Fukuoka or Gyeongju?

Fukuoka has the better beaches. Momochi Seaside Park is right in town for an evening paddle, and the white sand and clear water of the Itoshima peninsula are under an hour west, with island beaches on Shikanoshima and Nokonoshima for quieter days.

Gyeongju is inland, and its coast at Bonggil, Jeonchon and Gampo is about forty minutes away, with small beaches of sand and pebble. Bonggil's draw is as much the view of King Munmu's underwater tomb offshore as the swimming. In both places the season is little more than July and August.

This is one of the widest gaps between the two. Fukuoka is a destination in its own right for eating: it is the home of tonkotsu ramen, its evening yatai stalls give it a rare Japanese street-food culture, and motsunabe, mizutaki and very fresh squid and sashimi from the Genkai Sea mean you can eat something new at every meal.

Gyeongju feeds you well but simply. The ssambap spreads near the tombs, boxes of Hwangnam bread and Gyochon's beopju rice wine are worth trying, but after a couple of days the choice narrows, and anything refined means a Bomun resort hotel.

Gyeongju is far ahead here. As the Silla capital for nearly a thousand years, it has royal burial mounds in the middle of town, a tomb chamber you can enter, the ancient observatory of Cheomseongdae and the pavilions on Wolji Pond. Bulguksa and the granite Buddha of Seokguram are among the finest sights in East Asia.

Fukuoka is a largely rebuilt modern city. Old Hakata's temple quarter, with Shofukuji, Tochoji's wooden Buddha and Kushida Shrine, makes a fine morning, and the gold seal in the City Museum is a real treasure, but the grander heritage sits outside the city.

Fukuoka is a city that likes a drink. Nakasu's neon and riverside yatai make an easy start, and the backstreets of Tenjin and Daimyo are full of craft beer and whisky bars and izakaya that keep going late. Dancing is limited, though, and the best nights are dinners that turn into bar crawls.

Gyeongju barely has a night scene. After seeing Wolji Pond floodlit, there are a few wine bars in Hwangnidan-gil and soju over grilled meat downtown, and anyone wanting more takes the train to Busan.

Both are good for outdoor days, but the outdoors is quite different. Fukuoka's is coastal: the cycle paths of Uminonakamichi, the ferry to Nokonoshima's flower slopes, the rocky capes and rice terraces of Itoshima, and hikes up Mount Homan and the Sefuri range above the bay.

In Gyeongju, the landscape and the history are hard to separate. Namsan's trails pass rock-carved Buddhas and pagodas, Tohamsan's ridges catch the sunrise towards the sea, and the flat valley and cherry-lined shore of Bomun Lake are ideal for an easy bike ride.

Fukuoka is the stronger base. Dazaifu's shrine and national museum are half an hour away, and the shinkansen reaches Kumamoto Castle in well under an hour and Hiroshima and Miyajima in about an hour. Nagasaki, Yanagawa's canals and the porcelain villages of Arita all make easy days out as well.

Gyeongju has fine options too, but fewer of them. Busan is half an hour by fast train, the lived-in clan houses of Yangdong and the monastery of Tongdosa are each about forty minutes away, and Andong's Hahoe village and Haeinsa take most of a day by road.

Fukuoka is easier with children. It is compact and calm, with nursing rooms in stations and department stores, the Marine World aquarium and its dolphin show, the Anpanman Children's Museum for toddlers, and a quick ferry to Nokonoshima. The main drawback is the summer humidity.

Gyeongju has the one thing Fukuoka lacks: a proper amusement park and water park at Bomun Lake. Family bikes around the tombs and dressing up in hanbok go down well too, but the steps at Bulguksa and day after day of heritage can tire younger children.

Fukuoka makes travel effortless. The subway runs from the airport to Hakata Station in minutes, the main districts are a short flat walk apart, and Hakata Station connects to the whole of Kyushu.

Gyeongju's historic core is a pleasure on foot or by bike, but everything beyond it takes planning. The high-speed station is outside town, and Seokguram, Yangdong and the coast are on slow, infrequent bus routes, so many visitors end up using taxis or hiring a car for a day.

Fukuoka is the shopping centre of Kyushu. Tenjin has department stores such as Iwataya above a long underground arcade, Daimyo and Imaizumi have vintage and select shops, and there are Hakata dolls, woven silk and boxed mentaiko to take home.

Gyeongju's shopping amounts to an afternoon in the hanok lanes of Hwangnidan-gil, with stationery and ceramics on Silla themes, plus dried seafood at Jungang market. For anything more, you would go to Busan or Daegu.

The two cost much the same, and both are cheaper than their countries' largest cities. Fukuoka's savings come from compact business hotels, cheap ramen and set lunches, and low transport fares, and costs climb mainly with sushi dinners and nights in Nakasu.

In Gyeongju, the tomb parks are free or nearly so and bike hire is cheap, but weekends, blossom and foliage season, and taxis between outlying temples all push the bill up.

Fukuoka has the fuller stage. Touring kabuki and musicals play at Hakataza, the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra is based at the Acros hall, and small live houses in Tenjin host jazz and local bands. In July, the dawn float races of the Hakata Gion Yamakasa are a sight in themselves.

Gyeongju offers open-air traditional music and dance at Bomun Lake in the warmer months and costumed shows on Silla themes. Its highlight is the autumn Silla Cultural Festival, when court music and drumming fill the streets around the tombs.

The two are evenly matched for rest, in different ways. Fukuoka has hot-spring bath complexes on its edge, the old onsen town of Futsukaichi half an hour south, and Beppu and Yufuin within a long day's reach. The calm of Ohori Park also makes the city feel unhurried.

Gyeongju has the more distinctive retreat: temple stays at Bulguksa or at Golgulsa, the cave temple known for sunmudo, with early chanting and vegetarian meals. It also has hot-spring spas around Bomun Lake. Weekends and blossom season break the quiet.