Daytona Beach or Savannah?

Here the gap is wide. Daytona's beach is the whole point of the place: about 37km of firm, hard-packed sand on the doorstep, with quieter sections north at Ormond Beach and south towards Ponce Inlet. Waves and rip currents mean you should stay near the lifeguards.

Savannah has no beach of its own. Tybee Island, about half an hour's drive away, has a wide, flat shore and a relaxed small-town feel, and its summer water is just as warm. For most visitors, though, it fills one day of the stay rather than every day.

Savannah eats better. Its Lowcountry cooking, from shrimp and grits to she-crab soup and oyster roasts in the cooler months, has a real local identity. A small group of chef-led restaurants in restored townhouses adds a step up in quality.

Daytona's strength is narrower: fried shrimp, grouper sandwiches and smoked fish dip, eaten on the deck of an old fish camp on the Halifax River. Away from the water, chains fill the main roads and serious dining is scarce.

This is Savannah's biggest advantage. The 1733 town plan survives, so a day spent walking from square to square is the sightseeing itself. You pass Greek Revival and Victorian houses, the Cathedral of St John the Baptist and Factors Walk, with the Telfair Museums and the Owens-Thomas House to add depth.

Daytona's culture is about speed. The draw is the Speedway tour and the history of land-speed records set on the sand. The Museum of Arts and Sciences, with its Cuban art, and a climb up the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse round it out, and most visitors see it all in a day or two.

Savannah gives more choice on an ordinary night. Because you can carry drinks in to-go cups, evenings move easily between River Street's bars, the taverns around City Market and quiet cocktail rooms. Art students keep a few dive bars and dance nights going.

Daytona is quieter outside its big events, with tiki bars, sports bars and hotel lounges. During Bike Week, Biketoberfest and race weeks, though, the biker saloons on Main Street spill into the street. Only St Patrick's Day in Savannah comes close.

Both sit in flat, watery country with no hills, but Daytona has more within reach. Canaveral National Seashore and the Mosquito Lagoon offer kayaking among dolphins, Merritt Island is prime birding ground and Blue Spring draws manatees in winter. Surfers have breaks near Ponce Inlet.

Savannah's Lowcountry is quieter and closer in: salt marsh to paddle at high tide, the oak avenue at Wormsloe and trails on Skidaway Island. In both, summer heat pushes outings to the early morning, and in Savannah biting insects are a nuisance too.

Both are good bases if you have a car, and Daytona's best outings are slightly closer. St Augustine's Spanish fort and old streets are an hour north, Kennedy Space Center is a little further south and Orlando's theme parks are an hour inland.

Savannah's outings take longer but have a stronger historic thread. Charleston is about two hours away, and you can also reach Beaufort and the Sea Islands, Hilton Head, Fort Pulaski, and Jekyll and St Simons islands down the Georgia coast.

Daytona suits children better. The beach gives them space to run, and the boardwalk has arcades, rides and ice cream. On a rainy day there is a water park, mini-golf and a planetarium, with Orlando an hour away. Avoid Bike Week, race weekends and spring break, and keep children near the lifeguards.

Savannah works for older children who enjoy ghost walks, forts and trolley tours, and Forsyth Park and the squares give shade. There is no zoo, aquarium or theme park, though, and Tybee is a drive away, so younger children run out of things to do sooner.

Savannah is far easier without a car. The historic district is flat and compact, most hotels, restaurants and sights are a short walk apart, and a free shuttle and the river ferry fill the gaps. Only Bonaventure, Wormsloe and Tybee need wheels.

In Daytona nearly everything is strung along long roads, and the buses are too infrequent to rely on. The beach and the boardwalk area are the only places you can comfortably walk. Plan on hiring a car, and expect heavy traffic during big events.

Neither is a shopping destination, but Savannah is more enjoyable to browse. Broughton Street's restored storefronts hold boutiques and home-goods shops, and you will find art-school work, antiques and bookshops around the southern squares.

Daytona's shopping is practical: an outlet centre and a mall for brands, beach shops for swimwear, and biker gear on Main Street. Beach Street has only a few independent shops.

Daytona is the cheaper stay. Older oceanfront motels and condo rentals mean plenty of rooms, and casual seafood keeps meals reasonable. A car adds to the budget, and room rates jump during the big event weeks.

Savannah's historic-district inns are priced for a popular weekend destination, and eating out costs more. Much of what you come for is free, from the squares to Forsyth Park and the cemeteries, and a midweek summer visit or a motel by the highway brings costs down.

Savannah has a little more on, especially if you time your visit well. In spring the Savannah Music Festival fills historic theatres and churches with chamber music, jazz and blues. The city has its own philharmonic, and the Lucas and Trustees theatres host touring shows.

Daytona's highlight is a winter series of visiting orchestras and soloists. The Peabody Auditorium hosts touring Broadway shows, and the oceanfront bandshell has free concerts in summer. For a wider choice, Daytona visitors drive to Orlando.

Neither has a bathing tradition, and in both, wellness means hotel spas and a few day spas. Savannah is the easier place to slow down. Benches under the oaks and the porches and garden courtyards of old inns on the quieter southern squares make doing nothing feel natural, best midweek in spring or autumn.

Daytona's calm comes from the beach routine: early walks on the hard sand, a condo pool, sunset on the river. It disappears when the engines arrive for race weeks and Bike Week, so your dates matter more here.