Newport, Rhode Island or Philadelphia?

Newport has proper Atlantic beaches on its doorstep. Easton's Beach sits below the Cliff Walk, Second and Third Beaches in Middletown are longer, and Gooseberry is a calm little cove, so a swim fits easily into a sightseeing day. The water is on the cool side even in August, and the season is short.

Philadelphia is a river city, and swimming means a day trip to Ocean City, Wildwood or Cape May, about an hour and a quarter or more each way. The sand is wider and the sea a little warmer there, but the weekend traffic heading down the shore makes it a trip in itself, not part of the stay.

Newport does one thing well: New England seafood. Think lobster rolls, Rhode Island clear chowder, clam cakes and local oysters eaten on the wharves. After a few days the choice starts to feel narrow, and some places cut their hours in winter.

Philadelphia has more depth and more character. You can graze through Reading Terminal Market and the Italian Market, eat cheesesteaks and roast pork sandwiches from corner shops, and book small chef-run BYOB dining rooms in East Passyunk and Fishtown. It suits travellers who plan their days around meals.

Both cities are rich in early American history, but they have different kinds of it. Newport's two highlights are the Vanderbilt-era cottages on Bellevue Avenue, with their rooms intact, and the colonial streets of the Point around Touro Synagogue. Together they make two or three very good days.

Philadelphia has more, and it carries more weight as history. Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell are where the nation was founded, and the city adds world-class art at the Barnes and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, along with the Penn Museum, the Mütter and Eastern State Penitentiary. You could spend four or five days here and not run out.

An evening in Newport means waterfront decks and pubs along Thames Street, busy on summer weekends with sailors and wedding parties. It finishes early, and out of season it shrinks to a few local pubs.

Philadelphia gives you more neighbourhoods to choose between. There are warehouse bars and beer halls in Fishtown and Northern Liberties, cocktails around Rittenhouse Square and the long-established Gayborhood, and the students keep weekends lively. It is a bar city, not a club city, but there is much more of it than in Newport.

Newport's outdoors is mostly about the sea. You can walk the rocky Cliff Walk, drive Ocean Drive to Brenton Point, watch birds at Sachuest Point, and above all go sailing, kayaking or surfing at Second Beach.

Philadelphia's green spaces are inland and closer to the city. The wooded Wissahickon gorge inside Fairmount Park and the Schuylkill River Trail out past Boathouse Row are both good for running and cycling. Neither city has mountain scenery, so it comes down to Atlantic ledges and boats in Newport or creek trails and river paths in Philadelphia.

Newport has a fair choice of outings. Block Island by ferry, Bristol, New Bedford's whaling museum and Mystic's seaport are all within reach, and so are Providence and Boston, but nearly everything needs a car.

Philadelphia has the stronger position because it sits on the Northeast rail corridor. New York, Baltimore and Washington each make an easy day out by train, and so does Lancaster County's Amish country. Valley Forge, Longwood Gardens and Gettysburg are an easy drive.

Newport works for children mainly in summer. They can splash at Third or Gooseberry Beach, ride the carousel at Easton's, climb on Fort Adams and visit the small touch-tank aquarium. The long mansion tours tend to bore younger ones, and there is no zoo.

Philadelphia gives families much more to do in any weather. The Franklin Institute has its walk-through heart, the Please Touch Museum is built for under-eights and the Academy of Natural Sciences has dinosaurs. Add the country's oldest zoo, and Old City's costumed guides bring history to life for older children.

Both centres are easy to walk, but getting further afield is quite different. In Newport, the harbour, Thames Street and the colonial quarter are close together, and a trolley or local bus runs up to the mansions. To reach the outer beaches you need a car, and summer traffic and parking on the island are a real hassle.

Philadelphia's flat grid lets you walk from Old City to the Parkway, and if you need more, there are subway lines, trolleys and a train straight to the airport. The system is a bit rough around the edges, but you can manage the whole stay without driving.

Shopping in Newport is a pleasant afternoon of browsing. The wharves and Thames Street have galleries, preppy sailing clothes and gifts, and Spring and Franklin Streets have antique shops.

Philadelphia has more range. You'll find brands and boutiques on Walnut Street, independent shops in Fishtown and Old City, Jewelers' Row and food gifts from the markets. The giant King of Prussia mall is half an hour away, and clothing is free of sales tax.

Newport is the more expensive of the two by some way, and most of the money goes on the room. Rates in town are high from summer into early autumn and climb further at weekends and during the festival weeks. On top of that you'll usually be paying for a car and for parking on most days. Prices fall markedly in late autumn and winter, so an off-season visit costs much less, and Middletown further up the island is the usual cheaper base.

Philadelphia is not cheap either, but its hotels charge ordinary American city rates, below what the bigger East Coast cities ask. Inside Center City you won't need a car, so there's no parking bill. Most of your spending will go on sit-down restaurants, where tax and tip come on top, and on full admission at the big art museums.

Newport's musical fame comes from a few summer weeks. The Jazz and Folk Festivals at Fort Adams are famous, and chamber music is played in the mansion ballrooms each July. The rest of the year there is little beyond bar bands.

Philadelphia has a full season all year. The Philadelphia Orchestra plays on the Avenue of the Arts, and there is opera and ballet at the 1857 Academy of Music, recitals by Curtis students and plays at the Walnut Street Theatre. Jazz clubs and indie venues fill the rest of the week.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, so for both it comes down to hotel spas. Newport is the more restful place, especially in May, June, September and October, when the Cliff Walk is quiet and the harbour is calm.

Philadelphia moves at a brisker city pace. Your quiet hours will be in its leafy squares, in the Society Hill courtyards or in the Wissahickon gorge, and the Korean-style bathhouses are out in the suburbs.