Miami or Savannah?

This is Miami's home ground. You can step straight onto a continuous run of pale sand from South Beach up to Surfside, with calmer, shallower water at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne for days you don't want waves. The sea is warm enough to swim in all year, though the backdrop is hotel towers rather than scenery.

Savannah has no beach of its own. Tybee Island, half an hour away, offers wide, flat sand and a relaxed small-town feel, but the water is tinted by the marshes and is too cold for most people through the winter. You'll probably give it a day out rather than build the trip around it.

Miami has the wider and livelier table. Cuban cooking is everywhere, from cortaditos and croquetas at Calle Ocho's walk-up windows to slow-roasted lechon. It sits alongside Venezuelan, Peruvian, Haitian and Nicaraguan food, winter stone crab and a strong upscale tier in Brickell and the Design District.

Savannah cooks in one tradition and does it well: shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, Lowcountry boil and oyster roasts in the cooler months, often served family-style at long tables. A handful of chef-led rooms in restored townhouses raise the standard, but after a few days you will have covered most of its range.

Savannah is the more rewarding place to explore. Its 1733 street plan of garden squares under live oaks survives almost whole, lined with Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian houses. The Telfair Museums and the Owens-Thomas House, with its account of the enslaved people who worked there, add depth to a town that is itself the main sight.

Miami's history is mostly from the 20th century. Its highlights are the pastel Art Deco blocks of Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue and the Italianate villa and gardens of Vizcaya, with good contemporary art at the Pérez museum and in Wynwood's murals. Those are well worth a day or two, but they don't add up to a historic townscape like Savannah's.

Miami is in another league after dark. South Beach and the downtown clubs host international DJs and run until dawn. Wynwood has warehouse bars and late parties, Brickell has rooftop cocktails, and Little Havana has salsa nights. Expect dress codes and big bills.

Savannah's evenings are more like a stroll. You can carry a to-go cup between River Street's bars, the taverns around City Market and quiet cocktail rooms in old townhouses, and art students keep a few dive bars going. Apart from the huge St Patrick's Day party, most of the town is quiet well before Miami's clubs even fill up.

Both are flat, low-lying coastal country, but Miami has the bigger wild places on its doorstep. Within an hour you can see alligators from the Anhinga Trail boardwalks in the Everglades, paddle the mangroves of Biscayne National Park or snorkel the reefs off Key Largo.

Savannah's Lowcountry is gentler. Its best experiences are on the water: kayaking tidal creeks through the salt marsh, dolphin-spotting trips and birding for wood storks. On land, the oak avenue at Wormsloe and the trails on Skidaway Island are the easy outings. In both places summer heat and insects push the best outdoor days into the cooler months.

Savannah has much better destinations within a day's drive. Charleston, about two hours north, is a worthwhile second historic city. Antebellum Beaufort, the Civil War fort at Pulaski and the old resort district on Jekyll Island all make easy days out by car.

From Miami, the nearer options are pleasant but limited: Fort Lauderdale's canals, the mansions and Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, or seafood stops in Key Largo and Islamorada. Key West is the famous one, but the drive is long enough that it works better as an overnight trip.

Miami gives children more to do. There are warm, calm beaches at North Beach and Key Biscayne, the large open-air Zoo Miami, the aquarium and planetarium at the Frost Science Museum, and airboat rides in the Everglades. The catch is that most outings need a car, and South Beach's party side is best avoided with children.

Savannah manages well on a smaller scale, with shady squares to run around in, trolley tours, the free river ferry and ghost walks for older children. It has no zoo, aquarium or theme park, so you will run out of family days sooner.

Savannah is far easier on foot. The historic district is a compact grid where most hotels, restaurants and sights are a short shaded walk apart, and a free shuttle and the river ferry cover the rest. You only need a car or a tour for Bonaventure, Wormsloe and Tybee.

Miami spreads out across the bay and the barrier island. South Beach is walkable and the Metromover links downtown with Brickell, but the Metrorail never reaches the beach. Most visitors end up using ride-hailing for Wynwood or Little Havana and hiring a car for anything further afield.

Miami is a proper shopping destination. The Design District is full of flagship stores from the big fashion houses, Bal Harbour has one of the country's most exclusive open-air malls, and the giant Aventura Mall and the outlets on the western edge cover the bargain end.

Savannah is more for browsing. You'll find boutiques and home-goods shops along Broughton Street, work by art-school students and graduates, and antique dealers and bookshops around the southern squares. Beyond pralines and hot sauce on River Street, there is little to buy that you couldn't find elsewhere.

Neither is a bargain, but Savannah is the gentler on the wallet. Much of the pleasure there costs nothing: walking the squares, Forsyth Park and Bonaventure. Highway motels and summer midweek stays bring room costs down.

In Miami, beachfront resort fees, parking charges and South Beach drink prices add up fast. You can save money with Cuban lunch counters, the free Metromover and a mainland base, but the bills still run higher than in Savannah.

Miami has more to see through the season. The Adrienne Arsht Center stages opera, touring Broadway shows and visiting orchestras, Miami City Ballet is a respected company, and the New World Symphony plays in its Gehry building on Miami Beach. Salsa and Afro-Cuban bands in Little Havana add a distinctly local sound.

Savannah's offer is concentrated in a few festivals. The spring Savannah Music Festival fills historic theatres and churches with chamber music, jazz and blues, and an autumn jazz festival takes over Forsyth Park. Come at other times and you may only find a bar band or a busker in the squares.

Neither city is built around wellness, but they offer different ways to unwind. Miami has full resort spa floors in the Miami Beach and Key Biscayne hotels, sunrise yoga on the sand and an old Russian and Turkish bath house with steam rooms and cold plunges. To get away from the noise, head to Surfside or Key Biscayne.

Savannah has fewer treatments but a slower pace. Its version of rest is a bench under the oaks or a garden courtyard at a quiet inn on a southern square, best in spring or autumn when the humidity eases and River Street is quiet midweek.