Niagara Falls or Pittsburgh?

Niagara Falls has the better swimming, though only by comparison. The river itself is off limits, but the sandy, shallow Lake Erie beaches around Crystal Beach and Port Colborne are about half an hour away and make a good summer afternoon for families.

Pittsburgh's rivers are for kayaking, not swimming. The nearest beach is a small reservoir strand at Lake Arthur, and Presque Isle's proper lake sand is two hours' drive away.

Pittsburgh is the better place to eat. It has a cooking tradition of its own, with pierogies and haluski from its immigrant past, sandwiches stuffed with fries, and the Strip District's grocers and market stalls. Lawrenceville and East Liberty add chef-led restaurants and craft breweries.

Niagara Falls has no local cuisine, and meals in town mean chains and steakhouses on Clifton Hill. Its real asset is outside town: winery restaurants, summer fruit stands and icewine in the wine country to the north.

The gap here is wide. Pittsburgh's steel fortunes paid for the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, the Gothic Cathedral of Learning with its Nationality Rooms, and the Frick estate. The Warhol and the Mattress Factory on the North Side add modern art, and the view of the bridges from Mount Washington is a sight in itself.

In Niagara Falls, the falls are the sight. The rest is the War of 1812 at Queenston Heights and Lundy's Lane, plus early power stations, while Clifton Hill's wax museums are entertainment rather than heritage.

Pittsburgh offers a better night out because it has real neighbourhoods to drink in. There are cocktail bars and breweries along Lawrenceville's Butler Street, student bars on East Carson Street, and packed pubs on game nights.

Niagara Falls is a resort strip after dark. You get the illuminated falls and summer fireworks, then casinos, sports bars and a few dance floors on Clifton Hill, and it all goes quiet in winter.

Niagara Falls has the more spectacular nature, and it starts in the middle of town. You can take the boats into the spray, walk the tunnels behind the water, scramble down the Niagara Glen to the rapids and watch the Whirlpool turn the current back on itself. The riverside trail is a fine bike ride, and the Bruce Trail begins at Queenston.

Pittsburgh's appeal is greener and more spread out. There are wooded ravines in Frick and Schenley Parks and kayaking under the bridges. The whitewater and waterfalls of Ohiopyle are an hour and a half away, and the Great Allegheny Passage starts right in the city.

Niagara Falls has the stronger list of day trips, and they are close. Niagara-on-the-Lake and its wineries are twenty minutes away, Toronto is reachable by train, and Buffalo's early skyscrapers and Wright houses are just across the border if you bring a passport.

Pittsburgh has one outstanding outing: Fallingwater, which pairs with Kentuck Knob and Ligonier in the Laurel Highlands, plus the Flight 93 memorial. Beyond those the list thins, and almost every trip needs a car.

Both cities work well with children, but in different ways. Niagara Falls gives them one big thrill, the boat into the falls and the tunnels behind them, plus Clifton Hill's arcades and mini golf. It is all within a compact area you can manage with a pushchair, though a few days is enough.

Pittsburgh has more to fill a longer stay: the Science Center, the Children's Museum, the National Aviary, the dinosaur halls, a zoo and aquarium, and Kennywood's wooden roller coasters. The catch is that it is spread over hills that are tiring without a car.

Niagara Falls is easier for a visitor. The falls promenade, the hotels on the bluff and Clifton Hill are all walkable and linked by the Falls Incline Railway, and visitor buses run up the parkway to Queenston. You only need a car or bike for the wineries.

In Pittsburgh, a walkable downtown and the T to the North Side cover the core. But Oakland, Lawrenceville and Shadyside depend on commuter buses or ride-hailing, and the hills slow you down on foot.

Neither is a shopping destination, but they offer different things. Niagara Falls is about souvenirs and big outlet centres selling discounted brands, with icewine the one local product worth packing. Pittsburgh is more independent, with Strip District stalls, vintage and design shops on Butler Street, and the boutiques of Walnut Street in Shadyside.

Costs come out much the same, but the pressure points differ. In Niagara Falls, the price depends on season and view: falls-view rooms are dear in summer, winter is cheap, and paid attractions add up for families, though watching the falls is free. Pittsburgh is consistently reasonable for an American city, but expect tips and taxi rides between neighbourhoods, and higher hotel rates on big game or concert weekends.

Pittsburgh has much more on stage. The symphony plays in Heinz Hall, the Benedum Center hosts opera, ballet and touring musicals, and there are plays year-round, plus jazz rooted in the Hill District of August Wilson's plays and indie bands in Lawrenceville.

Niagara Falls itself offers casino shows and tribute acts. Its one real asset is the Shaw Festival's repertory season in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which theatre lovers should plan around.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, so relaxing comes down to hotel spas in both. Niagara Falls has the edge in setting, with spa inns in the wine country and the slower pace of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Pittsburgh's calmest spots are Phipps Conservatory and the park trails, and a proper spa stay means a drive to the Laurel Highlands.