London or Oxford?

Neither city is a beach destination, but London at least has the coast within reach. Brighton's pebble beach is about an hour away by train, and Margate and Whitstable have sandier shores. In the city itself, people swim at the lidos in Brockwell Park and Parliament Hill and in the Hampstead Heath ponds.

Oxford is further from the sea, so swimming here means a river dip from the grassy banks at Port Meadow or on the Cherwell, or a swim in the open-air pool at Hinksey. That is pleasant on a hot afternoon, but it is no substitute for the coast.

This is one of the widest gaps between the two. London's cooking comes from its communities: Bangladeshi food around Brick Lane, Cantonese in Chinatown, Punjabi in Southall and Turkish grills in Green Lanes. On top of that come a deep fine-dining scene, Borough Market and weekend food markets set in old yards and railway arches.

In Oxford you eat well rather than memorably. The best of it is a Sunday roast at a riverside pub, lunch at the counters of the Covered Market, and the cheap Middle Eastern and South Asian cooking on Cowley Road. For variety it cannot get close to London.

London's collections are of world rank, and most are free: the British Museum, the National Gallery, the V&A and both Tates. Around them stand a thousand years of landmarks, from the Tower and Westminster Abbey to Wren's St Paul's. A week barely scratches the surface.

Oxford's culture is concentrated rather than vast. Its college quadrangles, the Radcliffe Camera, the Bodleian and Christ Church, along with the Ashmolean and the Pitt Rivers, fill two or three full days. Its appeal is seeing a working medieval university up close, entirely on foot.

London offers a genuine big night out. There are Soho's late cocktail bars and its long-established gay scene, the warehouse-party culture of Hackney and Dalston, and the large venues and rooftop bars of Brixton and Peckham. At weekends a few clubs keep going until morning.

An evening in Oxford means a pint in a historic tavern or beside the Thames, with Cowley Road for a late bar or one of its small clubs. The scene follows the university terms. It is calm by midnight and quieter still over the summer.

Both cities are surrounded by gentle countryside rather than wild landscape, and London edges ahead. Richmond Park, with its deer and ancient oaks, the skyline views from Hampstead Heath and the gardens at Kew give it larger green spaces inside the city. The South Downs and the Seven Sisters cliffs make a full day out.

Oxford's countryside starts closer to the door. Port Meadow, Christ Church Meadow and the river paths are a short walk from the colleges, and punting is the classic way to spend an afternoon. The Cotswold hills and the ancient Ridgeway lie within an hour.

Both are excellent bases, and the main difference is how you travel. From London almost everything is a train ride away: Oxford and Cambridge in about an hour, plus Windsor, Bath, Canterbury, Brighton and the castles of Kent.

Oxford's outings lean towards the countryside and the Midlands. Blenheim Palace is about twenty minutes away, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle are easy to reach, and the Cotswold villages are much easier with a car or a tour. London itself becomes one of the day trips.

London has far more to fill children's days. The Natural History and Science Museums and the Young V&A are free, the Diana Memorial Playground has its pirate ship, London Zoo is in Regent's Park, and Legoland and the theme parks are outside the city. The price is scale: long journeys, stairs at many Tube stations, and heavy crowds when schools are out.

Oxford is easier to manage but has less to offer. The dinosaur skeletons and the Pitt Rivers' masks and boats fill a morning, and punting or spotting Harry Potter settings at Christ Church fills an afternoon. After that, most family outings need a trip out of the city.

London's Tube, Elizabeth line, buses and Thames riverboats all run on one contactless card and reach almost anywhere. Crossing the city still takes time, though, and the trains are packed at rush hour.

Oxford barely needs public transport. You can walk across the centre in twenty minutes, several streets are closed to through traffic, bicycles are everywhere, and the station is a short walk away. Buses only matter for outer areas such as Headington or Summertown, and drivers are better off using the park-and-ride.

London is one of the world's great shopping cities. It has luxury houses on Bond Street, bespoke tailoring on Savile Row, and historic department stores such as Liberty and Fortnum & Mason. Portobello Road's antiques and the Columbia Road flower market add weekend browsing.

Oxford's main shopping streets are mostly chains. Its character is in the details: small traders in the Covered Market, independent shops in Jericho, antique map sellers and Blackwell's on Broad Street. Designer shoppers head twenty minutes out to the outlet village near Bicester.

Neither city is cheap, but Oxford is easier on the wallet. In London, central hotel rooms are small and costly, and meals, theatre seats and fares add up quickly. The free museums and parks are the main saving.

Oxford's rooms are also scarce and expensive, especially during graduations and conferences. Once you are there, though, the walkable centre, free museums, pub meals and Cowley Road cafés keep daily spending down. Entry fees for the colleges are the main extra.

London is one of the world's two great theatre cities. It has the West End, the National Theatre, the Globe and the Royal Opera House, five major orchestras and the Proms, plus jazz cellars in Soho and gigs in Camden and Brixton. There is a serious choice every night.

Oxford's great live experience is quieter. In term, the choirs of Christ Church, Magdalen and New College sing Evensong, and the Holywell Music Room hosts chamber music. Its theatres mostly stage touring productions.

For proper steam and water, London has the edge. A few historic public Turkish baths from the early twentieth century survive, in Bayswater and at Ironmonger Row in Islington, with steam rooms and plunge pools under tiled vaults. The grand hotels of Mayfair and Knightsbridge also run full spas. The city's pace is fast, though, so rest comes in short breaks between busy days.

Oxford has no bathing tradition and few spas, and its calm is of a different kind. You find it early in the morning in the Botanic Garden, the walled college gardens and along Addison's Walk, or on a slow afternoon in a punt. Anyone in either city who wants thermal water goes to Bath.