Helsinki or Copenhagen?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Copenhagen gives a summer swimmer more to work with. The harbour baths at Islands Brygge put clean water in the middle of the city, and Amager Strandpark and Bellevue are proper sandy beaches a short ride out.

Helsinki's Hietaniemi and island beaches such as Pihlajasaari are pleasant, but its Baltic water warms up for only a few weeks. A swim there is more often a cold dip between sauna rounds.

Food is one of the widest gaps between the two. Copenhagen helped redefine Nordic cooking, and below its fine-dining tier sits a deep everyday layer: smørrebrød on rye, cardamom buns on almost every corner, the stalls of Torvehallerne and the wine bars and breweries of Vesterbro and Nørrebro.

Helsinki eats well but more narrowly. Salmon soup, Baltic herring, Karelian pies and late-summer chanterelles at the Old Market Hall are worth tasting, but they are rarely the reason to book.

Copenhagen has more to see and stronger museums. Rosenborg holds the crown jewels, Amalienborg has the changing of the guard and Christiansborg stands over its medieval ruins, and the National Museum's Viking collections and the Glyptotek fill further days. Three or four days is about right.

Helsinki is an architecture city instead, from Engel's Senate Square and the Jugend streets of Katajanokka to Aalto's Finlandia Hall and the rock church. The sea fortress of Suomenlinna is its standout, and two or three days covers the city well.

Copenhagen goes out harder. At weekends the bars and small clubs in Kødbyen's converted butchers' halls run until morning, Nørrebro has a scruffier bar crowd, and the cocktail bars in the centre are good enough to plan an evening around.

Helsinki's nights are lower key and centre on Kallio, with plain bars and karaoke rooms. In both cities light summer evenings by the water are the high point, and winter weeknights are quiet.

Helsinki has the better outdoors, built on water and granite. Ferries reach the offshore islands for walks and kayaking among the skerries, Central Park's forest runs almost into the centre, and the lakes and trails of Nuuksio National Park are under an hour away by bus. A cold winter adds skiing on the frozen sea.

Copenhagen is gentler: deer under the old oaks of Dyrehaven, a coastal cycle ride towards Helsingør and paddling in the harbour. The chalk cliffs of Møns Klint are the nearest real drama, about two hours away.

More lies within easy reach of Copenhagen by train. Kronborg, Frederiksborg and the Louisiana museum share one line through North Zealand, Roskilde has its royal cathedral and Viking ships, and Malmö and Lund are about half an hour away across the bridge.

Helsinki's best outing is the two-hour ferry to Tallinn's walled old town. Porvoo's riverside storehouses and Turku's castle are the main trips on the Finnish side, and beyond them the choice soon thins into forest and lakes.

Both cities are calm, safe and set up for children, but Copenhagen has more to fill the days. Tivoli beside the central station is the obvious draw, and Den Blå Planet, the Frederiksberg zoo, Experimentarium and the old Bakken fairground add several more outings.

Helsinki answers with Linnanmäki, a zoo on its own island, Heureka, Suomenlinna's tunnels and summer ferry rides. Its winter afternoons are darker, though, so more of the day moves indoors.

Both are compact and orderly, a car is never needed and one ticket covers all public transport. The difference is in kind. Copenhagen is a cycling city, with separated bike lanes, a driverless metro that runs all night and an airport link of about a quarter of an hour, while Helsinki moves by green tram and city ferry and its winter ice makes walking slower.

Both cities sell their national design, but Copenhagen gives a shopper more range. Strøget runs from chain stores to luxury labels, Illum and Magasin du Nord anchor the centre, Royal Copenhagen has its flagship on Amagertorv, and the Latin Quarter and Jægersborggade add Scandinavian fashion and vintage.

Helsinki's offer is tighter and more focused: Aalto glass, printed textiles and sauna goods in the Design District around Punavuori, Finnish brands on the Esplanadi and Stockmann. Luxury fashion is limited in both cities and thinner still in Helsinki.

Neither is cheap, but Helsinki is easier on the wallet. Its hotels are high in summer but less extreme than Copenhagen's, and lunch menus and market food keep a day's spending in check, although alcohol is steep.

Copenhagen is among the most expensive cities in Europe, with costly mid-range hotels and meals at every level. In both cities the free things help a budget: Copenhagen's harbour baths and lakeside picnics, and Helsinki's shoreline, churches and market square.

The two are close, and differ mainly in emphasis. Copenhagen's strengths are dance and jazz: the Royal Danish Ballet with its Bournonville tradition, the harbourfront Opera House, and a July jazz festival that takes over squares and courtyards.

Helsinki leans classical, with two orchestras at the Music Centre, the National Opera and Ballet by Töölö Bay and the legacy of Sibelius, plus a solid circuit of rock and metal clubs. In both cities most theatre is in the local language, so visitors go for music and dance.

This is Helsinki's strongest card. Sauna is central to Finnish life, and visitors can join in at old wood-heated public saunas in Kallio, at seaside complexes where bathers take turns between the heat and the Baltic, or at the 1920s Yrjönkatu swimming hall.

Copenhagen follows the same hot-and-cold ritual in its floating harbour saunas and the sea baths at Kastrup, but it has fewer of them. There it is a pleasant extra rather than a reason to travel.