Glasgow or Aberdeen?

Neither city is a place to swim. The difference is how easily you reach the sand. Aberdeen has a long beach with dunes a short walk from the centre, and Balmedie's empty strands are half an hour up the coast, so a bracing seaside walk fits into any afternoon.

From Glasgow, the nearest beaches are at Largs, Troon and Ayr, each about an hour away by train. These are old resort towns with promenades and views to Arran, which makes the trip a pleasant outing rather than a quick walk.

Glasgow gives you more choice and more reasons to explore. It has a long curry-house tradition, Italian-run cafés and chip shops, Finnieston's modern Scottish cooking with west coast seafood, and relaxed neighbourhood places in the West End and the South Side.

Aberdeen's cooking is simpler and tied closely to the region: North Sea fish, Aberdeen Angus beef, the buttery at breakfast and fish and chips down the coast in Stonehaven. It eats well, but you will run through its best tables sooner.

Glasgow has much more to see. Kelvingrove and the Burrell Collection are major collections, the Hunterian and the Riverside Museum add more, and Charles Rennie Mackintosh's buildings give the city a signature that Aberdeen has no match for. Its Victorian sandstone streets and the hillside Necropolis are sights in themselves.

Aberdeen's appeal is more architectural and more self-contained. There is the silver-grey granite of Marischal College and Union Street, and the medieval lanes of Old Aberdeen around King's College and St Machar's Cathedral. The Maritime Museum's story of fishing and North Sea oil is the most local thing in either city's museums.

Glasgow is one of Britain's great cities for a night out, and Aberdeen doesn't compete. Glasgow has cocktail bars in the Merchant City, late bars and student clubs around Sauchiehall Street, busy pubs in the West End and an underground techno and house scene that brings in DJs from across Europe.

Aberdeen's evenings revolve around Belmont Street and the pubs near Union Street, where you will find good whisky lists and real ale. The clubs depend on students, and the town goes quiet midweek and outside term.

Both cities sit next to superb country, so the choice comes down to the kind of landscape you want. Aberdeen looks west to Royal Deeside and the high Cairngorm plateau, with skiing at Glenshee and the Lecht in winter. Its coast offers cliff walks, a seal colony at the Ythan estuary and dolphins at the harbour mouth.

Glasgow's outdoors is lochs and islands. Loch Lomond is about 40 minutes away, with the Trossachs beyond it, and the West Highland Way starts on the city's edge. Ferries cross to Arran and Goatfell. Glasgow's weather is wetter, which matters on a walking trip.

Glasgow has the stronger choice of day trips, mainly because so many are an easy train ride away. Edinburgh, Stirling and Linlithgow Palace are each under an hour, and New Lanark, Burns country in Ayrshire and the islands of Bute and Arran add plenty of variety.

Aberdeen's day trips centre on castles and whisky. Dunnottar stands on its sea stack near Stonehaven, Crathes, Craigievar and Fyvie line the Castle Trail, and Balmoral and the Speyside distilleries are further inland. They are memorable, but you will need a car to reach most of them.

Glasgow is easier with children, mostly thanks to its free hands-on museums. The Riverside Museum has trams and a tall ship, Kelvingrove has a Spitfire hanging from the ceiling, and the Science Centre on the Clyde is built for young visitors. Pollok Country Park's Highland cattle are a bonus, though the steep streets are hard work with a buggy.

Aberdeen has less built for children: a science centre, a traditional funfair on the beach esplanade and the glasshouses in Duthie Park. Watching dolphins from the harbour entrance is the treat Glasgow can't offer.

Glasgow is easier to get around without a car. The small circular Subway reaches the West End and Govan, and a large suburban rail network serves the South Side, the coast and most day trips. The bus system is split between several companies, which can confuse visitors.

Aberdeen's centre is compact enough to walk end to end, with the station in the middle and the beach a twenty-minute stroll away. Buses are the only public transport within the city, and the castles, Deeside and the distilleries really call for a hire car.

Glasgow is Scotland's shopping city, and Aberdeen is not built for a shopping trip. Glasgow's pedestrian loop of Buchanan, Sauchiehall and Argyle Streets holds the department stores, Princes Square and the Argyll Arcade add Victorian arcades, and the West End is good for vintage clothes and bookshops. The Barras market adds some rough character.

Aberdeen has two indoor shopping centres, Union Street and a few independent shops around Belmont Street and Rosemount. Its knitwear, tartan and whisky are better bought out in Deeside or at the distilleries.

The two cost much the same to visit, with ordinary British prices for meals and drinks, and the savings come in different places. Aberdeen's many business hotels often have reasonable rates at weekends and in summer. Glasgow's rooms are generally cheaper than Edinburgh's but rise sharply when a big concert or match is on.

Both have free museums, though Glasgow's free collections are bigger. The cost that adds up is car hire in Aberdeen and rail fares for day trips from Glasgow.

Here the gap is wide. Live music is central to Glasgow, from the Barrowland Ballroom and small rooms where famous bands played early shows to traditional sessions in pubs and the Celtic Connections festival in winter. Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and two national orchestras are all based in the city.

Aberdeen sees those same companies only when they tour to His Majesty's Theatre and the Music Hall. Around them are comedy, folk gigs and an arena for big touring acts, which makes for a decent programme but not a reason to visit.

Neither city is a spa destination. Glasgow has the one curiosity: two Victorian swimming clubs in the West End with Turkish baths, though they are mostly for members. Otherwise there are hotel spas and day spas in the centre, and the lochs nearby are where people really unwind.

Aberdeen has no bathing tradition at all, but it is a calmer place than Glasgow. A country-house hotel in Deeside, with treatments and long walks, is its version of a restful break.