Gyeongju or Tainan?

Neither city is a beach destination, and the two coasts disappoint in different ways. Gyeongju's shore is about forty minutes from the centre, with small sandy and pebbly coves at Bonggil, Jeonchon and Gampo. You can swim there, but only in July and August, and the sea is cold the rest of the year.

Tainan sits right on the water, but the grey sand and lagoons west of Anping are for sunset walks over the Taiwan Strait rather than swimming, because of strong currents and frequent bans. Bonggil, with King Munmu's underwater tomb offshore, is the more memorable half-day out.

This is where Tainan pulls far ahead. Taiwanese travel there just to eat. Stalls that have cooked one dish for three generations serve beef soup, shrimp rolls, oyster omelettes and almond tofu around the temples and along Guohua and Minzu roads, and night markets carry on into the evening.

Gyeongju feeds you well but without that depth: ssambap spreads near the royal tombs, boxes of Hwangnam bread, beopju rice wine from Gyochon and market soups. Neither city does fine dining, but in Tainan eating is the main reason to go.

For close to a thousand years Gyeongju was the Silla capital, and its sights are the deeper draw. What survives is mostly earth and stone: the grassy mounds of Daereungwon, the bottle-shaped Cheomseongdae observatory, the reconstructed pavilions on Wolji Pond and the bare foundations of Hwangnyongsa, with the gold crowns and the Emille Bell in the museum. The finest work stands up on Tohamsan, where Seokguram's granite Buddha and the stone stairways of Bulguksa rank among East Asia's great monuments.

Tainan's history is shorter but more layered, and much of it is still in use. The Confucius Temple, Anping's Fort Zeelandia from the Dutch period, Chihkan Tower on the site of another Dutch fort, Japanese-era courts and hundreds of working temples thick with incense share the old city. The Chimei Museum adds European painting and violins, which Gyeongju cannot match, but nothing here carries the weight of Seokguram and Bulguksa.

Both towns are quiet after dark, but Tainan gives you a little more to do. Its evenings revolve around food, and a handful of cocktail, whisky and craft-beer bars are tucked into old townhouses around Shennong Street and Haian Road. Kaohsiung, for a bigger night, is a short train ride away.

In Gyeongju the evening highlight is the floodlit Wolji Pond. After that come a few bars in Hwangnidan-gil and soju over grilled meat downtown, and then the town goes to bed early.

Gyeongju has the more rewarding countryside. Namsan's trails pass Buddhas carved into the rock, the wooded ridges of Tohamsan look towards the sea at sunrise, and the flat valley and Bomun Lake path are made for cycling under cherry blossom or autumn colour. The basalt columns on the Yangnam shore add a coastal walk.

Tainan's outdoors is flat and wet: boat rides through the Sicao mangrove tunnel, the salt mountain at Qigu, and the black-faced spoonbills that arrive in winter. Summer heat confines most of it to early mornings.

From Singyeongju station, Busan is about half an hour by high-speed train, and the outings around Gyeongju are the stronger set. The lived-in clan houses of Yangdong and the great monastery of Tongdosa are each under an hour away, and Haeinsa's Tripitaka woodblocks and Hahoe village make longer outings.

Tainan's best day out is Kaohsiung, under an hour away, with Lotus Pond, Pier-2 and the ferry to Cijin, and beyond it Foguangshan's Buddha Museum and the umbrella town of Meinong. Chiayi, the start of the Alishan forest railway, adds options to the north.

Gyeongju is easier with children, mainly because of Bomun Lake. It has roller coasters, a water park, swan pedal boats and a bird park, and in the centre the flat tomb paths take a buggy and family bikes. Hanbok dress-up and the museum's gold crowns help too, though the steps at Bulguksa can tire small legs.

Tainan is warm towards children, and night market games, the Anping forts and the mangrove boats go down well. Nothing there is built for children, though, and heat, scooter-lined pavements and taxi hops make days harder. The nearest theme park and zoo are in Kaohsiung.

Both cities put their high-speed stations outside town, but Gyeongju is much easier once you arrive. Its main sights share a compact, flat core with footpaths and cycle lanes, and buses run to Bomun Lake and Bulguksa. Only Seokguram, Yangdong and the coast need long bus rides or a taxi.

Tainan has no metro, its buses are slow, and even the walkable old quarter is broken up by parked scooters and steps. Anping and the Chimei Museum need a ride, so most visitors use taxis, ride-hailing or bike-share.

Tainan gives you more to browse. The townhouse lanes off Shennong and Zhengxing streets sell Taiwanese design, tea, ceramics and indigo-dyed cloth. The 1930s Hayashi Department Store, with a Shinto shrine on its roof, is worth a visit in itself, and the night markets add cheap clothes.

Gyeongju's equivalent is a stretch of Hwangnidan-gil with stationery and Silla-motif souvenirs, plus dried seafood in the markets and boxes of Hwangnam bread to take home. Neither city suits a fashion trip.

Tainan is the cheaper of the two. A whole day of snack grazing costs little, most temples are free, and rooms cost clearly less than in Taipei. The main costs are taxis and the occasional cocktail bar.

Gyeongju is also good value for Korea: the tomb parks are free, bike hire is cheap, and weekday guesthouses are fairly priced. Weekends, blossom and foliage seasons and the Bomun resort hotels push costs up noticeably.

Tainan's street performance gives it the edge. On gods' birthdays, stages go up outside temples for Taiwanese opera and glove puppetry, and processions bring drum troupes, lion dances and the Eight Generals. Formal concerts mostly mean a trip to Kaohsiung's national arts centre.

Gyeongju offers open-air traditional music and Silla-themed shows at Bomun in the warmer months. Its real moment is the autumn Silla Cultural Festival, with court music and processions among the tombs.

Gyeongju is the more restful stay. Hot-spring water fills bathhouses and hotel spas around Bomun Lake, the neighbourhood jjimjilbang are part of daily life, and temple stays at Bulguksa or the sunmudo cave temple of Golgulsa offer early chanting and silence.

Tainan's standout is Guanziling's rare mud hot spring, about an hour into the hills. In town, reflexology parlours and slow afternoons in tea rooms help, but scooters and heat get in the way of real rest.