Manchester or Oxford?

Neither city is a beach destination, so the difference is in the kind of water you can reach. From Manchester, the Irish Sea is an hour or more away by train, at the dunes of Formby or the promenade at Blackpool. It is a place for a bracing walk and fish and chips rather than a swim.

Oxford has no coast within easy reach at all. It does have summer river swimming in the Thames by Port Meadow and in the Cherwell, plus the open-air pool at Hinksey. For a dip on a hot day Oxford is handier, while Manchester is better for sea air.

Manchester offers more variety. It has one of Britain's larger Chinatowns, the cheap South Asian restaurants of Wilmslow Road in Rusholme, and food halls in converted mills in Ancoats and the Northern Quarter, with strong craft-beer and coffee cultures as well.

Oxford's choice is narrower, and it eats best in its pubs: a Sunday roast by the Thames, lunch at the Covered Market or a cheap meal on Cowley Road. Its centre relies heavily on chains, so a trip built around food gets more out of Manchester.

Oxford has the richer and more concentrated set of sights. The Radcliffe Camera, the Bodleian, the Sheldonian and colleges such as Christ Church and Magdalen form a medieval centre that is still in daily use. The Ashmolean and the Pitt Rivers are better museums than a city of Oxford's size would usually have.

Manchester's story is narrower but has its own character: the cotton era, told through the Town Hall, the John Rylands Library, the Ancoats mills and the Science and Industry Museum. It rewards an interest in industry and politics, while Oxford rewards an interest in architecture and learning.

Manchester is a city people visit to go out. The Northern Quarter's warehouse cocktail bars and DJ rooms, the long-established Gay Village on Canal Street and big warehouse raves in autumn and winter keep weekends running late.

Oxford's evenings are built around historic taverns and riverside pubs. There are a few late bars and small clubs on Cowley Road and some relaxed wine bars in Jericho. It suits a drink after dinner, and the centre is usually quiet by midnight.

Manchester has wilder country close by. The gritstone edges of the Peak District begin on the city's eastern fringe, and trains reach the walks onto Kinder Scout and Mam Tor in under an hour. The Lake District is also within reach for a long day. Expect mud and low cloud on the moors.

Oxford's green space is gentler and closer in. Port Meadow, Christ Church Meadow and the riverside paths are a walk from the centre, and the Cotswolds and Chilterns offer mild rambles rather than hill walking.

Both are excellent bases, but Oxford's outings are the grander set. Blenheim Palace is about twenty minutes away. The Cotswold villages, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Castle, Windsor and Bath are within about an hour and a half, and London is an easy day by train, though some of the Cotswold trips need a car.

Manchester's strength is the northern rail network. Liverpool, Chester and York are all easy by train, as are Chatsworth and Buxton in the Peaks, and the Lake District is within reach, mostly without driving.

Manchester gives children a little more to do without leaving town. There are the hands-on galleries of the Science and Industry Museum, dinosaurs at the Manchester Museum, the aquarium and indoor snow slope at the Trafford Centre, and stadium tours at Old Trafford or the Etihad. The centre gets rowdy on weekend evenings, though.

Oxford is smaller and calmer, with meadows to run in, the Natural History Museum and punting on the Cherwell, and Harry Potter fans will recognise the hall at Christ Church. Beyond those, its best outings for children need a trip out of the city.

Both centres are compact and flat, and the difference is size. You can cross the heart of Oxford on foot in twenty minutes, several central streets are closed to through traffic and bicycles are everywhere, so most visitors barely need transport.

Manchester's walkable core runs from Castlefield to Piccadilly, but Salford Quays, Old Trafford and the airport mean taking the Metrolink trams, which get crowded when big events are on. In both cities a car is more trouble than it is worth.

Manchester is the bigger shopping city. It has the high-street names and department stores around Exchange Square, designer labels on King Street and the vast Trafford Centre. It also has a real alternative streak in the Northern Quarter, with record shops, vintage clothing and Afflecks.

Oxford is smaller, and its appeal is in its character: the small traders of the Covered Market, the antique map and print sellers, and Blackwell's on Broad Street. Shoppers after designer bargains head to the outlet village near Bicester.

Manchester is easier on the budget. Rooms are reasonable on ordinary weeknights, though they climb on football and concert dates, and Chinatown, the curry houses and the food halls make a cheap meal easy to find.

Oxford has few hotels in the centre and they stay expensive, so many visitors sleep out by the ring road or come for the day. The main museums are free in both cities, but in Oxford college entry and library tours add up.

Manchester has much more on. Its gig circuit runs from back rooms in the Northern Quarter to one of Europe's largest indoor arenas, the Hallé and the BBC Philharmonic play at the Bridgewater Hall, and the Royal Exchange stages theatre in the round.

Oxford's great live experience is quieter: Evensong sung by the choirs of Christ Church, Magdalen and New College in candlelit chapels, with chamber music at the Holywell Music Room. It makes for one memorable evening, but for a week of choice Manchester is the better bet.

Manchester offers treatments rather than calm. Hotel spas and a handful of day spas in the centre are the only real choice, and the city has no bathing tradition. Victoria Baths, the grand Edwardian swimming hall, is a building you tour as heritage, not a pool you swim in.

Oxford has no more spas than Manchester, so a trip built around pampering will disappoint in either city. It is still the more restful place to stay. Its walled college gardens and the deer park at Magdalen give quiet corners right in the middle of town, and they are at their most peaceful early in the morning, before the tour groups arrive.