Glasgow or Liverpool?

Neither city is a place to swim, but Liverpool has more sand close at hand. Merseyrail runs to Crosby, with its iron figures on the tidal flats, and on to the broad dune-backed beach at Formby, while New Brighton and the marine lake at West Kirby lie across the river. Glasgow's nearest sand is at the old Clyde resorts of Largs, Troon and Ayr, about an hour away by train, where the draw is the promenade and the view to Arran rather than the cold water.

The two eat at much the same level. Neither is a reason to travel in itself, and neither has much fine dining. What differs is the character. Glasgow's strengths are its long tradition of curry houses, the Italian roots of its cafés and chip shops, and the west coast seafood, game and beef cooked along Finnieston.

Liverpool has a dish of its own, scouse, served in pubs with pickled red cabbage, and one of Britain's oldest Chinatowns. Its more interesting tables are the small international kitchens on Bold Street and the street-food halls of the Baltic Triangle. Glasgow has the deeper whisky list, and Liverpool has the Victorian gin palaces.

Both cities make a full two or three days, but they reward different interests. Glasgow is the stronger choice for art and architecture. Kelvingrove and the Burrell Collection hold large free collections, and Charles Rennie Mackintosh's buildings give the city a signature of its own, set among streets of Victorian sandstone.

Liverpool tells one clear story, that of a great port, and it has the more memorable skyline. The Three Graces and the listed warehouses of the Royal Albert Dock house the maritime and slavery museums. Up the hill, the Walker's Pre-Raphaelites and the two very different 20th-century cathedrals on Hope Street complete the picture.

Both cities go out hard and start early, so the difference is in the crowd. Glasgow's particular strength is its respected underground club scene, with basement techno and house nights that bring in European DJs. It also has polished cocktail bars in the Merchant City, though licensing means most clubs close around 3am.

Liverpool's centre around Concert Square and Seel Street is a party zone, and stag and hen groups fill it at weekends. The Baltic Triangle warehouses and the local bars of Lark Lane are the calmer, more electronic alternatives.

Glasgow is far better placed for the outdoors. Loch Lomond, with its boat trips, kayaking and climbs, is about 40 minutes away, the Trossachs lie just beyond, and the West Highland Way begins in Milngavie on the city's northern edge. Ferries from the Clyde coast reach Arran and Goatfell.

Liverpool is flat, and its outdoors is gentler. There are Sefton Park's lake and palm house, the dunes and pinewoods of Formby where red squirrels survive, and the Wirral Way out to the wading birds of the Dee estuary. Its mountains are a two-hour drive away, which makes them a trip of their own rather than an afternoon out.

Glasgow has the stronger list, and Edinburgh alone, under an hour away by train, would make it a good base. Stirling Castle, Linlithgow Palace, the mill village of New Lanark and Culzean Castle on the Ayrshire cliffs add variety, and island ferries reach Bute and Arran.

Liverpool's best outing is Chester, with its Roman walls and timbered Rows, and Manchester, Port Sunlight and the Southport pier are all close. Beyond those the choice narrows to longer drives to Conwy or the Lake District.

Glasgow's best family days are indoors in town, while Liverpool's include animals. Glasgow has the trams and tall ship at the Riverside Museum, the Spitfire hanging in Kelvingrove and the Glasgow Science Centre on the Clyde, all useful on rainy days. Its parks have playgrounds and Pollok has Highland cattle, but there is no zoo nearby, and the steep centre is hard going with a buggy.

Liverpool's World Museum has dinosaurs, an aquarium room and a planetarium, and the flat waterfront and the Mersey ferry suit small legs. Knowsley Safari Park is on the edge of town and Chester Zoo is under an hour away. The loud weekend nights in the centre are worth planning around.

Glasgow spreads a visitor across a street grid, a Subway loop and a wide rail network, while Liverpool keeps nearly everything within walking distance. Glasgow's centre is easy on foot apart from some sharp climbs to the north, and the small circular Subway is handy for the West End and Govan. Suburban trains from Central and Queen Street cover the South Side and the coast.

Liverpool's main sights, from the Pier Head to the two cathedrals, sit within about 2km of one another, so most days are spent walking. Merseyrail reaches the coast and the Wirral and the ferry crosses the river, but there is no tram or metro, so Sefton Park and Anfield mean a bus or a taxi. In both cities the buses are harder for a visitor to follow than the trains, and neither needs a car.

Glasgow is clearly the bigger shopping city. The pedestrian loop of Buchanan, Sauchiehall and Argyle Streets has the department stores and big British names, Princes Square and the jewellers of the Argyll Arcade add some Victorian polish, and the West End and the weekend Barras market cover vintage and the offbeat.

Liverpool ONE gathers the chains in one open-air district, and Bold Street and the Baltic Triangle have the vintage, records and makers' studios. Apart from Beatles and football souvenirs, it has less to browse.

Costs are similar in the two cities, with ordinary British prices for eating and drinking and hotel rates that jump when a big match or concert is in town. In both, the great museums are free. Liverpool goes slightly further, because its compact centre keeps transport spending low. In Glasgow the money tends to go on the trains to Edinburgh, Stirling and the coast, which are the reason many people stay there in the first place.

Music defines both cities, but Glasgow's scene is broader. Its gig circuit runs from the historic Barrowland Ballroom up to the arenas by the Clyde, and Celtic Connections fills the city with folk music each winter. Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and two symphony orchestras are all based here.

Liverpool's live music is centred on pub stages and the Beatles cellar on Mathew Street. Its formal anchor is the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic in its art deco hall, alongside respected home-grown theatre at the Everyman and the Playhouse, but opera comes only on tour.

Glasgow has a little more for someone who wants to unwind, though nobody chooses either city for rest. Its West End keeps a pair of Victorian swimming clubs with Turkish baths and plunge pools, mainly for members, and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs are close enough for a restoring day in the country. Liverpool has no bathing tradition, so calm there means a slow ferry crossing, an afternoon in Sefton Park, or staying out on the Wirral or the coast, away from the loud centre.