Miami or St. Augustine?

Miami is built around its beach. South Beach, Mid-Beach and North Beach make one continuous stretch, the calmer water of Key Biscayne is close by, and the sea stays warm enough for swimming all through the winter. The setting is flat and lined with hotels, and sargassum can wash in during summer.

St. Augustine's Anastasia Island has wide, gently shelving sand of its own, from the state park dunes down to quieter Crescent Beach. The water is greener and more churned, though, and it turns cold in winter, so for several months the beach is for walking rather than swimming.

Miami eats like a Latin American capital. Cuban cafecito and croquetas on Calle Ocho, Haitian griot in Little Haiti, Venezuelan arepas and an upscale tier in Brickell and the Design District give it far more range.

St. Augustine's table is narrower: fried shrimp, oysters and fish by the water, with the Minorcan datil pepper as its one distinctive local flavour. A few chef-driven places help, but serious variety means driving to Jacksonville.

The two are broadly level, but their history comes from very different eras. Miami's big sights are from the 20th century: the pastel Art Deco blocks along Ocean Drive, Vizcaya's villa and gardens, and contemporary art from the Perez museum to Wynwood's murals.

St. Augustine goes back to 1565, with the coquina walls of the Castillo de San Marcos, the narrow lanes of the Spanish quarter and Flagler's Gilded Age hotels. It suits anyone more interested in old stone than in modern art.

This is where the two differ most. Miami has a full late-night scene: South Beach's big clubs with international DJs, downtown venues open until dawn, Wynwood's warehouse bars, Brickell rooftops and salsa on Calle Ocho.

St. Augustine has courtyard pubs and taverns around St. George Street, a few beach bars on the island and hardly any clubs. It is a place for a drink after dinner, not a night out.

Miami has the stronger outdoors, thanks to the Everglades: airboats, alligators on the Anhinga Trail and the Shark Valley cycling loop. There is also snorkelling on the reefs of Biscayne National Park and Key Largo, and water sports on the bay.

St. Augustine's nature is gentler and closer to hand. You can paddle through salt marsh creeks among dolphins and herons, walk the dunes of Anastasia State Park or go birding in the Guana Tolomato Matanzas reserve. Neither has any hills, and both are best outside midsummer.

St. Augustine has slightly more to offer, mainly because of what lies within a long day's drive. Kennedy Space Center and the Orlando theme parks are about two hours away, with Victorian Fernandina Beach and Jacksonville's museums closer.

From Miami the easy outings are Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach's mansions and the Upper Keys. Key West is too far for a comfortable day trip and works better as an overnight stay.

Both work for families, in different ways. Miami offers calm beaches all year at Key Biscayne and North Beach, a large open-air zoo, the Frost Science Museum's aquarium and hotels built around pools, but outings mean long drives.

St. Augustine is easier day to day. The Alligator Farm, cannon firing at the fort and the lighthouse climb are all short hops in a safe, compact town, though the beach is only warm in summer.

Both are car places with a walkable core, and neither is easy without wheels. In Miami, South Beach is fine on foot and the free Metromover links downtown with Brickell, but Wynwood, Little Havana and the Everglades mean ride-hailing or a hire car.

St. Augustine's old town is small enough that you can park once and walk everywhere that matters. The beaches and anything further out still need a car or bike.

Miami is a real shopping destination. The Design District has flagship stores of the big fashion houses, Bal Harbour is very exclusive, and Aventura Mall and the outlets cover everything else.

St. Augustine offers fudge and pirate souvenirs on St. George Street, along with more rewarding galleries and antique shops around Aviles Street. Datil-pepper sauce makes a good thing to take home.

Neither is cheap, but St. Augustine costs somewhat less. Miami's winter beachfront rates, resort fees, parking and South Beach drink prices add up quickly, though Cuban lunch counters and the free beaches help.

In St. Augustine, the old-town inns are the expensive part. Highway motels, midweek visits and a town that is mostly free to walk around keep the bill lower.

Miami has a proper cultural season. The Adrienne Arsht Center hosts Florida Grand Opera and touring Broadway shows, Miami City Ballet is a company of standing, and the New World Symphony plays in its Gehry hall. On top of that, there are Afro-Cuban and salsa bands across town.

St. Augustine's best stage is its open-air amphitheatre in the Anastasia Island woods, which hosts touring rock, country and folk acts. For opera or orchestras, you have to go to Jacksonville.

Miami has more for a pampering trip. There are big resort spa floors with ocean views, yoga on the sand at sunrise and a long-established Russian and Turkish bath house, though you need Key Biscayne or Surfside to escape the noise.

St. Augustine has little spa culture beyond a few hotel treatment rooms. Its calm comes from B&B verandas, courtyard gardens and evening walks along the bayfront seawall.