Florianopolis or Montevideo?

Florianopolis is far stronger here. Santa Catarina island has dozens of beaches on the open ocean. They range from the calm, warm bays of Jurere and Canasvieiras to the surf at Joaquina and Mole and the roadless sand of Lagoinha do Leste.

Montevideo's beaches along the Rambla, from Pocitos to Carrasco, are pleasant for a summer afternoon with mate. The water is the Río de la Plata, though, often brown with silt, and swimming is sometimes advised against after rain. From Montevideo, clear Atlantic water means a long day out east along the coast.

The two are evenly matched but very different. Florianopolis eats from the sea. Oysters are farmed in its own bays and served at the water's edge in Ribeirao da Ilha, and the sequencia de camarao is a long meal of shrimp dishes.

Montevideo cooks beef over wood embers, and the grills of the Mercado del Puerto are the classic place to try it. The chivito is the snack, and Tannat from nearby wineries is in the glass. Both menus are narrow outside their speciality, so choose by whether you would rather eat shellfish or steak.

Montevideo has more to see. Plaza Independencia, the Palacio Salvo, the old town's Art Deco façades, the marble Palacio Legislativo and the museums of Uruguayan painting fill two or three days, even if parts of the Ciudad Vieja look neglected.

Florianopolis can be covered in a day or two. The main sights are the Hercilio Luz bridge, the square around Praca XV and the Azorean villages with their whitewashed churches. The villages are worth seeing more for their waterfront setting than for any single landmark.

In high summer Florianopolis has the bigger nightlife. At Jurere Internacional, beach clubs with big-name DJs run from the afternoon into the night, and a younger crowd fills the bars and streets around Lagoa da Conceicao. It depends on the season, though, and much of it closes in winter.

Montevideo is steadier but quieter. It keeps late Rioplatense hours, its bars in Pocitos, Cordón and the Ciudad Vieja are friendly, and weeknights are quiet. In summer its party crowd leaves for the coastal resorts, which is exactly when Florianopolis is at its fullest.

Florianopolis is far ahead for the outdoors. Atlantic forest trails lead to beaches with no road access, and the Costa da Lagoa path can only be reached on foot or by boat. The lagoon suits kitesurfing and paddling, and the Joaquina dunes are used for sandboarding. Southern right whales calve off the coast to the south from July to November.

Montevideo's main outdoor space is the Rambla, a long seafront promenade for evening walks, runs and bike rides, along with some fine old parks. The surrounding land is flat farmland, and the nearest hills, near Piriápolis and Minas, are only good for gentle walks.

The day trips are about equally good but different in character. From Montevideo the highlight is the cobbled colonial lanes of Colonia del Sacramento. Punta del Este's resort glamour and the Canelones wineries are the alternatives, though the best of these are at the far limit of a comfortable day.

From Florianopolis you head into mainland Santa Catarina. Choices include the German-settled towns of Blumenau and Pomerode, the surf towns of Garopaba and Praia do Rosa, and the high-rises of Balneario Camboriu. A boat trip to the Anhatomirim fortress is the easiest half day.

Both cities welcome children and neither has much built for them, but the kind of stay differs. Florianopolis works as a beach vacation. Canasvieiras and Daniela have shallow, gentle water, there is sandboarding for older children, and the Beto Carrero World theme park is within reach. On the downside, summer traffic is heavy and the surf beaches need watching.

Montevideo makes for a calmer city stay. Children can ride scooters and bikes on the Rambla, there are pedal boats and an old-fashioned amusement park in Parque Rodó, and the parks have playgrounds, all within manageable distances.

Montevideo is much easier to get around. It has no metro, but buses cover the whole city and taxis are simple to use. The old town and Avenida 18 de Julio are walkable, and the Rambla makes cycling to the coastal neighbourhoods pleasant.

Florianopolis spreads its beaches along narrow island roads, its buses run through hub terminals, and summer traffic slows to a crawl. Most visitors rent a car, or base themselves near the beaches they like and stay there.

Neither city is worth visiting for the shopping, and in both you go to the malls for clothes. The difference is in the crafts. Florianopolis has bobbin lace from the Azorean villages and surf and swimwear shops in Jurere and Lagoa. Montevideo has leather, hand-knitted wool and silver-trimmed mate cups, plus the Sunday market on Tristán Narvaja with its antiques and old records, which is the better place to browse.

Florianopolis is the cheaper of the two. Simple seafood restaurants, buses and car hire are reasonable, and rooms get much cheaper outside December to March. Jurere Internacional and the Carnival and New Year weeks are the exceptions, and they are expensive.

Montevideo costs roughly what Southern Europe does, and in summer the hotels in Pocitos and Punta Carretas are priced like those in a European capital. Free museums, cheap buses and good-value set lunches help, but it is not a budget destination.

Florianopolis has nothing to match the candombe drums that echo through Montevideo's Barrio Sur and Palermo. On the island, live performance stays in the background. The 19th-century Teatro Alvaro de Carvalho and the Centro Integrado de Cultura host touring Brazilian shows, bars around Lagoa have samba and MPB nights, and the boi-de-mamao pageant appears only at festivals.

In Montevideo, Carnaval runs for more than a month, with satirical murga on neighbourhood tablados and the Llamadas parades through the streets. Drum groups also practise on weekend evenings for much of the year, and anyone can follow along. The Teatro Solís and the SODRE put on opera, ballet and orchestral concerts, and the milongas keep tango going all year.

Neither city is known for spas, but Florianopolis has the edge. Yoga studios and small retreats serve the surf crowd, and the southern villages are quiet outside high season. The hot springs of Santo Amaro da Imperatriz are under an hour inland, though peak summer makes the island crowded and loud.

Montevideo has no thermal springs within reach, and its spa treatments are mostly found in upmarket hotels. Its restfulness comes from the slow pace instead, with mate shared at sunset on the Rambla walls and unhurried cafés.