Pittsburgh or Portland, Maine?

Neither city is a swimming destination, but Portland at least has the ocean nearby. Crescent Beach, Higgins Beach and Pine Point are wide stretches of sand a short drive south, and Old Orchard Beach adds a pier and arcades. The catch is the cold Gulf of Maine water, so most visitors walk and wade rather than swim.

Pittsburgh's three rivers are for kayaks and rowing boats, not swimming. The nearest beach is a small strip of sand on Lake Arthur, about 45 minutes away, and the best sand in the region is at Presque Isle on Lake Erie, two hours north.

Portland eats better, and food is a reason to go there in its own right. Seafood leads: lobster rolls at harbour shacks, Maine oysters at the raw bars and chowder everywhere, plus chef-run kitchens cooking local farm and fishing produce. Its breweries around East Bayside and Industrial Way are a draw in themselves.

Pittsburgh's cooking is heartier and comes from its immigrant past: pierogies, haluski and sandwiches with the fries stacked inside. The Strip District market street is a great morning out, and Lawrenceville and East Liberty have serious modern restaurants. Both have narrower menus than the big coastal cities, but Pittsburgh has no equivalent to Portland's seafood.

Pittsburgh has far more to see. Industrial fortunes paid for the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, the Frick estate and the Heinz History Center. The Warhol Museum and the Mattress Factory add modern art, and the Cathedral of Learning's Nationality Rooms are unlike anything else. The view from Mount Washington over the bridges is the city's best sight.

Portland's sights are pleasant and quickly done. There are the brick warehouses of the Old Port, rebuilt after the fire of 1866, and the Winslow Homer collection at the Portland Museum of Art. Longfellow's childhood home and Portland Head Light round out a day or two.

Both are bar towns with no real club scene, but Pittsburgh offers more variety and stays open an hour later. You can choose between Lawrenceville's cocktail bars and dives on Butler Street, the student pub crawls on East Carson Street, and bars full of fans in black and gold on game nights.

Portland's nights centre on the compact Old Port. There are oyster and cocktail bars, a few rowdier bars on Fore and Wharf Streets, and brewery taprooms that fill up early in the evening. It suits good drinks after dinner, and it gets quiet midweek in winter.

The two are about equal outdoors, with water in different forms. Pittsburgh offers rivers and wooded hills: ravine trails in Frick and Schenley Parks, kayaking under the downtown bridges, and whitewater rafting and waterfalls in Ohiopyle State Park. The Great Allegheny Passage cycle trail starts right in the city.

Portland's outdoors is the sea. There are island walks and cycling on Peaks and Chebeague, sea kayaking and whale-watching from the harbour, and clifftop rambles at Two Lights. For real mountain hiking you need to drive two hours to the White Mountains.

Pittsburgh has one outstanding day out: Fallingwater, paired with Kentuck Knob and the fort town of Ligonier in the Laurel Highlands. The Flight 93 memorial and Old Economy Village add a few more, but beyond that you mostly find farmland and forest.

Portland has more choice because the coast is a chain of towns. Kennebunkport, Ogunquit's cliff path and colonial Portsmouth lie to the south. Freeport, Bath's shipyards and the windjammer harbour at Camden lie to the north. From either city you will want a car.

Pittsburgh does more for children. The North Side alone has a science centre with a submarine, a children's museum and a walk-through aviary. On top of that come famous dinosaur halls, a zoo and aquarium, and Kennywood's wooden roller coasters for summer days. The hills and distances mean a car helps.

Portland is easy and low-key with children. The island ferries, tide pools around the lighthouses and Old Orchard's seaside rides keep them busy. It has no zoo or big aquarium, though, and family visits only really work in summer.

Both have a walkable core and need a car beyond it, but the cores work differently. Portland's peninsula holds nearly everything a visitor wants, from the Old Port to the West End and Munjoy Hill, all on foot. Ferries go to the islands and a train runs to Boston.

Pittsburgh's downtown is compact, with bridges to the North Side, the T light rail and the inclines up Mount Washington. Oakland, Lawrenceville and Shadyside are spread across hills and rivers, though, so evenings out usually mean a ride-hailing car.

Neither is worth a trip for shopping, but Portland has the more distinctive things to take home. The Old Port boutiques sell Maine-made pottery, woollens and art, and the Freeport outlets around L.L.Bean are good for outdoor gear.

Pittsburgh's browsing is more about food and neighbourhood shops. You will find stalls and kitchenware in the Strip District, vintage clothes on Butler Street and boutiques on Walnut Street, but no local crafts, and the big-brand shopping is in the suburban malls.

Pittsburgh is clearly cheaper. Hotel rooms, including downtown, cost far less than in the coastal cities, and casual meals and beer are fairly priced. Only big football and concert weekends push rates up.

Portland is expensive to stay in, especially in July, August and on autumn-foliage weekends, and a seafood-led trip makes eating out costly. Seafood shacks, brewery food trucks and visits outside the summer bring the bill down a long way.

Pittsburgh's stage scene is in another league. The symphony plays in the gilded Heinz Hall, and the Benedum Center hosts opera, ballet and touring Broadway shows. The city also has the theatre legacy of August Wilson and the jazz heritage of the Hill District, plus indie bands in Lawrenceville.

Portland offers a good evening rather than a season. There is its own symphony at Merrill Auditorium, plays at Portland Stage, touring bands and folk acts at the State Theatre, and outdoor concerts in summer.

Neither has a bathing culture, but Portland is the easier place to unwind. A ferry to a quiet island, dusk on the Eastern Promenade or a cold sea dip followed by a waterfront sauna all set a gentle pace.

Pittsburgh's quiet corners are Phipps Conservatory's warm glasshouses and the paths of Frick Park. For a proper spa stay, you drive to the resorts of the Laurel Highlands.