Monterey or Santa Monica?

These are two very different beach towns. Monterey's sand at Del Monte, Carmel Beach and the Asilomar dunes is lovely to walk on. The bay stays chilly all year and rip currents are common, so swimming is mostly for wetsuited kayakers and divers.

Santa Monica is built around its beach. A very wide strip of pale sand runs past the pier, with lifeguard towers along it, and the quieter coves of Malibu lie to the north. The water is still cool, but in late summer it is warm enough for a proper dip, which Monterey's never is.

Santa Monica offers more range. Its kitchens buy from the Wednesday farmers market and serve seasonal Californian cooking, polished brunches and dependable Italian and Japanese food along Main Street and Montana Avenue. Venice adds more casual places.

Monterey has a narrower table, but it is closer to its sources: local squid, Dungeness crab and sand dabs, and artichokes from the Salinas Valley. Skip the chowder bowls on the wharf and eat in Old Monterey or Carmel, then go wine tasting in the Carmel Valley, which Santa Monica has nothing nearby to match.

Neither town is a major sightseeing destination, but their culture comes in different forms. Monterey has history of its own you can walk around: the Custom House and Colton Hall from the days of Alta California's Spanish and Mexican capital, the Royal Presidio Chapel, and the Carmel Mission close by. Cannery Row adds the Steinbeck connection.

Santa Monica has little history of its own beyond the pier and the end of Route 66. Its strength is art within easy reach. The Getty Center's European collections and the antiquities at the Getty Villa are a short drive away, and Bergamot Station's galleries are in town.

Monterey's evenings wind down early. A night out usually means a brewpub or wine bar on Alvarado Street, often shared with students from the language and naval schools, and the town has gone quiet well before midnight.

Santa Monica keeps more going after dark, though it is a place for drinks rather than dancing. Rooftop hotel bars and wine bars cluster around the Third Street Promenade, Main Street has a run of pubs, and Venice brings a looser crowd. For a club night, Hollywood is a long taxi ride away.

Both towns have good outdoor settings, but Monterey's is exceptional. The deep submarine canyon brings humpbacks and orcas close to shore, and sea otters and sea lions can be seen from the waterfront. Point Lobos, the 17-Mile Drive and the cliffs and redwoods of Big Sur all lie a short drive south.

Santa Monica's strength is the land behind it. Chaparral trails climb into the Santa Monica Mountains at Temescal and Topanga, the beach path runs for about 35km, and the beach breaks are good for surf lessons. You will see plenty of wildlife, but not as much as along Monterey Bay.

Santa Monica has more places to choose from, though traffic decides how many you reach. Santa Barbara's mission and Laguna Beach's coves are each a couple of hours' drive, Catalina is a ferry ride away, and Pasadena's Huntington Library and the rest of Los Angeles are closer.

Monterey's best outings are short. Carmel-by-the-Sea, Victorian Pacific Grove, Steinbeck's Salinas and the old plaza at San Juan Bautista are all within an hour or so. After Santa Cruz, though, the options thin out fast.

Both towns work well with children, and the difference lies in what fills the days. Monterey has the Monterey Bay Aquarium, with its kelp forest, otters and jellyfish, along with tide pools, whale-watching boats and Dennis the Menace Park.

Santa Monica is the better bet for beach days. It has lifeguarded sand for digging, a Ferris wheel and roller coaster on the pier and flat paths for family bike rides. Theme parks are a long drive in either case.

In Monterey, walking only gets you along the waterfront. The flat coastal trail links the wharf, Cannery Row, the aquarium and Pacific Grove, and a hired bike makes that easier still. The local buses are sparse, though, so Point Lobos, Carmel Valley and Big Sur really need a car.

Santa Monica's transport reaches further. Blue buses cover the walkable town, and the E Line light rail runs from near the pier to downtown Los Angeles and the museums of Exposition Park in about an hour. The Getty and the Malibu canyons still mean a car or ride-hailing.

Santa Monica is the better place to shop. Chains and flagships line the Promenade, Montana Avenue has upmarket boutiques, and Main Street has independent surf shops. Abbot Kinney in Venice is next door, and Rodeo Drive is within reach.

Monterey itself sells mostly taffy and sea-otter souvenirs. The browsing worth doing is in the galleries and boutiques of Carmel-by-the-Sea and the antique shops of Pacific Grove.

Both are expensive, and Santa Monica is the more expensive of the two. Its oceanfront hotels, tax-and-tip restaurant bills and parking push costs up even by Californian standards. Cheap buses and light rail, and rooms a little inland, soften this.

Monterey is somewhat easier on the wallet but far from cheap. The usual savings are the chain motels in Seaside or Marina, a midweek or winter visit, and free days on the coastal trail and at the tide pools.

Santa Monica has more to see through the year. The Broad Stage puts on chamber music, dance and theatre, and there are small folk venues and free summer concerts on the pier. The Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall are across town.

Monterey's music life centres on its festivals: the Monterey Jazz Festival every September, the summer Carmel Bach Festival and plays at the Forest Theater. Outside those weeks there is not much on.

Neither town has thermal baths, so relaxation in both depends on the pace. In Santa Monica that means yoga on the sand, morning runs by the ocean and polished hotel spas, all with a fitness-minded edge.

Monterey is slower and quieter. Fog lifts off the bay in the mornings, there are evening shore walks in Pacific Grove, and resort spas sit among the vineyards of the sunnier Carmel Valley.