Halifax or Montreal?

Halifax has the better beaches, though not the warmer water. Crystal Crescent's pale sand and the long curve of Martinique Beach are real Atlantic shores within an hour's drive, and Lawrencetown has surf. The sea stays bracing, which is why locals swim in Chocolate Lake or Lake Banook.

Montreal has no seashore. Swimming there means the filtered lake beach at Parc Jean-Drapeau, which is warmer but crowded, the little river beach at Verdun, or Oka an hour west. Neither city is worth choosing for its beaches.

Montreal is one of the main food cities of North America, and food is a reason to go. Mile End bagels, smoked meat, poutine, spring sugar-shack meals, Québécois bistro cooking and the Jean-Talon market give it real depth. Portuguese, Haitian, Lebanese and Vietnamese cooking widen the choice further.

Halifax eats well within a narrower range. Lobster, Digby scallops, Nova Scotia oysters and the late-night donair are the highlights, along with craft beer and Annapolis Valley cider. Once you have had the seafood, there is much less to explore.

Montreal has more to see. Old Montreal's grey-stone streets, the gilded blue interior of Notre-Dame Basilica, Saint Joseph's Oratory and the Museum of Fine Arts fill two or three days and offer a fuller range of art and architecture.

Halifax tells one story well, that of a naval port and an immigration gateway. You can follow it through the Citadel, the Maritime Museum's Titanic and 1917 Explosion displays, and Pier 21. It is a good two days, but the list is shorter and more specialised.

Montreal is the far bigger night out. Bars stay open until 3am, students keep them full every night of the week, and you can choose between the cocktail bars and clubs of Saint-Laurent, the wine bars of Mile End, the large clubs of the Village and after-hours electronic parties.

Halifax is mostly about pubs. Argyle Street and the waterfront are lively on summer weekends, and Gottingen Street has a few quieter cocktail bars, but there are few clubs and winter weeknights are quiet.

The two are well matched but different in kind. Halifax gives you rugged Atlantic coast: Point Pleasant Park, McNabs Island, the granite headlands at Peggy's Cove, and sea kayaking along the coves of the south shore.

Montreal is about rivers and hills. Mount Royal rises beside downtown, the Lachine Canal path is good for cycling, there is a river wave to surf, and the Laurentians offer lakes, forest trails and winter skiing. Choose Halifax for the sea and Montreal for the mountains.

Halifax has the better day trips, and they are much of the reason to go. Lunenburg's painted harbour, Mahone Bay, Chester, Peggy's Cove and the wineries of the Annapolis Valley around Grand Pré are all within about an hour or so. You need a car or a tour for all of them.

Montreal's best outings are Ottawa by train, the villages and covered bridges of the Eastern Townships, and Mont-Tremblant. They are rewarding but further apart, and Quebec City really needs an overnight stay.

Montreal gives children more to do. The Biodome, the Insectarium and the Botanical Garden sit together at Olympic Park, and there is also the Science Centre, the Expo 67 amusement park and Granby Zoo within an hour.

Halifax is gentle and safe, and the harbour does most of the work: the Dartmouth ferry, the Citadel's noon gun and the Discovery Centre. With no aquarium or theme park nearby, most families run out of things to do within a few days.

Montreal is much easier without a car. Four simple metro lines reach the main sights and the islands, the bike lanes and bike-share are pleasant in summer, and in winter the underground passages keep you out of the cold.

In Halifax, the steep downtown peninsula is easy to walk, and the historic ferry to Dartmouth is a pleasure in itself. Beyond that, buses are slow, there is no rail, and the coast and valley need a hired car.

Halifax shops on a small, local scale. Spring Garden Road covers the high-street basics, the Hydrostone and the North End have bookshops and independent boutiques, and the craft galleries sell Nova Scotian pottery, pewter, woollens and tartan. Most visitors come away with a few souvenirs.

Montreal has far more range, though it is still not a city you would travel to just for shopping. Rue Sainte-Catherine has the department stores and malls, many of them linked by underground passages, and the Golden Square Mile has the luxury shops. The Plateau, Mile End and Saint-Henri are the places to browse for Quebec designers, vintage clothing and records.

Neither city is cheap, but Montreal goes a little further. Its best eating is casual, the bring-your-own-wine restaurants cut drinks bills, and many festival concerts are free.

Halifax has little budget accommodation, and summer rooms are expensive. Hiring a car to see the coast, which most visitors do, adds a large amount to the cost.

Montreal plays in a different league. Place des Arts is home to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Opéra de Montréal and Les Grands Ballets, and there is a large French-language theatre scene. The city is also a world centre of contemporary circus, with the National Circus School and TOHU.

Halifax's strength is informal music: Celtic and East Coast songs in pubs most nights, and a good indie scene in small clubs. Symphony Nova Scotia and Neptune Theatre complete a modest programme, and there is no opera company.

Montreal has a real bathing culture in the Nordic spa: hot pools, saunas, a cold plunge and a rest by the fire, all year round. You can do it on Nuns' Island, aboard a converted ferry in the Old Port, or in the Laurentian forest spas.

Halifax offers little more than a few day spas and yoga studios. What it does give you is quiet: early mornings on the waterfront, the Public Gardens and a cold swim followed by a slow afternoon.