Key West or Orlando?

Neither is a classic sand destination, but Key West has the sea at its door: warm, calm water kept flat by the reef, small beaches such as Smathers and Higgs, and the clearer, rockier shore at Fort Zachary Taylor. The sand is modest and much of the swimming happens from boats, with the long beach at Bahia Honda an hour up the highway.

Orlando is inland, so the sea is a day out: about an hour to the wide Atlantic strands at Cocoa Beach or New Smyrna, or two to the Gulf at Clearwater. The sand there is softer than on the island, but the everyday swimming is in hotel pools and water parks.

The two are much on a par for eating, but in opposite ways. Key West has a clear identity and little range: pink shrimp, grouper, conch fritters, Key lime pie and Cuban coffee from takeaway windows, at its best in the fish shacks of the Historic Seaport and Bahama Village.

Orlando has no local cuisine to speak of and a tourist core of chains and themed dining, though Epcot's World Showcase is fun to graze. Its strengths are scattered: Vietnamese kitchens in Mills 50, chef-led restaurants in Winter Park and Audubon Park, all reached by car.

Key West has far more to see, and most of it is the town itself. Old Town's conch cottages, Victorian verandas and banyan-shaded lanes reward a slow walk, and the Hemingway Home, the Truman Little White House and the shipwreck collections tell the island's story in a couple of days.

Orlando has almost no old architecture. Its real cultural draw is the Morse Museum in Winter Park, with its Tiffany chapel, plus a quiet afternoon at the Orlando Museum of Art, while the space heritage lies out on the coast.

Key West is the better place for a night out, as long as you want bars rather than dance floors. Evenings begin with sunset on Mallory Square and roll down Duval Street from one open-sided bar to the next until the small hours, with a long-established gay scene at its upper end.

Orlando's resort districts, Disney Springs and CityWalk, are easy but close early. Downtown along Orange Avenue has the real clubs Key West lacks, filled with a student crowd at weekends, though most park visitors are asleep by then.

Key West's outdoors is the sea, and it is the stronger of the two. Boats run daily to the coral of the Florida Reef, the mangrove flats suit kayaking and sight-fishing for tarpon and bonefish, and the remote Dry Tortugas offer clear water and fine birdwatching.

Orlando's nature is on land and fresh water: clear springs at Wekiwa for paddling, manatees at Blue Spring in winter, airboats among alligators, and the lagoons of Merritt Island for birds. It also has paved rail trails for cycling, where Key West has no hiking at all.

Orlando is far the better base for excursions. The Kennedy Space Center is about an hour away, St Augustine's Spanish fort and old streets just under two, and Tampa's Ybor City or the Dalí Museum in St Petersburg make a full day to the west, all by car.

From Key West there is one great outing, the ferry to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas. Beyond that the Overseas Highway leads to Marathon's turtle hospital and across the Seven Mile Bridge, and Miami is too far for a comfortable return.

This is where the two cities are furthest apart. Key West can please children with glass-bottom boats, the calm shallows at Fort Zachary Taylor, the butterfly conservatory and the six-toed cats, but it is an adult island at heart, with Duval Street drinking from early on and Fantasy Fest strictly grown-up.

Orlando is built for families from top to bottom: four Disney parks and two water parks, Universal for older children and teenagers, SeaWorld, Legoland for the youngest, and resorts with character breakfasts and stroller rental. The heat and queues simply need planning.

Key West is far easier. Old Town is flat and compact, most sights and bars are a short walk from Duval Street, and a hired bike covers the rest, so a car is more of a burden than a help.

Orlando is the opposite, spread along Interstate 4 and its toll roads with pavements that were never meant for walking between places. Unless you stay inside Disney's network of monorail, boats and gondolas or at Universal's hotels, plan on hiring a car and sitting in park traffic.

Orlando gives shoppers far more. The premium outlets on International Drive and Vineland Avenue, a mall of luxury labels and the brand stores of Disney Springs are a reason to come in their own right, and Park Avenue in Winter Park adds boutiques and galleries.

Key West's shopping is souvenirs along Duval, with more character in the Old Town galleries, the hand-rolled cigars and the sponge shops by the harbour. It is browsing on an evening walk, not a day's purpose.

Both are pricey, but Key West is harder on the wallet. Space on the island is scarce, so even a guesthouse room in an old conch house costs well above mainland rates, and drinks on Duval and boat trips mount up. Cycling everywhere, the free sunset and the Cuban takeaway windows soften it.

Orlando has huge numbers of fairly priced rooms and self-catering villas along International Drive and in Kissimmee. Its costs come from park tickets, car hire, parking and queue passes, and staying off-site saves a good deal.

The two are evenly matched, but the performance happens in very different places. In Key West it is informal and nightly: singer-songwriters in the Duval Street bars, long-running drag cabaret and the jugglers and tightrope walkers of the Mallory Square sunset, with the Tennessee Williams Theatre and a winter symphony as the formal side.

Orlando's is staged. The Dr. Phillips Center brings touring Broadway and the Orlando Philharmonic, Shakespeare plays in Loch Haven Park, and the Fringe fills the spring, alongside the polished shows and fireworks inside the parks.

Key West is the more restful choice. Away from Duval, its quiet residential lanes, small guesthouse pools and the daily pause for sunset make an unhurried stay easy, provided you avoid the weekend and festival crowds.

In Orlando rest is something you fit between park days, with resort spas and lazy rivers around Lake Buena Vista, or a slower day among the lakes and tree-lined streets of Winter Park.