Miami or Naples, Florida?

These are two of the finest beach cities in Florida, and they differ mostly in character. Miami's long pale strip runs along the Atlantic side of its barrier island, with the Art Deco hotels of South Beach behind it, a busy, built-up setting where calmer water means a trip to Key Biscayne. The sea there stays noticeably warmer in winter.

Naples faces the Gulf, so the water is shallower and usually flatter, and the day ends with the sun setting over the sea. Further north, Clam Pass, Delnor-Wiggins and the undeveloped dunes of Barefoot Beach feel wilder than anything on Miami Beach, and winter storms bring good shelling. The hazards differ too: sargassum on the Atlantic, and occasional algae blooms and stingrays in the Gulf shallows.

Miami is far more rewarding to eat in. Its Cuban core, from ventanita coffee on Calle Ocho to slow-roasted lechon, is surrounded by Venezuelan, Colombian, Peruvian, Haitian and Nicaraguan cooking, with a serious chef-led tier in Brickell and the Design District.

Naples shares the Gulf and Florida staples, grouper sandwiches and stone crab claws in the cooler months, and eats them best at the dockside fish houses around Tin City. Beyond that, it mostly offers polished steak, Italian and wine-bar dining on Fifth Avenue South, with almost no street food or ethnic range.

Miami has much more to see. The Art Deco Historic District is a sight in its own right on a walk along Ocean Drive, Vizcaya's villa and gardens on Biscayne Bay deserve half a day, and the Perez, the Bass, the Wolfsonian, Wynwood's murals and Little Havana's exile history fill a few more.

Naples is a young resort town with little to see. The Baker Museum's modern and American art and the Revs Institute's racing cars, which draw enthusiasts, are the main visits, and Palm Cottage and the old railway depot show early Naples, but a single day covers it all.

There is hardly a contest here. Miami has big-room clubs with international DJs in South Beach and Park West, Wynwood breweries and late parties, Brickell cocktail bars and Latin dance nights in Little Havana, and much of it runs until dawn.

Naples winds down after a sunset drink at a tiki bar or a glass in a piano lounge on Fifth Avenue South, the crowd is older, and the town is quiet before midnight. Locals in search of a real night out drive to Miami.

The two sit on opposite sides of the same wilderness, and both are well placed for it. From Miami you reach the eastern Everglades, with the Anhinga Trail boardwalks and the Shark Valley cycling loop, and the sea adds something Naples lacks: snorkelling on the reefs of Biscayne National Park and Key Largo.

From Naples the outings are more about cypress and mangrove. You can walk the boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp, look for orchids in the Fakahatchee Strand, explore Big Cypress, or best of all kayak the channels of the Ten Thousand Islands and Rookery Bay. Both landscapes are entirely flat and best in the dry winter.

Both cities are similarly placed for day trips: pleasant outings, a car for all of them, and nothing unmissable. From Miami you head north to Palm Beach's Gilded Age mansions and the Flagler Museum, or south to the seafood shacks of Key Largo and Islamorada, with Key West better saved for an overnight stay.

From Naples the options lean more towards history and islands. The Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, shelling and cycling on Sanibel and Captiva, and the old fishing settlement of Everglades City are all within easy reach, and the Ringling museums in Sarasota are a longer drive.

For children the two are about equal, and in both the beach does most of the work. Miami offers bigger attractions, including the open-air Zoo Miami, the planetarium and aquarium at the Frost Science Museum and the Venetian Pool, but outings involve long drives, and South Beach's party side is best avoided.

Naples is smaller and gentler. Its Gulf shallows are ideal for toddlers, dolphins often show up offshore, and the zoo's boat ride past the primate islands and the Golisano Children's Museum are easy to fit into a day. It has no major aquarium, and Orlando's theme parks are far from both cities.

Neither city works well without a car, but Miami copes a little better. South Beach is flat and easy on foot, the free elevated Metromover links downtown and Brickell, and the Metrorail runs in from the airport, although none of it reaches the beach and ride-hailing fills the gaps.

Naples has only the compact grid of Old Naples, around the pier and Fifth Avenue South, to walk or cycle. Everywhere else means wide roads, a thin bus network and a hire car, both for the northern beaches and for any trip out.

Miami is a destination for serious shoppers. The Design District has the fashion houses' flagship stores among architect-designed buildings, and Bal Harbour and the vast Aventura Mall add more, alongside Lincoln Road's mainstream brands and Wynwood's streetwear.

Shopping in Naples is a pleasant stroll rather than a reason to come. You will find galleries, jewellers and linen and resort-wear boutiques under the palms of Third Street South, one open-air designer mall and nautical souvenirs in Tin City's old clam sheds. Neither city has much in the way of markets or local crafts.

Both are expensive, and Naples is the harder of the two on the budget. Miami offers more ways to save: Cuban bakeries and lunch counters feed you cheaply, the Metromover costs nothing, and the mainland neighbourhoods are cheaper places to stay than Miami Beach.

In Naples, restaurants are priced for wealthy residents, and a hire car is essentially compulsory. The real savings come from staying inland or in Fort Myers and cooking in a rental. In both cities summer brings lower rates, at the cost of heat and storms.

Miami's stage is broader. The Arsht Center hosts Florida Grand Opera and touring Broadway shows, Miami City Ballet is a company of real standing, and the New World Symphony plays in its Frank Gehry hall, with screenings on the lawn outside. Then there is Latin music, salsa, son and timba in Little Havana, which Naples cannot match.

Naples does well for its size. Its Philharmonic plays in its own hall, and touring musicals and professional theatre fill the winter season, but in summer the programme almost disappears.

For rest the two are evenly matched, but in different ways. Miami offers resort spa floors, sunrise yoga on the sand and a long-established Russian and Turkish bath house with banya and cold plunges, but the city around them is loud and busy, so calm means retreating to Key Biscayne or Surfside.

Naples has no bathing tradition. It does have large resort spas open to non-guests, golf and a town that is mostly there to unwind, so the quiet comes without having to look for it.