Philadelphia or Wilmington?

Neither city is on the open sea, but the gap is large. Philadelphia's beaches are on the Jersey Shore, at least an hour and a quarter's drive away. The water is warm enough to swim only from late June to early September, and summer weekends bring heavy traffic, so for most visitors the beach is an optional excursion.

Wilmington has Wrightsville, Carolina and Kure beaches within about half an hour, ranging from polished to quiet, with warmer water and a longer swimming season. Here the beach can be the point of the trip, though you should expect summer parking hunts and rip currents on rough days.

Philadelphia eats better and more widely. Beyond the cheesesteaks and roast pork sandwiches of Reading Terminal Market and the Italian Market, it has chef-run dining rooms where you bring your own wine, and good Mexican and Vietnamese cooking in East Passyunk and Fishtown.

Wilmington's strengths are narrower: local shrimp, flounder and oysters, vinegar-sauced whole-hog barbecue and a handful of modern Southern restaurants downtown. There is little international cooking, though both cities share a serious taste for craft beer.

Philadelphia holds some of the most important places in American history, including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, as well as a world-class art collection at the Barnes. Add oddities like the Mütter Museum and Eastern State Penitentiary, and four or five days of sightseeing pass easily.

Wilmington offers atmosphere more than landmarks: live oaks and antebellum houses in a large historic district, the Bellamy Mansion, and the Battleship North Carolina across the river. Two or three days cover it.

Both cities close their bars at 2am and neither has much club life, but Philadelphia has more neighbourhoods to drink in. There are warehouse bars and beer halls in Fishtown and Northern Liberties, cocktails around Rittenhouse Square and the long-established Gayborhood. Wilmington's evenings centre on Front Street downtown and on summer beach bars, busy at weekends and quiet midweek out of season.

Wilmington's outdoors are wetter and more unusual. You can kayak to undeveloped Masonboro Island, surf or paddleboard off Wrightsville, and see Venus flytraps growing wild in Carolina Beach State Park. In summer you pay for it with humidity and marsh insects.

Philadelphia has more green space within the city itself, notably the wooded Wissahickon gorge and the Schuylkill River Trail for cycling. The Poconos are at the edge of a day's reach. Neither city has real mountains nearby.

Philadelphia sits on the Northeast rail corridor, so New York, Baltimore and Washington each make a day out by train. Lancaster's Amish country, Gettysburg, Valley Forge and Longwood Gardens add plenty more.

From Wilmington the outings are smaller and nearly all by car: Southport and the ferry to car-free Bald Head Island, the earthworks of Fort Fisher, and the old towns of New Bern and Beaufort. They make pleasant days, but they are not a reason to base yourself there.

Philadelphia has the edge for families through its museums, which work in any weather or season: the Franklin Institute, the Please Touch Museum for under-eights, the dinosaurs at the Academy of Natural Sciences and the country's oldest zoo. Wilmington is the easier summer choice for children who love the beach, with the Carolina Beach boardwalk, the aquarium at Fort Fisher and rental houses near the sand, but it depends on the weather and on the car.

Philadelphia's centre is a flat, walkable grid. SEPTA's subway, trolleys and regional rail, including the airport train, cover most of the rest without a car. Wilmington's historic district and riverwalk are easy on foot, but the beaches are 15km or more away and buses are sparse, so a hire car is practically essential.

Philadelphia has more range. There is Walnut Street around Rittenhouse Square, independent shops in Old City and Fishtown, and Jewelers' Row. The huge King of Prussia mall is half an hour away, and clothing carries no sales tax. Wilmington is better for browsing than for serious shopping, with antiques, bookshops and galleries on Front Street and in the Cotton Exchange, and surf wear in the beach towns.

Overall the two cost about the same, but the money goes on different things. In Philadelphia, hotels and sit-down dinners are the big costs, while the founding sights are free and bringing your own wine keeps dinner cheaper. In Wilmington, off-season rooms are reasonable, but beachfront stays cost much more in summer and a hire car is an extra you cannot avoid.

Philadelphia is a true music city. It has a leading orchestra on the Avenue of the Arts, opera and ballet at the 1857 Academy of Music, and recitals by Curtis Institute students. There is also the country's oldest working theatre, along with jazz clubs and indie venues.

Wilmington's scene is active for its size, centred on the restored Thalian Hall and summer concerts by Greenfield Lake. It will fill an evening, but you would not plan a trip around it.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, and in both a spa means a day spa or a hotel spa. Wilmington is the easier place to unwind thanks to its slow pace and calm evenings on the waterfront. Philadelphia moves faster, and for quiet you go to its leafy squares, the Wissahickon gorge or the Korean-style bathhouses in the suburbs.