Inverness or St Andrews?

Neither is a swimming destination. The sea peaks at around 14°C in both, so in either place a beach day means a walk in a jacket. The difference is how close the sand is. The best beaches near Inverness are out of town, at Nairn or on the Black Isle at Rosemarkie and Chanonry Point, and watching for dolphins is the real draw there.

St Andrews has its beaches on the doorstep. West Sands is a long, dune-backed strand for walking and flying kites, East Sands by the harbour is sheltered enough for families, and little Castle Sands below the ruins is where locals take their cold dip.

The two eat at much the same level: Scottish produce cooked well in a few serious kitchens, with the choice thinning out quickly beyond them. The character differs. Inverness leans on Highland seafood, venison and a deep whisky culture in its bars. St Andrews is more about cafés, bakeries and ice cream on summer evenings, plus crab, lobster and harbourside fish and chips in the East Neuk villages.

St Andrews has much the richer old town. The ruined cathedral and St Rule's Tower, the castle with its siege mine, the university founded in 1413 and the golf heritage around the Old Course add up to a dense, walkable day or two of history.

Inverness has its sandstone castle, the cathedral across the Ness and a compact museum with Pictish stones. Its most powerful site, Culloden battlefield, lies outside town, though, and much of the region's heritage means driving out.

Both are pub towns, but Inverness has a little more going on in the evening. Around Church Street and the riverside there is a cluster of old panelled bars and whisky bars, plus a couple of late bars and small clubs at weekends.

St Andrews depends on its students. In term time the livelier bars and the students' union fill up, but in summer, when most visitors come, the town goes to bed early.

This is where Inverness pulls well ahead. Loch Ness and the Great Glen, the Caledonian pinewood of Glen Affric and the Cairngorms are each within about an hour, with Torridon and the edges of Glencoe also in range. Fife has nothing like this scale of mountain and glen country.

St Andrews offers a gentler kind of outdoors. The Fife Coastal Path runs past sea stacks and caves, wading birds gather on the Eden estuary and seals haul out at Tentsmuir. Real hill walking means driving to the Lomond Hills or Perthshire.

St Andrews has the more varied outings. The East Neuk villages are half an hour or less along the coast, and Dundee, with the V&A and Captain Scott's ship Discovery, is about as close. Edinburgh, Falkland Palace and Stirling Castle each make a full day, so a week can mix towns, palaces and harbours.

From Inverness, day trips go to single sites: Urquhart Castle, Cawdor, Fort George, the Clava Cairns and the Speyside distilleries. They are fine places, but there is no other city within reach, and most are far easier by car or on a tour.

Both are safe and easy to manage with children, but Inverness has more to fill a week. The Aquadome pool covers rainy days, the Ness Islands and Bught Park are right in town, and the forest adventure park at Carrbridge and the polar bears at the Highland Wildlife Park are each under an hour's drive.

St Andrews suits a quieter few days. Children can explore the aquarium on the Scores, ride the miniature railway at Craigtoun Park and play a round on the putting green beside the Old Course.

St Andrews is the easier town to get around. Almost everything a visitor wants, from the beaches to the cathedral to the Old Course, is a short walk apart. Frequent buses link the town to Leuchars station, about 8km away, which connects to the rail network.

Inverness also has a walkable centre and a central station, with scenic lines towards Kyle of Lochalsh and Thurso. Its real attractions lie down single-track roads with thin bus services, though, so most visitors hire a car or book tours.

Inverness sells the Highlands, while St Andrews sells golf. In Inverness people take home tartan, tweed, Celtic silver jewellery and malt whisky from specialist shops. The Victorian Market arcade holds small independent shops, and a second-hand bookshop in a former church is worth a browse.

St Andrews fills Market Street and South Street with clubs, golf clothing and Old Course souvenirs, along with cashmere, independent bookshops and delicatessens. In either town an afternoon is plenty. Neither has luxury fashion, and keen shoppers staying in St Andrews go to Edinburgh.

Neither is cheap, but Inverness is easier on a budget. Its rooms climb steeply in July and August but drop considerably in the shoulder seasons and winter. The landscape that draws most visitors costs nothing to walk in, though car hire and tours add up.

St Andrews rooms are priced for golfers and visiting university families, and they rise around tournaments and graduation weeks. Walking and buses keep transport cheap, but playing a round on the famous courses is a significant cost.

Inverness has the stronger programme. Eden Court on the riverbank, the largest arts centre in the Highlands, stages theatre, dance, comedy and concerts all year, and fiddle and accordion sessions fill several pubs most nights.

St Andrews has the Byre Theatre and the university's choral evenings and chamber concerts. Much of this follows the academic calendar, so it quietens in the summer break.

Neither has a bathing tradition, and both rely on hotel spas. In Inverness these are at the country-house hotels around Loch Ness, along with the Aquadome's sauna; in St Andrews they are at the big golf resorts. The way people unwind differs. In Inverness it means riverside walks and a dram by the fire. St Andrews offers sea air, long walks on West Sands and the local habit of cold-water dipping off East Sands.