Naples, Florida or Palm Beach?

Both are excellent beach towns, but the beaches differ in kind. Naples has a long, continuous run of fine pale sand on the Gulf, reached by public paths from the streets of Old Naples, with calm, shallow water and the sun setting over the sea. Clam Pass and Barefoot Beach add wilder stretches to the north.

Palm Beach faces the Atlantic, and much of the island's shore is narrow and lined with seawalls and private estates, so the wider, livelier sand is a short drive away at Singer Island, Jupiter or Delray. Its advantage is the water: the Gulf Stream keeps it clear and noticeably warmer in winter, and Peanut Island is good for snorkelling.

Neither town is a reason to travel for food, and both lean on the same Florida seafood: grouper, stone crab in season, snapper and oysters. Naples keeps its best eating informal at the dockside fish houses around Tin City, with white-tablecloth dining on Fifth Avenue South.

Palm Beach is the more formal of the two, with long terrace lunches off Worth Avenue and dress codes taken seriously. It does have more range across the bridge, though, where West Palm Beach adds Cuban bakeries, Caribbean takeaways and a weekend green market.

Palm Beach has far more to see. Henry Flagler's marble Whitehall is a substantial Gilded Age house museum, Addison Mizner's courtyards and Bethesda-by-the-Sea give the town an architectural character, and the Norton Museum of Art across the lagoon holds a collection of real depth.

Naples is a younger resort with a shorter list: the Baker Museum, the Revs Institute's historic racing cars for enthusiasts, and Palm Cottage for a glimpse of early settlement. It makes a good afternoon off the beach, not a cultural trip.

Neither is a place for late nights, but Palm Beach at least has somewhere to go. Its island is quiet by eleven, but Clematis Street and Rosemary Square in West Palm Beach have bars, rooftop terraces and a couple of dance spots that fill with a younger crowd at weekends.

Naples stops at a sunset drink at a tiki bar or a piano lounge on Fifth Avenue South, with an older crowd and almost no clubs. For a proper night out you would have to drive to Fort Myers Beach.

Naples has the stronger wild landscape on its doorstep. The western Everglades, Big Cypress and the orchid swamps of the Fakahatchee Strand are within an hour, and paddling the mangrove channels of Rookery Bay and the Ten Thousand Islands is the best outing on either coast.

Palm Beach's strengths lie offshore. Reefs run close to land along the Gulf Stream, and the shallow dive under the Blue Heron Bridge is famous for octopus and seahorses. On land it has the Lake Trail and the Loxahatchee refuge, which is pleasant but more limited than the swamps around Naples.

Palm Beach has the better outings, mainly because Miami is about an hour away by fast train, which puts South Beach, Little Havana and Wynwood within easy reach without a car. Delray Beach, Boca Raton and Jupiter's lighthouse fill shorter days, though these resort towns resemble one another.

From Naples every trip needs a car. The Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers and the islands of Sanibel and Captiva are the highlights, and Miami is a long two-hour drive across the Everglades.

In Naples the town's own shore does most of the work with children. The Gulf is shallow, warm and usually calm, and hunting for shells or spotting dolphins from the sand can fill whole days. Naples Zoo, with its boat ride past the primate islands, and the Golisano Children's Museum for the under-tens are a short drive away, and older children enjoy a boat trip into the mangroves.

Palm Beach's family attractions are across the bridge, because the island itself, with its formal restaurants and boutiques, is built for adults. West Palm Beach has the zoo with its jaguars and panthers, the science centre and aquarium for a rainy afternoon, Manatee Lagoon in winter and a drive-through safari park, which together make a wider choice than Naples has. Peanut Island's shallow lagoon is the calmest water for small swimmers.

Both need a car for anything beyond the centre, but Palm Beach is a little easier without one. The Lake Trail makes cycling the island a pleasure, downtown West Palm Beach has a free trolley loop, and the intercity train reaches Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

In Naples, the grid of Old Naples around the pier is walkable and flat for bikes. Beyond it the buses are thin, and the northern beaches, the Everglades and every day trip depend on driving, with heavier traffic in winter.

Palm Beach is a real shopping destination. Worth Avenue gathers the big luxury houses and jewellers among Mizner's shaded vias, the consignment shops turn up designer pieces from local wardrobes, and Antique Row in West Palm Beach is a long strip of serious dealers.

Naples offers a gentler version: galleries, linen and resort-wear boutiques on Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South, a luxury mall north of downtown and souvenirs in Tin City. It is pleasant browsing but rarely worth a special trip.

Both are among the costliest beach towns in Florida, and the gap between them is small. Naples is slightly gentler on the wallet. Its beaches are free and reached on foot from many streets, and staying inland or in Fort Myers cuts costs.

Palm Beach is the more expensive, with winter hotel rates on the island far above big-city levels and even beach parking adding up. Staying in West Palm Beach and driving over is the usual answer, and in both towns the hot summer months are much cheaper.

Both have a busy winter season paid for by wealthy seasonal residents, and both go almost silent in summer. Naples has its own orchestra, the Naples Philharmonic, playing in a dedicated hall, along with professional and community theatre and some jazz in restaurants.

Palm Beach has the wider stage, mainly because of the Kravis Center, which hosts touring musicals, visiting orchestras, ballet and Palm Beach Opera's short season. Dramaworks adds serious drama, but live music in clubs is thinner than in Naples.

Palm Beach is the more restorative stay. The island is manicured and unhurried, the oceanfront resort spas are polished and have salt-water pools, and early sea swims and beach yoga are easy in its warm Atlantic water.

Naples is restful too, with long sunset walks on the Gulf, golf and large resort spas open to non-guests. It feels more like a quiet beach town than a dedicated retreat, and neither offers thermal springs or a bathing tradition.