Pittsburgh or Savannah?

Pittsburgh is a river city where nobody swims in the rivers. The nearest sand is at Lake Arthur's modest reservoir beaches, three-quarters of an hour away, or at Presque Isle on Lake Erie, two hours north.

Savannah has Tybee Island half an hour east: wide, flat Atlantic sand with sea water warm enough for long summer swims. The water is murky with marsh silt and the town is unglamorous, but it is a real seaside day, which Pittsburgh cannot offer.

The two are about equal, but they eat very differently. Pittsburgh's food reflects its Central and Eastern European roots: pierogies, haluski and overstuffed sandwiches. It also has the Strip District's market street and chef-led kitchens in old Lawrenceville and East Liberty factory buildings, plus a solid craft-beer culture.

Savannah is Lowcountry through and through, with shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, oyster roasts and family-style platters passed down long tables. Its best restaurants occupy restored townhouses. Both cities thin out beyond their home cooking, so pick the one whose regional food appeals more.

Pittsburgh's sights are scattered institutions: the Carnegie museums in Oakland, the Warhol and the Mattress Factory on the North Side, and the Frick estate in Point Breeze. The best moment is the view of bridges and rivers from the top of the Mount Washington inclines.

Savannah gives the more rewarding sightseeing, because the whole town is the attraction. Oglethorpe's grid of moss-hung squares, the Federal and Regency houses, Factors Walk and Bonaventure Cemetery all fit into an easy walking day. The Telfair museums and the Owens-Thomas House add depth, even if their collections are smaller than Carnegie's.

Savannah makes the easier night out. Drinks are allowed in to-go cups across the historic district, so an evening drifts from River Street's cobbled bars to City Market's taverns and quiet townhouse cocktail rooms. St Patrick's Day turns the city into a huge street party.

Pittsburgh's evenings are spread across separate neighbourhoods: Lawrenceville's breweries, the South Side's student strip and the bars full of fans on game nights. These are good bars, but you need a ride to move between them.

Pittsburgh has the better outdoors. Wooded ravines run through Frick and Schenley parks, and you can paddle kayaks under the downtown bridges. Ohiopyle's whitewater gorge and the Great Allegheny Passage cycle trail are within reach, and autumn colour fills the ridges.

Savannah's landscape is flat salt marsh and tidal creeks, best seen from a kayak at high tide or a dolphin-watching boat. It is gentle and full of birds, but heat and insects close much of it from June to September.

Savannah has more good places within a day's drive. Charleston is two hours north, Beaufort and Hilton Head are about an hour away, and Jekyll and St Simons islands lie down the Georgia coast, so you could fill several days with historic towns and islands.

Pittsburgh has one outstanding outing: Fallingwater, combined with Kentuck Knob and Ligonier in the Laurel Highlands. After that the choice drops to the Flight 93 memorial and Old Economy Village. Both cities need a car for almost all of their day trips.

Pittsburgh is much better set up for children. The North Side alone has a science centre with a submarine, a children's museum and a walk-through aviary. Add the zoo, the aquarium, Phipps Conservatory for wet days and Kennywood's historic coasters, and a week passes easily.

Savannah offers milder treats: trolley tours, the free river ferry, ghost walks for older children and Tybee's sea-turtle centre. It has no big attractions to anchor a family stay.

Savannah is the easier city to get around without a car. The historic district is flat and compact, and almost everything you want sits a few shaded squares apart. A free shuttle and ferry cover the rest.

Pittsburgh's walkable core is small: downtown, the North Side and the Strip, linked by the T and the inclines. Oakland, Lawrenceville and Shadyside sit across hills and rivers, so most visitors use ride-hailing to reach them in the evening.

Neither city is a shopping destination, though Savannah browses a little more pleasantly. Broughton Street's restored storefronts, art-student work and antique dealers around the squares make for a nice afternoon, while River Street sticks to pralines and souvenirs.

Pittsburgh's appeal is the Strip District's food stalls and kitchenware, plus vintage shops on Butler Street. Big-brand shopping is out in the suburban malls.

Pittsburgh is the cheaper of the two. Hotel rooms, even downtown, cost well below the big tourist cities, and you can eat well and cheaply at the Strip District and in casual bars. Rides between neighbourhoods are the main extra cost.

Savannah charges popular-weekend rates for its historic-district inns, and spring and festival dates push them higher. Its best moments, walking the squares and Forsyth Park, cost nothing.

Pittsburgh has the more substantial year-round programme. The symphony plays at Heinz Hall, and the Benedum Center hosts opera, ballet and touring musicals. The Public Theater adds plays all year, the Hill District's jazz heritage survives in small clubs, and the city is linked to August Wilson.

Savannah depends on its seasons. The spring Savannah Music Festival fills theatres and churches, and an autumn jazz festival takes over Forsyth Park. Arrive outside those dates and there is little more than bar bands and buskers.

Neither city has a spa culture, but Savannah is the easier place to unwind. A bench under the oaks or a courtyard at a quiet inn on a southern square slows you down, as long as you avoid River Street weekends and summer humidity.

Pittsburgh offers hotel day spas, Phipps Conservatory's warm glasshouses and park paths. For a real retreat, you drive out to the Laurel Highlands resorts.