Glasgow or Inverness?

Neither city is a place to swim, and the water off both stays cold even in August. The difference is distance and the kind of outing. From Glasgow, the coast means an hour on the train to Largs, Troon or Ayr, old resort towns with promenades and views over to Arran.

Inverness has the sand closer and wilder, which gives it a slight edge. Nairn's long beach is under half an hour away, and a walk at Chanonry Point on the Black Isle comes with a fair chance of seeing dolphins.

Glasgow gives you much more range. Its curry houses and Italian-founded cafés and chip shops have long histories, Finnieston does modern Scottish cooking, and the South Side has small restaurants and bakeries where locals eat.

Inverness cooks the Highland larder well, with langoustines, Moray Firth seafood and venison, but only in a handful of serious places. Choice thins out quickly beyond the centre, so it suits a few good dinners rather than a week of exploring.

Glasgow is the stronger cultural destination by a long way. It has Victorian sandstone streets, the huge free Kelvingrove collection, the Burrell's medieval art and Chinese ceramics, Mackintosh's buildings, and the cathedral with the Necropolis above it. Together they fill two or three days.

Inverness has a fine castle view over the Ness and a compact museum with Pictish stones. Its one site of real weight is Culloden battlefield, a short drive east, and most of the region's history means heading out of town.

Glasgow has a proper night out in several districts. The Merchant City has polished cocktail bars, Sauchiehall Street has late bars and student clubs, and the city's underground techno and house nights draw DJs from across Europe.

In Inverness, nights out mean pubs around Church Street and the riverside, and whisky bars where you sip a malt slowly. There are only a couple of late spots, and on weeknights the town goes quiet before midnight.

Both cities give quick access to the Highlands, but Inverness is inside them while Glasgow sits on their southern edge. From Glasgow, Loch Lomond, the Trossachs and the start of the West Highland Way at Milngavie are close, and Arran is a ferry ride away.

Inverness has Loch Ness twenty minutes south, the Caledonian pine forest of Glen Affric, and high plateau walking and winter skiing in the Cairngorms. Torridon and the road to Skye are within two hours, and dolphins can be watched from the shore at Chanonry Point.

Glasgow has the better day trips, because so many other towns are within reach by train. Edinburgh is under an hour away, as are Stirling and Linlithgow, and New Lanark and Burns country in Ayrshire are easy outings too.

From Inverness the outings are to single sites: Urquhart Castle, Cawdor, Fort George, the Clava Cairns and the Speyside distilleries. They are rewarding, but there is no other city within reach, and most of them need a car or a tour.

The two are about equal for children, but the days look different. Glasgow's strength is its free, hands-on museums: trams and a tall ship at the Riverside, a Spitfire in Kelvingrove, and the Science Centre. These make rainy days easy, though the steep streets are hard work with a buggy.

Inverness is calmer and smaller, with the Ness Islands, the Aquadome pool and monster-hunting boat trips on Loch Ness. It also has the Highland Wildlife Park under an hour away, with polar bears and snow leopards, something Glasgow can only match with a safari park near Stirling.

Glasgow is the easier city to manage without a car. The centre is a walkable grid, the circular Subway links the West End, and suburban trains reach the South Side, the coast and other towns. The main nuisance is buses run by several companies with separate fares.

Inverness's flat centre takes twenty minutes to cross on foot, and its rail lines to Kyle of Lochalsh and Thurso are scenic trips in themselves. Beyond town, though, the glens and castles lie down single-track roads with few buses.

Glasgow is a real shopping city. The pedestrian loop of Buchanan, Sauchiehall and Argyle Streets holds the high street names, Princes Square has upmarket fashion, the West End has vintage clothes and bookshops, and the Barras is a rough-edged weekend market.

Inverness covers the basics and an hour or two of browsing in the Victorian Market. Its strength is Highland goods, such as tartan, tweed, knitwear, Celtic silver and malt whisky, which are exactly the crafts Glasgow is weak in.

Glasgow is somewhat easier on the budget. Its rooms are generally cheaper than Edinburgh's, and the major museums cost nothing, though hotels jump when a big concert or match is on.

In Inverness the pressure comes from a small stock of rooms that fills up in summer, along with car hire, tours and paid distillery visits. Walking in the landscape is free, and coming outside July and August brings rooms down considerably.

Glasgow has one of Britain's deepest music scenes. It runs from the Barrowland Ballroom and small, famous gig rooms to Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and two major orchestras, with Celtic Connections filling the city each winter.

Inverness depends mainly on Eden Court, which brings in touring theatre, dance and concerts. Its own voice is traditional: fiddle and accordion sessions in pubs most nights, and Gaelic song at the Highland Games and other festivals.

Neither city is built for a spa break, and both offer little beyond hotel spas. Glasgow's curiosity is its pair of Victorian swimming clubs in the West End, which have Turkish baths but are mostly for members. In a loud city, the real rest comes from heading out to the lochs.

Inverness does better on pace. Country-house hotel spas around Loch Ness, the Aquadome sauna, slow walks round the Ness Islands and long summer evenings make the town itself restful.