Naples, Florida or St. Petersburg, Florida?

Both have first-rate Gulf beaches of fine pale sand and calm, shallow water, so the difference is in how you reach them. In Naples the beach runs along the town itself: public paths lead to the sand at the end of streets in Old Naples, the pier is a walk from dinner, and Vanderbilt Beach, Clam Pass and the dunes of Barefoot Beach lie a short way north.

St. Petersburg's downtown faces the bay, so a beach day means heading west to the barrier islands. Once there, you can choose between the wide sands of St. Pete Beach and Pass-a-Grille, the wilder shore at Fort De Soto, and Caladesi Island, reached by ferry. The water is a touch warmer off Naples in winter.

St. Petersburg has a slight edge, and it is the more relaxed place to eat. Waterfront fish shacks serve grouper sandwiches and smoked fish spread, the Grand Central and Edge districts have chef-led kitchens and brunch places, and the many craft breweries give the city a character Naples lacks. Ybor City's Cuban cooking is across the bay.

Naples eats more formally: white-tablecloth steak and Italian dining rooms on Fifth Avenue South, and stone crab at the dockside places around Tin City. Neither is a place to travel to for food.

St. Petersburg is far stronger here. The Dalí Museum, in its glass-bubble building on the waterfront, is a real reason to visit, and the Museum of Fine Arts, the James Museum of Western art, the Chihuly Collection and the Arts and Crafts museum are all close by. Add the 1920s Mediterranean Revival buildings and the murals of the Central Arts District, and you have a few full days.

Naples is a young resort town. The Baker Museum and the Revs Institute's racing cars will interest some visitors, and Palm Cottage and the old railway depot give a glimpse of the early town, but most people run out of sights within a day.

For an evening out, St. Petersburg is clearly livelier. Central Avenue has cocktail bars, rooftop terraces, sports bars and brewery taprooms close enough to walk between, the crowd is mixed and busier at weekends, and Ybor City is across the bay for a bigger night.

Naples winds down after dinner. There are piano lounges and wine bars on Fifth Avenue South and tiki bars for the sunset, but there are almost no clubs, the crowd is older, and the town is quiet before midnight, especially in summer.

Naples has the wilder setting, on the edge of the Everglades. Big Cypress, the cypress boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp, the orchids of the Fakahatchee Strand and the mangrove maze of the Ten Thousand Islands are all within an hour, with alligators and wading birds along the way.

St. Petersburg's nature is gentler and more about the water: paddling trails at Weedon Island and Shell Key, birding at Fort De Soto and manatees in winter. It does have one thing Naples lacks, the long paved Pinellas Trail for cycling. Both are flat, and both are at their best in the dry winter.

St. Petersburg offers the better spread of outings. Tampa's cigar-factory streets in Ybor City are just across the bay, the Greek sponge docks of Tarpon Springs are like nowhere else in Florida, and Sarasota's Ringling estate is about an hour south. Orlando is within a long day.

From Naples, the choices are quieter: the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, shelling and cycling on Sanibel and Captiva, and Everglades City. Sarasota and Miami are both about two hours away, at the edge of a comfortable day.

Both have shallow, gentle beaches that suit small children, but St. Petersburg has more for the days off the sand. Great Explorations is in town, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium's rescued dolphins are to the north, and Tampa adds Busch Gardens, the Florida Aquarium and ZooTampa.

Naples has a smaller set of attractions: Naples Zoo with its boat ride past primate islands, a children's museum for the under-tens, and mangrove boat trips for older children. There is no theme park within a day's easy reach.

You need a car in both, but it is a little less essential in St. Petersburg. Its compact downtown links the pier, the museums and Central Avenue on foot, a trolley loop runs around the centre, and a rapid bus line reaches St. Pete Beach.

Naples has a pleasant walkable grid in Old Naples, close to the sand and Fifth Avenue South. Beyond it, the town spreads along wide roads with thin bus services, and the northern beaches, the Everglades and every outing depend on driving.

Naples is the better place to shop, especially for polished resort style. Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South mix jewellers, galleries and linen boutiques under the palms, an open-air luxury mall gathers the designer labels, and the outlets are half an hour north.

St. Petersburg is smaller-scale and more individual: vintage and record shops on Central Avenue, local glass and prints in the Grand Central District, and a Saturday market in winter. For brand names you have to drive to Tampa.

Neither is cheap, but Naples costs noticeably more. Its beachfront resorts charge high rates from January to April, its restaurants are priced for a wealthy clientele, and a car is almost unavoidable.

In St. Petersburg you can spend less without much effort. You can stay downtown and take the bus to the beach, eat at fish shacks and taprooms rather than formal dining rooms, and enjoy free waterfront parks. In both cities, summer and early autumn bring the lowest rates.

The two are much alike: a modest winter season you can fill an evening with, rather than plan a trip around. Naples centres on its arts campus, where the Naples Philharmonic plays in its own hall alongside touring Broadway shows, with jazz in restaurants. Very little happens in summer.

St. Petersburg's programme is more mixed. The Florida Orchestra plays at the Mahaffey Theater, a former church hosts intimate concerts, an open-air courtyard books rock and indie bands, and there is live music in bars at weekends. Tampa's large performing arts centre is half an hour away for opera and ballet.

Neither has a spa tradition, so rest comes from resort spas and the slow pace in both. Naples leans towards golf and large beachfront resort spas, and the whole town is geared to unwinding.

St. Petersburg adds yoga studios downtown and the sleepy streets of Pass-a-Grille, where watching the sunset is a nightly habit. In either city, winter is the calmest season.