Galveston or St. Petersburg, Florida?

This is the widest gap between the two. St. Petersburg's barrier islands have the fine white sand and calm, clear, shallow water people picture when they think of the Gulf coast, from Pass-a-Grille's village beach to the wilder shore at Fort De Soto, with Caladesi Island a ferry ride away. The catch is that downtown sits on the bay, so every beach day starts with a short trip west.

Galveston's sand is long, flat and right outside the hotel door along the Seawall, and the water is just as warm in summer. But it stays brown-green with river silt, and sargassum can pile up in some years. It works well for an easy family swim at Stewart Beach. It does not give you a postcard shoreline.

Both cities eat from the Gulf, but St. Petersburg has more range beyond the fish shack. Grouper sandwiches and stone crab claws share the city with chef-led kitchens along Central Avenue and a deep craft beer scene, and Ybor City's Cuban cooking is across the bay.

Galveston's strengths are oysters, shrimp gumbo and po'boys with a Louisiana accent, best found in the independent places around the Strand. Away from downtown, much of the island serves fried platters and family chain dining.

The two offer different kinds of culture. Galveston's history is in its streets. The cast-iron rows of the Strand, the porch-lined houses of the East End and mansions such as Bishop's Palace show what Texas's richest 19th-century port could afford, and the 1900 storm and the tall ship Elissa tell the rest of its story. It all makes for a good couple of days.

St. Petersburg's culture is in its museums, and there is more of it. There is the Dalí collection in its glass-bubble building, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Chihuly glass, and murals cover the walls of the Central Arts District. Its Mediterranean Revival buildings from the Florida boom years are a backdrop, but the galleries will fill a longer stay.

Neither city is a place for clubbing, but St. Petersburg keeps going later and offers more choice. Central Avenue's cocktail bars, rooftops and taprooms are close enough to walk between, the beaches add sunset tiki bars, and Ybor City across the bay handles the rowdier nights.

Galveston's evenings are a drink in a Victorian bar on Postoffice Street or a patio on the Seawall, and the island goes quiet early outside summer weekends. Mardi Gras is the exception: its parades turn downtown into a street party.

Both are flat, watery and too hot for midday outings in summer, but St. Petersburg gives you more ways in. You can kayak through the mangroves at Weedon Island and Shell Key among dolphins, rays and winter manatees, or cycle the long Pinellas Trail.

Galveston's outdoors is mostly for birdwatchers and anglers. In spring the migration through Bolivar Flats and High Island is famous, and the state park has marsh paddling, but beyond that there is little to explore.

The two are broadly level, and the outings point in different directions. From Galveston, nearly everything worthwhile lies toward Houston: Space Center Houston, the Menil Collection and Rothko Chapel, plus the boardwalk at Kemah and the San Jacinto Monument on the way.

St. Petersburg's trips spread around the bay instead. You can go to Ybor City in Tampa, the Ringling in Sarasota, the Greek sponge docks of Tarpon Springs, or, on a long day, Orlando's theme parks. Both run out of fresh ideas after a handful of trips, and both need a car.

Both work equally well for families, in different ways. Galveston keeps its attractions on the island: the Moody Gardens pyramids, a waterpark and a funfair pier off the Seawall, with NASA's space centre nearby for older children.

St. Petersburg wins on the water itself, with gentler and clearer shallows for small children. Its big attractions lie further off, at Busch Gardens and the Florida Aquarium in Tampa and in Orlando. Both cities mean driving and long, hot midday hours.

Both are car destinations with a walkable historic core, and there is little to choose between them. St. Petersburg has the edge in one respect: a rapid bus line runs from downtown to St. Pete Beach, and the Pinellas Trail makes cycling realistic in winter.

Galveston's attractions are strung along a long, narrow island, so the trolley around the Strand only gets you so far. With no rail link, even arriving from Houston's airports usually means a car or a shuttle.

In Galveston, shopping is something you do while walking round the old town. You might spend an hour among the antiques and local art in the Strand's Victorian buildings and pick up sweets on the way back. Out on the Seawall it is only beach gear. Anyone who wants fashion has to drive to Houston.

St. Petersburg has more you can actually take home, because its shops grow out of the city's own art scene. Local glass and prints sell along Central Avenue, and the Grand Central District has vintage clothing and records. In winter, the Saturday Morning Market is worth a morning on its own. If you need the big malls, Tampa's are much nearer than Houston's are to Galveston.

Galveston is the cheaper of the two. Its motels, mid-range hotels and rental beach houses are fairly priced for a US beach town, and the beaches cost nothing to use. Weekdays and the cooler months bring prices down further.

St. Petersburg's beachfront hotels charge most from February to April, when northern visitors arrive, which is just when its weather is best. Paid beach parking and museum admissions add to the bill. Visiting in summer or staying inland keeps costs down.

St. Petersburg has the broader programme. The Florida Orchestra and touring shows play the Mahaffey Theater, and there is also a professional regional theatre, an intimate concert hall in a former church and an open-air stage for bands. Tampa's large arts centre is close by for opera and ballet.

Galveston's evening out is built around the Grand 1894 Opera House, a handsome restored Victorian theatre. Beyond that there is a community symphony and cover bands in the bars.

Neither has a spa tradition, but St. Petersburg makes it easier to unwind. The big historic beach hotels have spas, and downtown has yoga studios. Mild, dry winters and a nightly sunset over the Gulf at Pass-a-Grille set an easy pace. Galveston has fewer treatments on offer, so slowing down there means a bike ride along the Seawall and quiet evenings on the porch-lined streets of the East End.