Gyeongju or Hiroshima?

Neither city is a beach destination, and in both swimming is a July and August outing out of town. Gyeongju's coast is a bus ride east on the open East Sea, with small sandy and pebbly beaches at Bonggil, Jeonchon and Gampo. At Bonggil, the rocks of King Munmu's underwater tomb give you a reason to go beyond the swim.

Hiroshima's swimming is on the islands, a ferry ride out to small sandy beaches on Miyajima, Ninoshima or Etajima. The sheltered Inland Sea there is calmer and slightly warmer, which suits children, though jellyfish arrive late in the season.

Hiroshima is the better place to eat. It has okonomiyaki layered on the griddle in buildings full of nothing but small stalls, oysters from the bay, conger eel on rice and the izakaya of Nagarekawa. That is several evenings of eating for a food-minded visitor, and the sake breweries of Saijo are a short train ride away.

Gyeongju feeds you well but with less range. The highlights are the ssambap spreads near the royal tombs, boxes of Hwangnam bread and Gyochon's beopju rice wine, plus soups and rice cakes at the Jungang and Seongdong markets. Beyond Korean cooking there is little to choose from.

Gyeongju is the richer place for sightseeing by a wide margin. As the Silla capital for nearly a thousand years, it has royal burial mounds in the middle of town, the Cheomseongdae observatory, Donggung Palace on Wolji Pond and gold crowns in the National Museum. Up on Tohamsan are the UNESCO-listed Bulguksa temple and Seokguram grotto.

Hiroshima's culture rests largely on one powerful visit: the A-Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial Museum, which few places anywhere can match. The bombing left little older architecture around it, so the castle grounds, Shukkeien garden and a few art museums make up the rest.

Hiroshima offers far more after dark. Nagarekawa is a grid of buildings full of tiny bars, izakaya and karaoke boxes that stays busy past midnight. An evening at a small counter bar over sake or whisky is easy to find.

In Gyeongju the main evening outing is the floodlit Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond. After that comes a drink in a Hwangnidan-gil wine bar or a soju and grilled-meat restaurant downtown, and then the town goes to bed. For a real night out you take the train to Busan or Daegu.

Both have pleasant green surroundings rather than wild ones, but the outdoors differs in kind. In Gyeongju, nature and heritage go together. Trails across Namsan pass Buddhas carved into the rock, Tohamsan's ridges look out to sunrise over the sea, and the flat valley around the tombs and Bomun Lake is made for cycling.

Hiroshima's best scenery is the sea, with the forested islands of the Inland Sea and the ropeway and trails up Mount Misen, where deer roam the lower slopes. Further out are the riverside walk through Sandankyo Gorge and the Shimanami Kaido, a cycling route that hops across the islands by bridge to Shikoku.

Hiroshima has the stronger set of trips close at hand. Miyajima and its floating torii are under an hour away. The shinkansen brings Himeji Castle, Okayama's Korakuen garden and Kurashiki within about an hour. Onomichi, Tomonoura, Iwakuni's arched bridge and the rabbits of Okunoshima can fill more days.

Gyeongju is well placed too. Busan and Daegu are a short hop by high-speed train, and the lived-in clan village of Yangdong and the Tongdosa monastery are each about forty minutes by road. Hahoe and Haeinsa are worth seeing but make long days.

Both are safe, clean and easy with children, so the difference lies in what keeps them busy. Gyeongju has the Bomun Lake resort with an amusement park, a water park and swan pedal boats, and families can ride bikes around the flat tomb parks. Several days of heritage can tire younger children, though.

Hiroshima's best family moments involve animals: feeding the deer on Miyajima and meeting Okunoshima's rabbits. It also has a free science museum, Asa Zoo and baseball games with a singing crowd. There is no theme park nearby, and parents of young children should judge how much of the Peace Memorial Museum to see.

Hiroshima is easier to get around. Its centre is flat and walkable, and Japan's largest tram network links the station with the Peace Park and the Miyajima ferry. The main station is in town on the shinkansen line, so a car is never needed.

Gyeongju's historic core is a pleasure on foot or by bike. However, the high-speed station lies outside town, and Seokguram, Yangdong and the coast are served by infrequent buses. Many visitors end up taking taxis or hiring a car for a day.

Hiroshima has more to browse. There is the long covered Hondori arcade with department stores and chains, the malls and food halls by the station, and crafts such as Kumano brushes and Miyajima rice paddles. Gyeongju's shopping comes down to small Silla-themed design shops in the hanok lanes of Hwangnidan-gil, the markets and a box of Hwangnam bread. For anything more you go to Busan or Daegu.

The two cost about the same for a visitor, and both keep their main sights cheap: Gyeongju's tomb parks are free or nearly so, and Hiroshima's Peace Park is free with a small museum charge. Where the money goes is different. In Gyeongju it is weekends, blossom season, the Bomun resort hotels and taxis between scattered sites, while in Hiroshima it is shinkansen fares for day trips, evenings of oysters and sake, and a night on Miyajima.

Hiroshima gives a visitor more to watch. Kagura, the masked Shinto dance-drama full of demons and drumming, is staged regularly in the centre. The city also has a symphony orchestra, large concert halls and small live houses for local bands.

In Gyeongju, performances are mostly seasonal and aimed at tourists, such as open-air traditional music and dance at Bomun Lake in the warmer months and shows on Silla themes. The highlight is the autumn Silla Cultural Festival, when court music, drumming and folk dance fill the streets by the tombs.

Gyeongju is the better choice for slowing down. Hot-spring water feeds the bathhouses and hotel spas around Bomun Lake. Temple stays at Bulguksa and at Golgulsa, known for sunmudo and meditation, bring dawn chanting, vegetarian meals and real quiet.

Hiroshima has no hot springs of its own, so bathing means a sento, a large suburban super-sento or an hour's trip to an onsen village. Its restful side is a ryokan night on Miyajima and slow walks by the rivers and Shukkeien's ponds.