Macau or Singapore?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Singapore makes a better job of it. Macau's two beaches, Hac Sa and Cheoc Van on Coloane, have dark sand and brownish water clouded by silt from the Pearl River. Locals go there for barbecues more than for swimming.

Singapore's Sentosa beaches are man-made, with tankers on the horizon, but the lagoons behind the breakwaters are calm and safe for a swim. A ferry to St John's or Lazarus gets you quieter water. In both cities most visitors end up swimming in the hotel pool.

Both are excellent places to eat, but Singapore offers more variety and makes it easier to eat well wherever you are. Macau's strength is a cuisine that belongs to it alone: Macanese dishes such as minchi and African chicken, old Portuguese dining rooms, Cantonese dim sum, and egg tarts eaten in the lanes near St Paul's.

Singapore's hawker centres, from Maxwell to Tekka, serve dishes from Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan cooking side by side. Little India and Kampong Glam keep serving late into the evening. A fine-dining tier sits above all this, so you can eat well at any hour and at almost any budget.

The two are evenly matched, but what you see is very different. Macau's heritage is older and all in one place. The Ruins of St Paul's, Senado Square, A-Ma Temple and the hilltop fortresses record four centuries of Portuguese and Chinese life together, and you can see it all on foot in a day or two.

Singapore's history is younger. Its strength is in its museums, with the National Gallery and the Asian Civilisations Museum, and in its ethnic quarters, each with its own temples and mosques. The modern skyline around Marina Bay is as much a sight as anything historic.

Singapore gives you more to do in the evening. Its cocktail bars fill the shophouses of Keong Saik and Telok Ayer, there are rooftop terraces above Marina Bay, and the riverside quays have the main clubs. You can move from one bar to the next without much planning, although drinks are heavily taxed.

Macau's nights are built around the casinos, with lounges and occasional clubs inside the resorts. The old centre goes quiet by late evening, and without an interest in gambling there is little to explore.

This is one of the widest gaps between the two. Macau is almost entirely built up or reclaimed, and its green space amounts to the wooded hills and short trails of Coloane and the walk around Guia Hill.

Singapore keeps genuine tropical rainforest at Bukit Timah and MacRitchie, where you are likely to see macaques and monitor lizards. It also has the wetlands of Sungei Buloh, with migrating birds and the odd crocodile, and Pulau Ubin with its mangroves. The island is flat and the heat confines hiking to early mornings, but there are several good outings.

Macau is better placed for days out. Hong Kong is about an hour away by fast ferry or by bus over the sea bridge, and Guangzhou is a short fast-train ride beyond the border at Zhuhai. Every trip means passport control, and some nationalities need a visa for the mainland.

From Singapore, the options are thin. Queues at the causeway to Johor Bahru can eat up much of the day, Bintan and Batam are mainly resort stays, and Malacca really needs a night.

Singapore is far easier with children. It has the Mandai wildlife parks with the Night Safari, Universal Studios and the aquarium on Sentosa, and the water-play garden at Gardens by the Bay. Lifts, air conditioning and familiar food are found everywhere.

Macau offers a science centre with a planetarium, the panda pavilion on Coloane and elaborate resort pools. However, the city is built around gaming, and the stairways of the old centre are hard work with a pushchair. It works best as a short stop.

Singapore is far simpler to get around. The step-free, air-conditioned MRT reaches almost every place a visitor goes, from the airport to the rainforest reserves, and you can pay with a contactless card on both trains and buses.

In Macau you explore the hilly old peninsula on foot. Between there and Taipa and Cotai, you piece journeys together from crowded buses, the Taipa light rail and free casino shuttles, and taxis can be hard to find at busy times. Distances are short in both cities.

Both cities sell luxury in large air-conditioned malls, but Singapore has much more beyond them. Orchard Road and Marina Bay Sands cover the big brands. Haji Lane and Tiong Bahru have small boutiques and design shops, and Chinatown and Little India sell spices, saris, gold and Peranakan beadwork.

Macau's resort malls, some styled as Venetian canals, are worth a visit for serious luxury buyers. Outside them, the lanes mostly sell almond cookies and jerky, with Portuguese tiles and tinned fish as the more interesting things to take home.

Macau is the cheaper of the two, particularly for where you sleep. Resort rooms can be reasonable on weeknights and only climb sharply at weekends and during the mainland's festival weeks, so choosing your dates makes a real difference.

Singapore's rooms are expensive even at plain mid-range hotels, and drinks and the big paid attractions add a lot to the bill. In both cities, street food, public transport and walking keep the rest of your daily spending low.

Singapore has more on in any given week. The Esplanade hosts the Singapore Symphony Orchestra's season and stages free outdoor performances by the bay, and touring musicals play at Marina Bay Sands.

Macau's stage life is smaller and seasonal. The historic Dom Pedro V Theatre and the Macao Cultural Centre host the city's orchestra, while the autumn music festival and spring arts festival bring in visiting companies. On an ordinary night there may be little on, so check the programme before you go.

The two are level, and in both a relaxing day means a hotel spa rather than any local bathing tradition. Macau's Cotai resorts are well suited to a full day of pool, spa and room service, and its old-town foot-massage parlours are a cheaper option. Coloane village is the quietest place to slow down.

Singapore adds traditional Chinese medicine clinics in Chinatown and Ayurvedic treatments in Little India. Its calmest moments are outdoors, in the Botanic Gardens early in the morning or on the shaded paths around the reservoirs.