Dallas or Galveston?

This is where the two differ most. Dallas is more than four hours from the sea. Swimming there means a sandy park beach on a brown reservoir such as Lewisville Lake or Grapevine Lake, a hotel pool or a water park in Arlington.

Galveston is the coast that people from Dallas drive to. It has sand along almost the whole Gulf side, family beaches with lifeguards at Stewart Beach and East Beach, and quieter stretches towards the state park. The water is warm for months but murky, with rip currents beside the jetties. It suits people who want easy swimming more than people looking for a clear sea.

Dallas has far more to eat. Besides brisket sold by weight, Tex-Mex and its steakhouses, the suburbs add Vietnamese and Chinese food in Richardson, Korean in Carrollton and South Asian in Irving, although almost all of it is a drive away.

Galveston's strength is narrower: Gulf oysters, shrimp and snapper eaten by the water, and po'boys that show the Louisiana influence. Much of the rest is fried platters for the beach crowds, so you eat simply and well rather than planning the trip around food.

Dallas has the weightier sights. The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza is the one visitors come for. The Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher and the Crow Museum sit within a few blocks of each other, and Fair Park has its Art Deco halls. Most of the centre, though, is towers and freeways.

Galveston has better streets to wander. The cast-iron Victorian rows of the Strand, the porched houses of the East End and Bishop's Palace tell the story of a rich port and the 1900 storm, and the tall ship Elissa is moored at the harbour. Its museums are small, but it has the historic streetscape that Dallas lacks.

Dallas has a proper night out, spread over several districts: dive bars and late crowds in Deep Ellum, polished patios and cocktail lounges in Uptown, and rooftop bars on Lower Greenville. Getting between them takes a ride-hail, and Texas law ends the night at 2am.

In Galveston a night out mostly means a drink by the water, in the pubs and wine bars of the Strand or at the Seawall beach bars on summer weekends. There are hardly any clubs and weeknights end early. Mardi Gras is the one time the island stays up late.

Neither place has dramatic scenery, but Galveston gives you more to do outdoors. It lies on a major migration flyway, and in spring Bolivar Flats and the sanctuaries at High Island draw birdwatchers for warblers, spoonbills and shorebirds. There is also paddling on the bay side, fishing from the piers, and dolphins that often follow the ferry.

The outdoors in Dallas is mostly inside the city: the loop around White Rock Lake, the Katy Trail and the Great Trinity Forest. Cedar Ridge Preserve has the nearest real hiking. In both places, summer heat pushes outdoor plans into the early morning.

Each has one strong outing and a thinner list beyond it. From Dallas it is Fort Worth, a different kind of city with the cattle drives at the Stockyards and the Kimbell in Louis Kahn's building, and you can get there by commuter train. Next come the courthouse squares of McKinney and Denton and the wine-tasting rooms of Grapevine.

From Galveston you head north towards Houston for Space Center Houston, the Menil Collection and the Rothko Chapel, passing the Kemah boardwalk and the San Jacinto Monument on the way. Trips from Dallas lean towards Western heritage and small towns, while those from Galveston lean towards space and modern art. Both need a car for almost everything.

Both are good with children, in different ways. Dallas is a vacation of theme parks and museums: Six Flags and its water park in Arlington, two large zoos, the Perot Museum and the rainforest walk at the Dallas World Aquarium.

Galveston is a beach vacation with extras. Stewart Beach has shallow water and lifeguards, the Moody Gardens pyramids fill hot or rainy days, and there are rides on the Seawall pier and the free ferry. In both places you will need a car and will face a hot summer.

Neither is easy without a car, but for different reasons. Dallas is a sprawling metro area with real rail. DART light rail runs from both airports to downtown, Deep Ellum and Fair Park, the TRE train reaches Fort Worth, and the free streetcar helps in Uptown.

Galveston is small but long and narrow. The Strand is walkable and has a heritage trolley and a modest bus service, but no train reaches the island. Cycling along the flat Seawall is a good way to cover the beachfront outside the hottest months.

Dallas is a real shopping destination. Neiman Marcus was founded here, the major fashion labels gather at NorthPark Center and in the Spanish-style Highland Park Village, and custom Western boots and hats are a local speciality.

Galveston is for browsing, with antique shops, galleries and sweet shops in the Victorian storefronts of the Strand and swimwear on the Seawall. There are no department stores, so serious shoppers drive to Houston.

Costs are much the same in both. Each is priced like the rest of the United States, tax and tip are added to every bill, and most visitors need a car. In Dallas you save with suburban and freeway hotels, barbecue and tacos, and free museums, while Uptown hotels and steakhouses push costs up.

In Galveston the free public beaches and plentiful motels help, but Seawall rooms cost much more on summer weekends and at Mardi Gras. Weekdays and the cooler months are the cheaper times to go.

Dallas has a full set of stages in its Arts District. The symphony plays in I. M. Pei's Meyerson, the Winspear hosts opera and touring Broadway shows, and the Dallas Theater Center is based at the Wyly. Rock, blues and hip-hop play in the clubs of Deep Ellum most nights.

Galveston has one lovely venue, the restored Grand 1894 Opera House, with touring shows and a community orchestra, plus cover bands in the bars. It is good for a pleasant evening, not for planning a trip around.

Neither place is built for treatments, and both rely on hotel spas and day spas. Dallas has the more interesting single option, a large Korean-style bathhouse in the north of the city, but its brisk, car-bound pace makes it hard to rest.

Galveston has the slower rhythm, with bike rides along the Seawall, quiet porch-lined streets in the East End and calm evenings outside summer weekends.