Minneapolis or Pittsburgh?

Neither city is on the coast, but Minneapolis has something Pittsburgh lacks completely: lifeguarded beaches inside the city on Lake Harriet, Bde Maka Ska and Lake Nokomis. By late July the water is warm enough for an evening swim after a bike ride.

Nobody swims in Pittsburgh's rivers. For a swim you drive for most of an hour to the small reservoir beaches at Lake Arthur, or two hours to Presque Isle on Lake Erie. If you want to swim, Minneapolis is the only real option of the two, and only in high summer.

The two eat about equally well, but their food comes from different migrations. Minneapolis is the place for Somali, Ethiopian, Hmong and Vietnamese cooking along Lake Street and Eat Street, and the Midtown Global Market lets you try much of it in one building. Pittsburgh's food comes from Central and Eastern Europe, with pierogies and haluski, plus the overstuffed sandwiches it claims as its own.

In Pittsburgh, a morning among the Strip District's grocers and stalls is the best food outing. In Minneapolis, the brewery taprooms of Northeast play a bigger part in an evening out. Both have a good modern restaurant scene in old industrial districts, but neither city's food is a reason to travel on its own.

Minneapolis is the better choice if art galleries are what you want. The Minneapolis Institute of Art is free and wide-ranging, and the Walker is a leading contemporary museum, with Spoonbridge and Cherry in the garden outside. Its history is told through the mills and St Anthony Falls on the riverfront, and beyond that the sights thin out.

Pittsburgh has a wider mix of sights and a more striking cityscape. The Carnegie's dinosaur halls, the Warhol Museum, the Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning and the Frick estate all tell the story of steel money. The view of the bridges from the top of the Mount Washington inclines has no match in flat Minneapolis.

Going out is very similar in both: friendly bars spread over several neighbourhoods, few clubs and last orders at 2am. In Minneapolis the best of it is summer patios and rooftops, Northeast's taprooms and the North Loop's cocktail bars, and winter empties the streets. Pittsburgh's main areas are Lawrenceville's Butler Street and the rowdier student strip on East Carson Street, and on game nights the bars fill with fans in black and gold, a sports-bar feel Minneapolis does not quite match.

Both cities are green, but the landscapes differ. Minneapolis is flat and full of water: the Grand Rounds links the Chain of Lakes, Minnehaha Falls and the Mississippi gorge on about 80km of paths. In winter there are groomed cross-country ski trails and skating on the frozen lakes.

Pittsburgh is steep and wooded, with ravine trails in Frick and Schenley parks, and you can kayak under the downtown bridges. Its bigger scenery is in the Laurel Highlands, where the Youghiogheny gorge has rafting and waterfalls. That is wilder country than the St Croix bluffs an hour from Minneapolis.

Pittsburgh has the better day trips. Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob together make a full Frank Lloyd Wright day in the Laurel Highlands. Ligonier's fort and the Flight 93 memorial lie in the same direction, and Old Economy Village is close to the city.

From Minneapolis, the best outing is St Paul, a light-rail ride away, followed by Stillwater on the St Croix and the river towns around Lake Pepin. These are pleasant but lower-key, and from either city you need a car for almost everything beyond the nearest stop.

Both are relaxed and easy with children, and they come out about even. Minneapolis's big advantage is the indoor amusement park and aquarium at the Mall of America, reachable by light rail. That matters in a winter that rules out outdoor days. In summer, the lake beaches and paddle boats take over.

Pittsburgh fits more into one neighbourhood: the Science Center, Children's Museum and National Aviary sit close together on the North Side. Kennywood's old wooden roller coasters and the inclines make memorable summer outings. Its hills, though, make a car more useful than in Minneapolis.

In both cities you will miss a car once you leave the centre, but the ways of getting around differ. Minneapolis has two light-rail lines, one running straight to the airport, and above all it is a cycling city, with protected lanes and the Midtown Greenway out to the lakes. In winter the skyways let you cross much of downtown indoors.

Pittsburgh's compact downtown and the bridges to the North Side are pleasant to walk, and the T and the inclines cover the short hops. Getting to Oakland or Lawrenceville means slow buses or ride-hailing. The hills also make walking or cycling between neighbourhoods much harder work than on Minneapolis's flat streets.

Minneapolis is by far the better place to shop. The main reason is the Mall of America, a light-rail ride away with no sales tax on clothing. The North Loop's boutiques and Northeast's makers' studios add to it.

Pittsburgh is for browsing more than serious shopping: the Strip District's stalls, the vintage and design shops on Butler Street and the boutiques on Walnut Street in Shadyside. Its big-brand malls are in the suburbs and hard to reach without a car.

Costs are close. Both are cheaper than the coastal cities but still priced like America, with tax and a tip on every meal. Pittsburgh's hotels are a little easier on the budget on most nights.

Minneapolis has more you can enjoy for free: the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Sculpture Garden and the lakes, plus inexpensive light rail. In Pittsburgh, ride-hailing between hilly neighbourhoods adds up, and in Minneapolis so does a hire car for the outlying sights.

Minneapolis has the richer stage scene. The Guthrie is one of the country's leading theatre companies, and the Hennepin Avenue theatres, the Children's Theatre Company, two orchestras and the Minnesota Opera keep the calendar full. First Avenue, where Prince filmed Purple Rain, sits at the heart of a solid rock, jazz and indie circuit.

Pittsburgh does well for a city its size. It has the Symphony in Heinz Hall, opera and ballet at the Benedum, and August Wilson's Hill District with its jazz history. Most of it is in a single Cultural District, though, so on a given night there is less choice than in Minneapolis.

Neither city is a spa destination, but Minneapolis has a tradition of its own. In winter, Nordic saunas are set up on the frozen lakes, with a cold plunge or a roll in the snow between rounds. In summer, people wind down with an evening walk around a lake.

Pittsburgh has no bathing culture, so relaxing means a day spa, the warm glasshouses of Phipps Conservatory or a walk in Frick Park. For a proper spa stay, you have to drive out to the resorts of the Laurel Highlands.