Edmonton or Toronto?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Toronto at least has sand you can reach without a car. A short ferry ride takes you to Centre Island, Ward's Island and Hanlan's Point, and Woodbine Beach in the east end has a boardwalk. Even so, the lake's temperature can drop overnight.

Edmonton is far from any coast. Swimming there means an hour's drive to Pigeon Lake or Wabamun Lake, where algae can close the water in late summer, or a visit to the indoor wave pool at the mall.

Edmonton eats well in a plain way. The highlights are Alberta beef, Ukrainian perogies and cabbage rolls, and some good Vietnamese and Ethiopian cooking in strip malls. The best areas to eat are Whyte Avenue and 124 Street.

Toronto gives you far more choice and more depth. There is Chinatown on Spadina, Little India on Gerrard, and serious Cantonese and Sri Lankan cooking in the suburban plazas of Scarborough and Markham. St Lawrence Market and a chef-led restaurant scene round it out, and Edmonton has nothing on that scale.

Toronto has more to see and more variety. The Royal Ontario Museum's world collections, the Group of Seven paintings at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and smaller museums such as the Bata Shoe and Aga Khan make a fuller two or three days.

Edmonton's sights are mainly about Alberta. They include the Royal Alberta Museum's First Nations galleries, the domed Legislature above the river, and the fur-trade history of Fort Edmonton Park. They are worth seeing, but two days covers them.

Edmonton's nightlife mostly happens on one street. Whyte Avenue's pubs and dive bars fill with students at weekends, and downtown gets busy around hockey games. Midweek is quiet.

Toronto has several separate bar districts, each with a different feel: cocktail bars on Ossington, a casual scene in Parkdale, dressy clubs on King West, and the gay village on Church Street. Both cities have last call at 2am, but in Toronto you have far more choice before that.

The two cities are fairly level here, and both are at their best along wooded river valleys inside the city. Edmonton's North Saskatchewan valley is one long, wilder-feeling stretch with beavers and coyotes, and in the dark months the bison and northern lights of Elk Island are close by. Toronto has more variety: the Scarborough Bluffs, paddling around the Islands, and waterfalls on the Niagara Escarpment about an hour away.

Toronto has one excellent day trip. You can see Niagara Falls and the wine town of Niagara-on-the-Lake in one long day, by train or by car, and Stratford's Shakespeare season is also within reach.

From Edmonton, the good day trips are smaller: the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village and the vintage car museum at Wetaskiwin. The places most visitors to Alberta want to see, Drumheller, Jasper and Banff, all need an overnight stay.

Both cities work well with children, and Toronto has more to offer. There is the shark tunnel at the aquarium, the CN Tower's glass floor, a large zoo, Centreville on Centre Island, and Canada's Wonderland less than an hour away.

Edmonton's best family card is West Edmonton Mall, which has a waterpark, roller coasters and an ice rink under one roof and is ideal in deep cold. Fort Edmonton's steam train adds to it, but getting around with a family usually means driving.

In Toronto you can manage without a car. The downtown grid is flat and easy to walk, streetcars run along Queen and King, and the UP Express links the airport to Union Station. The underground PATH keeps you out of the winter weather.

In Edmonton you can walk around downtown and Old Strathcona, which are linked by the High Level Bridge. Beyond that, the LRT covers little, so most visitors hire a car to reach the mall or Fort Edmonton Park.

Edmonton's shopping centres on one huge mall full of North American chains. For something more individual, there are record and vintage shops on Whyte Avenue and boutiques on 124 Street.

Toronto has more range. Luxury shopping is on Bloor Street through Yorkville, and Yorkdale and the Eaton Centre cover the big brands. Queen West and Ossington have Canadian designers, and Kensington Market is a jumble of secondhand clothing and odd small shops. Edmonton has nothing quite like that market.

Edmonton comes out cheaper overall, though not on every bill. Parking is easy to find and costs less than in Canada's coastal cities, which matters in a city where most visitors drive. Dinner out is at ordinary North American levels once tax and tip are added, and a round of drinks on Whyte Avenue is no bargain.

Toronto costs more on almost every count. Rooms climb in summer and again during the film festival in September, sit-down dinners add up fast, and bar drinks are pricier still. You can save by eating at the noodle shops and roti counters in the suburban plazas, and a single flat transit fare covers the long ride out to them.

Toronto offers more all year round. Musicals run at the Royal Alexandra, the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet perform at the Four Seasons Centre, Massey Hall hosts concerts, and clubs on Queen West and College have live bands most nights.

Edmonton has fewer stages, and its best time is summer. The August Fringe fills Old Strathcona with hundreds of shows, and the Folk Music Festival takes over Gallagher Park. Outside the festivals, the Citadel and the Winspear Centre carry the season.

The two cities are level here, and neither is a wellness destination. The difference is where the hot-cold Nordic spas are. Edmonton has them in the city and on its northwestern edge, which makes a winter soak with snow on the ground easy to fit in. In Toronto they are a drive into the countryside, and in the city you are left with hotel spas in Yorkville, Korean bathhouses in the suburbs, or a slow afternoon on Ward's Island.