Niagara Falls or Washington DC?

Neither is a beach destination, but Niagara Falls at least has proper sand within reach. Crystal Beach and the Lake Erie shore near Port Colborne, about half an hour south, have soft sand and shallow water that suits children on a summer afternoon.

Washington's nearest sand is on the Chesapeake around Annapolis, an hour away, where the beaches are small and brackish. The real Atlantic shore is a weekend away, so most visitors settle for a hotel pool.

Washington is the far better place to eat. Its Ethiopian restaurants around Shaw and U Street, pupusas in Columbia Heights, the half-smoke and summer blue crabs give it real character, and Eastern Market and Union Market make easy places to graze.

In Niagara Falls the town itself means steakhouses and chain diners along Clifton Hill. The good eating is in the wineries to the north, where seasonal produce, icewine and cool-climate Riesling make a fine lunch but not a food trip.

At Niagara Falls, culture fits around the water. Someone with an interest in history can spend an afternoon on the War of 1812, at Brock's Monument on Queenston Heights, the Laura Secord Homestead in the village below and the Lundy's Lane battlefield in town. That is about the extent of it. There is no major museum or gallery, and Clifton Hill is entertainment rather than heritage.

In Washington, culture is the main reason to go. The Smithsonian museums and the National Gallery of Art range from dinosaurs and spacecraft to African American history and European painting. Because nearly all of them are free, you can visit several in a day rather than having to choose one. The Capitol, the White House and the Lincoln Memorial stand between them, so even walking from one museum to the next is sightseeing. Only the older streets of Georgetown and Capitol Hill are quiet by comparison.

An evening at Niagara Falls is the illuminated falls, summer fireworks over the gorge, then the casinos or the sports bars and pubs of Clifton Hill, and it goes quiet in winter.

Washington has a real bar scene driven by young staffers and students. There are cocktail bars and rooftops along 14th and U Streets, a rowdier late strip in Adams Morgan, dive bars on H Street and the long-standing LGBTQ+ scene around Dupont Circle, liveliest from Thursday to Saturday.

Niagara Falls has the stronger landscape, because the landscape is the whole point. The Horseshoe Falls up close, by boat or through the tunnels behind the water, then the Niagara Glen, the Whirlpool and the riverside trail through the gorge, make a spectacle Washington cannot match.

Washington is green for a capital, with Rock Creek Park, the C&O Canal towpath and its own smaller Great Falls of the Potomac half an hour upriver. Shenandoah's ridge hikes are further out, around two hours away.

Both have good days out, but Washington has more of them. From Niagara Falls the highlight is Niagara-on-the-Lake and its wineries, with Toronto a train ride away and Buffalo across the border for anyone with a passport.

Washington's surroundings are packed with American history: Old Town Alexandria by Metro, Mount Vernon, Baltimore by train, and the Civil War battlefields at Gettysburg, Antietam and Harpers Ferry. Philadelphia is a long but rewarding day by fast train.

Both work well with children, but Washington holds them for longer. The dinosaurs at Natural History, the rockets at Air and Space and the National Zoo are free, and the Mall gives them a huge lawn with a carousel.

Niagara Falls gives children a more thrilling first day, with boats into the spray, tunnels behind the water and the arcades and mini golf of Clifton Hill. It has no zoo or theme park, though, so a few days covers it, and the paid attractions add up fast.

Washington is much easier to get around without a car. The Metro covers most sights as well as Arlington, Alexandria and the airport, and bike-share docks link the monuments, though Georgetown needs a bus or a walk.

At Niagara Falls the promenade, the hotels and Clifton Hill are walkable and joined by the Falls Incline Railway, and visitor buses run along the parkway to the gorge and Queenston. Beyond that the town sprawls, and the wineries are far easier by car, bike or tour.

Washington has the better shopping, though neither city is a reason to go for it. Georgetown's M Street mixes chains with independent boutiques and antique shops, Eastern Market has weekend craft stalls, and the Smithsonian shops are good for books and prints.

Niagara Falls offers maple syrup and ponchos on Clifton Hill, but its real strength is the outlet centres, where Canadian and American brands sell at discount. Icewine is the souvenir worth packing.

Niagara Falls is the cheaper trip overall, though not a cheap one. Meals are ordinary chain-restaurant fare, so eating out does little damage. The money goes on the paid attractions, from the boats at the foot of the falls to the haunted houses of Clifton Hill, which add up quickly for a family. A room overlooking the falls in high summer is also a real expense.

Washington turns that round. The sights cost nothing, since the Smithsonian museums, the National Gallery, the zoo and the Capitol tours are all free. Instead the money goes on beds and dinners. Rooms are dear all year and dearer in cherry blossom season, while restaurants, cocktails and tipping make every evening costly. Staying across the river in Arlington helps.

Washington has much more to see on stage. It has a proper classical season with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera, theatre from Arena Stage and the Shakespeare Theatre Company to Ford's Theatre, and touring acts at the restored Lincoln and Howard theatres on U Street.

Niagara Falls itself offers casino shows, tribute acts and dinner theatre. Its one serious draw is the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, twenty minutes away, whose long repertory season is reason enough for a theatre lover to stay a few nights.

Neither has a bathing tradition, and in both, wellness mostly means hotel spas. The difference is in the setting. At Niagara Falls the best way to unwind is a massage at a wine-country inn after a day of tastings, or the slower pace of Niagara-on-the-Lake. In Washington it is quiet green spaces such as the Dumbarton Oaks gardens, the National Arboretum and an early walk around the Tidal Basin.