Glasgow or Limerick?

Neither city is a place to plan a vacation around the sea, but their coasts are different. From Glasgow the train runs to old Clyde resorts such as Largs and Troon, where an outing means a promenade walk with views to Arran and fish and chips, not a swim.

From Limerick you have to drive to reach the Atlantic sands of Kilkee, Lahinch and Ballybunion. These are wide, wild beaches with real surf, and they reward surfers and sea swimmers in wetsuits more than anything on the Clyde.

Glasgow gives you much more to choose from. Its long South Asian tradition, its Italian-founded cafés and chip shops, and Finnieston's modern Scottish cooking mean you can eat differently every night, especially if you head for the West End or the South Side rather than the chains in the centre.

Limerick eats plainly and well from the farmland around it: Munster beef and lamb, cheese and cured ham. The weekend Milk Market is the highlight. Beyond a few ambitious restaurants and gastropubs, though, the range runs out quickly.

Glasgow holds far more for a sightseer. Kelvingrove and the Burrell Collection are major free collections, Mackintosh's buildings form a trail of their own, and the cathedral and Necropolis add a medieval layer. A thorough visit takes two or three days.

Limerick's sights fit into a compact cluster on King's Island, around King John's Castle and St Mary's Cathedral. The Hunt Museum and the Georgian terraces of Newtown Pery are pleasant additions. A day or so covers everything, and the city works best as a pleasant historic stop rather than a reason to travel.

Glasgow is a city people travel to for a night out. It has polished bars in the Merchant City, late student clubs around Sauchiehall Street, and an underground techno and house scene respected across Europe, so the choice goes well beyond the pub.

Limerick's evenings centre on traditional bars with snugs and open fires around O'Connell Street and the river. Students and Munster rugby matches make them busier, and a handful of clubs stay open late at weekends. It is good for a few pints and conversation, but the scene is much smaller.

Glasgow sits on the edge of the Highlands, and that gives it bigger, wilder country on its doorstep. Loch Lomond is about 40 minutes away, with Ben Lomond and Conic Hill to climb above the water, and the wooded glens and smaller lochs of the Trossachs lie just beyond. The West Highland Way sets off from Milngavie on the city's northern fringe, and Goatfell on Arran gives you a proper island mountain at the end of a ferry crossing.

Limerick's countryside is softer and more spread out. Lough Derg is good for kayaking and lakeside walks around Killaloe, and the Galtees and the Ballyhoura trails offer hill walking and mountain biking. The high point is the limestone of the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher, about an hour and a quarter away. In the city itself the outdoors is mostly the Shannon quays, and almost everything beyond them means hiring a car.

Glasgow wins mainly because Edinburgh is less than an hour away by train. Stirling, Linlithgow and New Lanark are similarly easy, and Ayrshire and the islands of Bute and Arran add coast and castles. Much of this can be done without a car.

Limerick's range covers medieval Ireland and the west. Bunratty and Adare are close by, the Rock of Cashel is about an hour, and Galway, Cork and Kilkenny are further out. Most of these mean driving or joining a coach tour.

Glasgow has more to fill a family's days, mostly indoors and free. The Riverside Museum has its tall ship and trams, Kelvingrove has a Spitfire hanging from the ceiling, and the Science Centre is built for young visitors, which helps on wet days.

In Limerick, children have King John's Castle with its battlements to climb, and Bunratty Folk Park is a short drive away. After those, the city has little made for children. Families usually stay a night or two on the way round the region. Neither city has a zoo or a theme park.

Limerick's centre is flatter and smaller, and you can walk from the castle to the Georgian Quarter in well under half an hour. Glasgow is still easier for a visitor overall. Its grid is walkable despite the steep streets to the north, and the little circular Subway runs to the West End.

The bigger difference is suburban rail. Glasgow's network takes you to the South Side, the coast and most day trips, while Limerick's rural buses thin out quickly, so most visitors hire a car at Shannon.

Glasgow is Scotland's main shopping city. Its pedestrian loop of department stores and high-street names, the galleried Princes Square and the Argyll Arcade's jewellers are complemented by vintage and independent shops in the West End and the weekend Barras market.

Limerick's shopping is mainly practical: high-street chains around O'Connell Street and a suburban mall. The Milk Market's craft and secondhand stalls have the most character. Limerick lace is hard to find, and most visitors buy their woollens in Clare or Kerry.

Glasgow is gentler on the budget, chiefly because its best sights cost nothing. Kelvingrove, the Burrell, the Riverside and the Hunterian are all free, and curry houses and pub lunches keep meals reasonable. Rooms do climb steeply when a big concert or football match is on.

In Limerick, eating out and rounds of drinks are expensive by European standards. The car you need for the region often becomes the largest single cost, even though the town itself costs little to get around.

Glasgow is one of Britain's great music cities. Gigs run from the Barrowland Ballroom to small rooms and riverside arenas. Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet are based here, two orchestras play regularly, and Celtic Connections brings folk music to the city each winter.

Limerick's best offer is traditional music, with pub sessions fed by the university's Irish music and dance programme. The Irish Chamber Orchestra, the Lime Tree and the Belltable provide a modest formal programme, but for opera or large-scale theatre you would need to go to Dublin.

Neither city is a place to unwind, though Glasgow has a little more within the city. Its West End has two Victorian swimming clubs with Turkish baths, among the oldest in the world, alongside a choice of day spas, and the lochs are close by train.

Limerick has only hotel spas and quiet riverside afternoons. The better options are country-house spas around Adare and Lough Derg and the seaweed baths of the Atlantic coast, all outside the city.