Cork or Manchester?

Cork has the edge, modest as it is. Small sandy coves on the outer harbour are about half an hour away, and Garrettstown and Inchydoney lie further west. A local crowd swims in the cold Atlantic all year, but a car makes beach days much easier.

Manchester is inland, and the seaside is a day out by train to the dunes at Formby or Blackpool's promenade, for sea air rather than swimming.

Cork is the better place to eat of the two, because its food has a real sense of place. The English Market's West Cork cheeses, smoked fish and spiced beef stock the good modern Irish kitchens around it, Kinsale's seafood restaurants are close by, and the local stout goes with it all in the old pubs. Choice thins out quickly, though, especially late in the evening.\n\nManchester's counterweight is range rather than character. A large Chinatown, cheap curries along Wilmslow Road in Rusholme and food halls in converted Ancoats mills cover a lot of ground. Its drinking, from Victorian pubs to craft breweries under the railway arches, is stronger than its cooking.

Manchester gives the richer sightseeing. Its theme is the cotton age, told through the neo-Gothic Town Hall, the John Rylands Library, the Science and Industry Museum and a run of mostly free galleries. That easily fills two days.

Cork's sights are pleasant and fewer: St Fin Barre's Cathedral, the Shandon bells you can ring yourself, the Crawford's Irish paintings and the old City Gaol. A day or two covers them.

This is one of the widest gaps between the two. Cork's night out is a conversation in a wood-panelled pub, often with music in the back room. It gets lively from Thursday to Saturday with students, but there are only a few late bars.

Manchester is built for going out. Choose from the Northern Quarter's cocktail and dive bars, Canal Street's long-established Gay Village, the dressier Deansgate crowd and warehouse raves with big DJs in the colder months. Weekend nights run late.

The two are about even, but the landscapes are very different. Around Cork it is water and coast. You can sail or kayak in the harbour, walk the cliffs at Ballycotton and the Old Head of Kinsale, and head on to West Cork's inlets and the lake at Gougane Barra.

Manchester's outdoors means hills. Trains reach Edale in under an hour for Kinder Scout and the Mam Tor ridge, and Heaton Park and the canal towpaths are right in the city. Bring waterproofs in both.

Manchester has more outings within easy reach. Liverpool, Chester and York are each an hour or so by train, and Chatsworth, Buxton and the Lake District add country days.

Cork is a good base too, just on a smaller scale. Cobh's Titanic and emigrant history is a short train ride away, and Kinsale, Blarney and the Midleton distillery are close. Killarney and Cashel make longer days, and West Cork really needs a car.

Manchester has more for children, largely because so much of it is indoors and free. There are the working engines at the Science and Industry Museum, dinosaurs at the Manchester Museum, an aquarium and real-snow slope by the Trafford Centre, and Chester Zoo within an hour.

Cork is calmer and easy to handle, with one standout in Fota Wildlife Park, where animals roam with few barriers. Beyond that and Blackrock's observatory, wet days take some planning.

Both centres are compact enough to walk. Cork's island core is close-knit but climbs steeply to Shandon, while Manchester's is flat.

Manchester pulls ahead beyond the centre. Metrolink trams reach Salford Quays, Old Trafford and the airport, and two main stations make day trips simple. In Cork, the suburban line to Cobh and Midleton does the most useful work, slow buses fill the gaps, and the coast really needs a car.

Manchester is the regional shopping city of the north, with big names around Exchange Square, designer labels on King Street and the huge Trafford Centre. Its best part is the Northern Quarter, with vintage clothes, record shops and Afflecks.

Cork offers Patrick Street's chains and small independents in the Huguenot Quarter. Its best buys are food from the English Market, knitwear and whiskey.

Manchester is the easier city on the wallet, though neither is cheap. Most of its main museums are free, curry houses and Chinatown keep meals affordable, and hotels are reasonable on quiet weeknights but climb on match and concert dates.

Cork carries Irish prices. Rooms are costly for a city its size, and pubs and restaurants are expensive. Cheap market lunches and a walkable centre help a little.

Manchester is a real music city, with gigs from back rooms to a giant arena. The Hallé and the BBC Philharmonic play at the Bridgewater Hall, and the Royal Exchange stages theatre-in-the-round inside the old cotton hall.

Cork's stage is the pub session, with traditional music most nights. The Opera House and the Everyman add touring shows and drama, and the long-running jazz festival fills the city at the end of October.

Neither city is a place to unwind, and neither has a bathing tradition. Cork is slightly more restful for its easier pace. You can try the locals' year-round cold-water swims in the harbour coves or book a resort spa on Fota Island.

Manchester is louder, especially at weekends. Its Edwardian Victoria Baths is heritage to look at rather than swim in, and the best rest is a train to Buxton or the Peak District.