Guangzhou or Hong Kong?

You cannot swim in Guangzhou itself. The estuary shore is muddy and industrial, and the nearest real sand is on the east side of Shenzhen, about two hours away, so a summer swim usually means a hotel pool or a water park.

Hong Kong has a real choice of beaches. Repulse Bay and Deep Water Bay are a short bus ride from Central, Shek O feels like a village outing, and Cheung Sha on Lantau is long and quiet. Most beaches have lifeguards and shark nets in season. It is still an afternoon away from the city rather than a reason to come.

Both cities give you Cantonese cooking of the highest standard, so you eat superbly in either. The difference is in character. Guangzhou is the source: dim sum halls full of families from dawn, roast goose and clay-pot rice in the old western districts, and late siu yeh suppers. It also has a better spread of other Chinese regional kitchens.

Hong Kong adds polish and range. Its cha chaan teng diners, with milk tea and pineapple buns, exist nowhere else, and Central has acclaimed Chinese and French dining rooms with a depth of international food that Guangzhou lacks. Ordering is also easier in Hong Kong, where you won't need to point at the next table's dishes.

The two are level on sights but offer different things. Guangzhou has the older past, seen in separate monuments: the carved Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, the jade burial suit in the Nanyue King's tomb, and Buddhist temples among the oldest in southern China. Shamian Island's villas add a quieter colonial chapter.

In Hong Kong the main sight is the city itself: the skyline from the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, stacked tenements and harbour views from the Peak. Its museums are the stronger pair, with M+ and the Palace Museum in West Kowloon, and Lantau's Big Buddha and the walled villages extend a stay.

Hong Kong is the easier and more varied city at night, especially for a visitor arriving without plans. You can drink on the street in Lan Kwai Fong, find serious cocktail bars in Soho and Sheung Wan, stay out late in Wan Chai or go to rooftop bars with a view of the harbour. The drinks are expensive.

Guangzhou's nights are large but built for local groups: bottle-service clubs along the river, karaoke rooms and siu yeh suppers at plastic tables. These suppers are the most rewarding part, but few people come to Guangzhou for the nightlife.

This is one of the widest gaps between the two. In Hong Kong steep country parks rise right behind the towers. Dragon's Back, the sunrise climb up Lantau Peak and the MacLehose Trail are all reachable by public transport, and Sai Kung has volcanic columns and sea caves.

Guangzhou's landscape is green but gentle. Baiyun Mountain gives forest paths and skyline views on the city's northern edge, and the river promenades are good for an evening stroll. For waterfalls and old forest you need to go about an hour and a half out to Dinghu Mountain.

Guangzhou has the wider choice of day trips. Foshan's Ancestral Temple and kung fu heritage are a metro ride away, Shunde is known for its home cooking, Zhaoqing has limestone crags over lakes, and the diaolou of Kaiping are a two-hour drive. Hong Kong and Macau are both possible as a full day out.

From Hong Kong, the classic trips are Macau, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, all across a border. Its own outlying islands are the gentler option: Cheung Chau's harbour, car-free Lamma and Tai O's stilt houses, with no immigration queue.

Both work well with children, and each has its big park. Guangzhou's Chimelong resort in Panyu combines a drive-through safari park with pandas and koalas, a theme park, a water park and a circus. Hong Kong has Disneyland and Ocean Park, plus the Peak Tram and the Star Ferry as rides in themselves.

The practical differences decide it. Hong Kong is compact and easy in English but has very small hotel rooms. In Guangzhou you get more room for the money, but there are long journeys and little English signage outside the main attractions.

Both have excellent metros with English signs. The difference is distance. Guangzhou's network is huge and reaches the airport and rail stations, but its sights are spread over many districts, so forty-minute rides are normal. Wide roads and summer heat make walking hard beyond Xiguan and Yuexiu, and almost every payment needs a phone app.

Hong Kong is compact. The sights are close together, one stored-value card covers the MTR, trams, buses and ferries, and covered walkways and the Mid-Levels escalator help on hot days. Crossing the harbour on the Star Ferry is a pleasure in itself.

Hong Kong is the shopping destination. Luxury flagships line Central and Canton Road, the big malls carry every brand, and there is no sales tax. Its street markets, from Mong Kok's goldfish and flower stalls to the curio shops on Hollywood Road, are worth seeing even if you buy nothing.

Guangzhou is more specialised. Its wholesale districts for fabric, leather and electronics are unusual, and you can spend hours tasting pu'er at the Fangcun tea market or browse the jade street in Hualin. Beyond these, the shopping is mostly mid-market and offers little independent design.

Guangzhou is much cheaper, and the hotel is where you notice it most. A comfortable modern room costs a fraction of a small one in Hong Kong. Temples and museums are free or cheap, and the only time to watch is the trade fair seasons in spring and autumn, when hotel rates jump.

Hong Kong is not expensive at every turn. Its transport is cheap, the Star Ferry costs next to nothing, the trails are free, and cha chaan teng and neighbourhood dim sum are good value. Rooms, cocktails and Western restaurants still push the total far above Guangzhou's.

Cantonese opera, with its painted faces and high singing, is the local art in both cities, and both have good concert halls. In Guangzhou you hear it in the old western districts and in Foshan, and the river-front Opera House and the Xinghai Concert Hall host touring productions and the symphony.

Hong Kong has the Xiqu Centre and the bamboo theatres at village festivals, the annual Arts Festival and a few jazz bars in Central. In both cities most local theatre is in Cantonese, so visitors tend to rely on touring shows and music.

Guangzhou is the more restful choice. The Conghua hot spring resorts in wooded hills are an hour north, massage parlours on every block are cheap and open late, and long morning tea in the parks sets a slower pace than the city around it.

Hong Kong is faster and has no hot springs or bathing tradition. In return it has some of Asia's most polished hotel spas, plus reflexology and traditional medicine shops. For real quiet you have to go out to the Chi Lin Nunnery gardens or a car-free afternoon on Cheung Chau.