Killarney or Liverpool?

Neither city makes sense for a beach trip, and both treat the shore as somewhere to walk. What separates them is the kind of coast and how you reach it. Killarney's beaches, Inch and Rossbeigh, are wild Atlantic strands about 40 minutes away by car, good for beginner surf lessons and big skies.

Liverpool's sands are closer and you can reach them by train: Crosby with Gormley's iron men, Formby's dune-backed beach, and the sheltered marine lake at West Kirby. Long tides and soft mud make swimming unwise there too.

Liverpool offers more choice when eating out. Bold Street's small international kitchens, the street-food halls of the Baltic Triangle, Chinatown and its old pubs give you several days of variety. Scouse is the local dish to try.

Killarney cooks good Kerry produce, including lamb, Atlantic seafood and farmhouse cheese, but in a small town where many menus are built for coach parties. Keen diners there often drive to Kenmare or Dingle for a better meal.

Liverpool has far more to see. The Three Graces and the Grade I listed warehouses of the Royal Albert Dock hold the Maritime and International Slavery museums. On William Brown Street you find St George's Hall and the Walker Art Gallery, and the two very different cathedrals face each other along Hope Street.

Killarney's sights are few and stand at the edge of the park: Muckross House and its gardens, Ross Castle on Lough Leane and the abbey ruins. With Pugin's cathedral in town, that is a day or two of sightseeing in lovely surroundings rather than a cultural trip.

Liverpool is the place for a big night out. Concert Square and Seel Street fill with bars and clubs, the Baltic Triangle holds the electronic nights, Lark Lane has quieter local bars, and many nights run past 2am.

Killarney's nightlife is a summer pub crawl along High Street and Plunkett Street. It is friendly and noisy, with pints and conversation, but it has no clubs or cocktail bars to speak of and goes quiet on winter weeknights.

This is where Killarney is strongest. Lakes, ancient oak and yew woods, Torc Waterfall and native red deer are a short walk or bike ride from the centre, with Ireland's highest mountains and the Gap of Dunloe right behind them. The Ring of Kerry and Dingle coasts add cliff walks and sea kayaking.

Liverpool's outdoors is gentler and flatter: Sefton Park's lake and palm house, the Mersey promenade, the red squirrels in Formby's pinewoods and the Wirral Way out to the Dee estuary. It is pleasant, but it is no match for Kerry.

Both bases offer good outings, and Liverpool's are easier to reach without a car. Chester's Roman walls and Rows are a short train ride away, Manchester is under an hour, and Port Sunlight, Southport and Conwy's castle make further days out.

Killarney's day trips are mostly drives through scenery, to Kenmare, Dingle and the villages of the Ring of Kerry. Its great prize is Skellig Michael, though landing there depends on calm summer seas. Cork, Blarney and Kinsale lie to the east.

Liverpool is the easier family choice, especially in bad weather. The World Museum has dinosaurs, an aquarium room and a planetarium, the Museum of Liverpool has a play gallery, and Chester Zoo and Knowsley Safari Park are close. The Mersey ferry is an easy treat.

Killarney is calm and safe, and in good weather children enjoy the deer, the jaunting cars, the lake boats and Muckross Traditional Farms. A wet day leaves few indoor options, and in this climate that matters.

In Liverpool you can do without a car. The docks, the Pier Head, the Ropewalks and both cathedrals lie within about 2km of one another, and Merseyrail runs out to the beaches and the Wirral. You will need a bus or a taxi only for places such as Sefton Park and Anfield.

Killarney's centre and the nearer parts of the park are easy on foot or by bike, and the town has a railway station. Beyond that you need a hire car or a tour, on narrow Kerry roads shared with coaches in summer.

Killarney's shops fill an hour. Knitwear, tweed and Celtic jewellery line a few streets, which is enough for a good Aran sweater and little more.

Liverpool can carry a whole shopping day. The chains and department stores of Liverpool ONE and Church Street come first, then vintage clothes, records and independent design on Bold Street and around the Baltic Triangle, although luxury fashion is thin even here.

Your money goes further in Liverpool. Hotels are moderate for a British city except on big match and race weekends, the major museums cost nothing to enter, and you walk rather than pay for transport.

Killarney carries full Irish prices for food and drink, and its hotels charge heavily in July and August. Family-run B&Bs, a park that costs nothing to explore and a spring or autumn visit help, but a hire car or tours usually add to the bill.

Killarney's live performance is Irish traditional music in the pubs. In season it is good, but there is no orchestra or theatre, and for anything staged you have to go to Tralee.

Liverpool is far ahead. Bands play most nights, from the Cavern's cellar to the warehouse rooms of the Baltic Triangle, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic gives a full season in its art deco hall, and the Everyman and the Playhouse produce their own work. A few nights there could take in a gig, a symphony and a new play without repeating anything.

Killarney is the better place for a restful stay. It has an unusual number of large country and lakeside hotels, many with full spas and pools that look across the water to the mountains, so a long walk in the park can end in a treatment room. Book on the outskirts rather than in the centre, which fills with coaches in summer, and come out of season for the deepest quiet.

Liverpool has spas as well, but they sit in a city built for going out, and its weekend nights are loud. Its quiet moments, such as a stroll round Sefton Park's lake or a slow crossing of the Mersey, are breaks within a lively trip rather than the reason to go.