Hua Hin or Kanchanaburi?

Hua Hin has a real beach: kilometres of pale sand from the old fishing pier to Khao Takiab, a calm Gulf for easy swimming, and emptier stretches at Khao Tao and towards Pranburi. The water is often milky rather than clear, but it is warm sea water.

Kanchanaburi has no beach at all, and the coast is more than three hours away. Its swimming is in fresh water, in the turquoise tiers of Erawan or floating off a River Kwai raft house. That is lovely on a hot afternoon, but it does not replace a beach vacation.

Hua Hin eats better, mainly because of the sea. You pick crab, squid and whole fish by weight at the stilt restaurants by the old pier, the night market on Dechanuchit Road has more variety, and the resorts cover a special evening. Kanchanaburi's cooking is honest and cheap but has less range: river snakehead and catfish at open-air places over the Kwai, and grilled meats at the night market by the station.

Kanchanaburi has the more moving sightseeing, all of it tied to the Thailand-Burma railway. You can walk across the bridge, see the long rows of graves at the War Cemetery and Chung Kai, and learn the history at the Thailand-Burma Railway Centre and the JEATH museum. It is one story, but a powerful one.

Hua Hin's sights come from its past as a royal seaside retreat. The best are the teak palace of Maruekhathaiyawan, the much-photographed railway station with its royal pavilion and the hilltop temple at Khao Takiab. The main palace rarely lets visitors in and there are no museums of note, so its history fills less of a trip.

Neither town is made for a big night out, but Hua Hin has more going on. The bar lanes around Soi Bintabaht stay lively past midnight and there are rooftop and beachfront bars for sunset, though the scene is aimed heavily at older Western men. Kanchanaburi's evenings mean a few backpacker bars by the river with pool tables, plus weekend karaoke rafts drifting noisily past, and most people turn in early.

Kanchanaburi is the better place for the outdoors, set against the forested limestone hills along the Burmese border. Erawan's seven-tier waterfall trail, the falls and caves of Sai Yok, kayaking on the dam reservoirs and bamboo rafting on the river can fill several full days.

Hua Hin has more than the town suggests. The limestone peaks, mangroves and Phraya Nakhon cave of Khao Sam Roi Yot lie an hour south, and the rainforest of Kaeng Krachan is inland. What Kanchanaburi cannot match is the sea breeze, which from about February to May makes Hua Hin one of Thailand's best kitesurfing spots.

Both are good bases for outings, but the outings are different. From Hua Hin the highlight is Phetchaburi, with its hilltop palace, the Khao Luang cave temple and fine old murals. Kanchanaburi's best day follows the railway itself to Nam Tok and the hand-cut rock of Hellfire Pass, with the Khmer ruins of Prasat Muang Singh as a quieter choice.

The canal markets at Damnoen Saduak and Amphawa are within about two hours of either town. Kanchanaburi also has Nakhon Pathom's great chedi an hour away, and Bangkok can be done as a long day from there, while from Hua Hin the capital is better as a separate stay.

Hua Hin is the easier stay with children. It has a gentle, warm sea, resorts with big pools and kids' clubs, two water parks, and the sheep farms and themed parks inland, with pony rides and Khao Takiab's monkeys as small treats. The busy highway and poor pavements mean most outings are by car.

Kanchanaburi works for children in bursts: splashing in the Erawan pools, riding the slow train over the trestles or sleeping in a raft house. But the sights in town are war cemeteries and museums, the heat is fiercer, and almost every outing means a minivan.

Hua Hin is a long ribbon of resorts along the Phetkasem highway. Green shared songthaews run up and down it, and only the old centre between the station and the pier is small enough to walk. Kanchanaburi strings its guesthouses, the bridge and the cemeteries out along the river, and the easiest way between them is by bicycle.

Outside town, the parks and Phetchaburi are mostly car-and-driver trips from Hua Hin. Kanchanaburi has the slow train up the Death Railway and a few local buses to Erawan and Sai Yok. Even so, most visitors to either town end up renting a scooter or hiring a driver.

Hua Hin has more to browse. Its weekend art-and-craft markets under the trees sell handmade jewellery and ceramics, and there are malls and tailors besides, though nothing for fashion or luxury. Kanchanaburi has little beyond its night and day markets, the souvenir stalls by the bridge and a few shops selling the province's blue sapphires, which you need to know about before buying.

Both are cheap by Western standards, but Kanchanaburi is cheaper still. Raft rooms and guesthouses cost very little and the local train and buses are almost free. The costs that add up are the foreigner entry fees at national parks, drivers and tours.

Hua Hin is just as kind to a budget for market meals, songthaews and massages. Prices climb at the beachfront resorts, though, and Thai weekenders push room rates up, so a midweek stay helps.

Neither town has much in the way of performances. Hua Hin is a little ahead with its long jazz connection, a beach jazz festival in some years and Thai dance shows for resort guests. Kanchanaburi has cover bands and one fixture worth timing a visit for: the sound-and-light show with fireworks during River Kwai Bridge Week, around late November and early December.

Hua Hin is the stronger place to rest. It has well-known residential spas offering detox, yoga and traditional treatments, a spa in almost every resort and massages under the trees on the beach. Kanchanaburi's version is simpler and more rustic: a hammock on a raft house over the upper River Kwai, cheap massage shops, and the small hot springs at Hin Dat about two hours north, a natural soak that Hua Hin does not have.