour's drive.

Cork is just as easy to manage, and its small centre is restful with children. Beyond Fota Wildlife Park, reached by train across the harbour, Blackrock Castle's observatory and Blarney's grounds, the choice runs out sooner.

Both centres are best on foot, but Dublin's is flat, while Cork's north side climbs steeply to Shandon. Dublin also has the Luas trams and the DART along the bay, all on one tap-on card, which makes Howth and Dalkey easy to reach without a car.

Cork has slower city buses and one really useful suburban rail line, which runs to Cobh, Fota and Midleton. For the countryside a car helps from either city, and around West Cork it is close to essential.

Dublin offers more for a shopping afternoon: pedestrian Grafton Street with Brown Thomas, the Powerscourt Townhouse arcade in a Georgian mansion, and design and craft shops around Drury and South William Streets. Cork's Patrick Street has chains and department stores, with better independent finds off Princes Street and in the Huguenot Quarter, and a couple of hours covers it. Both sell much the same Irish knitwear, crafts and whiskey, but the English Market gives Cork the edge for cheese and food to take home.

Neither city is cheap, but Cork is easier on the wallet. Its hotels are pricey for a city of its size, but the gap shows most in the room bill. Dublin's central hotels are among the dearest in Europe, especially at weekends with a big match or concert.

Dublin makes some of that back with its free national museums and gallery, and staying along a DART or Luas line brings the cost down. In Cork, market lunches and a walkable centre keep daily spending modest.

Dublin's stage is far deeper. The Abbey, the national theatre, and the Gate carry a long dramatic tradition, the National Concert Hall is home to the national symphony orchestra, and arenas bring a steady run of touring bands. Cork has its Opera House and the Everyman, but outside the October jazz festival and its other festival weeks the programme is thin.

Opera is the one reversal. Cork's Opera House hosts touring productions, while Dublin has no permanent opera house and only short seasons. Both cities share the nightly traditional session in the pub, and in Cork that session is the main event.

Cork's idea of a wellness day is a resort spa out on Fota Island, or a cold dip with the year-round swimmers in the harbour coves. Beyond that, what it offers is simply a slower pace than the capital. Dublin has the same cold-water habit at the Forty Foot or Seapoint, but there the dip is often followed by a sauna on the seafront, which is the closest either city comes to a bathing ritual.

Elsewhere in Dublin, rest means a long walk in Phoenix Park or a quiet afternoon in a Georgian square. In both cities the spas are mostly in the larger hotels, and there are no thermal baths or hammams in either.