Daytona Beach or St. Petersburg, Florida?

Both are serious beach destinations, but the sand and sea are quite different. Daytona's beach is the town itself, a long, flat ribbon of hard-packed sand where cars may drive on marked stretches, facing Atlantic waves, greenish water and real rip currents. It suits walkers, cyclists and surfers more than gentle swimmers.

St. Petersburg's Gulf beaches have fine white sand and calm, shallow water, with wilder corners at Fort De Soto and ferry-only Caladesi Island. The catch is that they lie on the islands west of the city, so a beach day starts with a drive or bus ride, and red tide now and then spoils a stretch.

St. Petersburg eats noticeably better. Central Avenue and the Grand Central and Edge districts have modern kitchens, brunch places and a few ambitious chef-led restaurants, the craft breweries are a real draw, and Tampa's Cuban cooking is across the bay.

Daytona's best meals are at the fish camps and dockside decks on the Halifax River and towards Ponce Inlet. Away from them, the main roads are mostly chains, and dining is something that fills the gaps between beach days.

The difference is real. St. Petersburg has a proper cluster of museums on its downtown waterfront: the Dalí Museum in its glass-bubble building, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Chihuly Collection and two specialist museums of Western art and the Arts and Crafts movement, plus murals across the Central Arts District.

Daytona's culture is mostly about speed: the Speedway tour and the story of land-speed records on the sand. The Museum of Arts and Sciences, with its Cuban art, and the climb up Florida's tallest lighthouse at Ponce Inlet are worth doing, but they fill a day or so rather than a stay.

Neither city is a clubbing destination, and evenings out are about equally lively, but the character differs. Daytona's nights belong to beach bars, sports bars and the biker saloons of Main Street, which overflow during Bike Week, Biketoberfest and race weeks and go quiet in between.

St. Petersburg is steadier and more urban. Cocktail bars, rooftop terraces and brewery taprooms along Central Avenue are close enough to walk between, and Ybor City in Tampa is the fallback for a rowdier night.

Both offer flat, watery country full of wildlife, and neither has a hill to climb. Daytona's wilder side lies south at Canaveral National Seashore, with undeveloped dunes, paddling on Mosquito Lagoon and some of Florida's best birding at Merritt Island, plus winter manatees at Blue Spring and surf breaks at Ponce Inlet.

St. Petersburg is better for mangrove paddling at Weedon Island and Shell Key, where rays and dolphins are common. It is also better for cycling, thanks to the long, paved Pinellas Trail.

Daytona is better placed for outings. St Augustine's Spanish fort and old streets, the rockets of Kennedy Space Center and Orlando's theme parks are each about an hour away, three very different days out, with New Smyrna Beach and DeLand closer still.

From St. Petersburg, Tampa's Ybor City, Sarasota's Ringling estate and the Greek sponge docks of Tarpon Springs make good outings. After those, the choice thins out, and Orlando is a long two-hour haul.

St. Petersburg has the edge with children. The gentle Gulf surf and shallow water are far easier for small swimmers than Daytona's rip currents, and Busch Gardens, the Florida Aquarium, ZooTampa and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium are all within reach, along with the Great Explorations children's museum in the city.

Daytona still works for a beach stay. It has the boardwalk arcades, mini-golf, a water park and Orlando's theme parks an hour closer, but families need to avoid spring break, Bike Week and race weekends.

Both need a car beyond the centre, but St. Petersburg is easier. Its compact downtown puts the pier, museums and Central Avenue within walking distance, and a trolley loop and a rapid bus to St. Pete Beach cover the most popular stretch.

Daytona is spread along long, wide roads on both sides of the river, with buses too sparse to rely on. The beach itself is the one easy route on foot or by bike, and traffic jams during big events.

Neither city is worth the trip for shopping, but St. Petersburg is more fun to browse. It has vintage and record shops, boutiques and local glass galleries around Central Avenue, and the Saturday Morning Market in winter.

Daytona's shopping is practical: an outlet centre, a regional mall, beachwear stalls and the motorcycle gear of Main Street. For designer labels, both cities send you to malls in Tampa or Orlando.

Daytona is the cheaper stay. Its older oceanfront motels and condo rentals give plenty of affordable rooms, and its casual seafood keeps meals reasonable. The thing to avoid is event weeks, when rates climb steeply.

St. Petersburg costs more, especially on the beaches from February to April, and beach parking adds up on top of the hire car. Summer and early autumn bring lower rates, and the beaches, parks and waterfront are free.

St. Petersburg has a little more going on. The Mahaffey Theater hosts the Florida Orchestra and touring shows, and the city adds a professional regional theatre, a former church used for intimate concerts, an open-air courtyard for indie bands and plenty of weekend bar music.

Daytona's calendar is thinner but has one strength, a winter series of visiting orchestras and soloists. The Peabody Auditorium hosts touring Broadway shows, and there are free summer concerts at the oceanfront bandshell. For opera and big tours, Daytona looks to Orlando, St. Petersburg to Tampa.

Neither has a bathing tradition, so rest here means resort spas and a slow pace. St. Petersburg does it better, with spas in its historic beach hotels, yoga studios downtown, sleepy Pass-a-Grille and a nightly sunset ritual on the Gulf.

Daytona offers early walks on the hard sand and long afternoons by a condo pool. That calm vanishes when engines and crowds arrive for race weeks and Bike Week, so check the dates before booking.