Pittsburgh or St. Augustine?

There is no contest here. People kayak on Pittsburgh's rivers but do not swim in them, and the nearest beaches are a small lake shore in Moraine State Park or the sand of Presque Isle on Lake Erie, two hours north.

St. Augustine has miles of wide, pale Atlantic sand on Anastasia Island, from the dunes of the state park down to quieter Crescent Beach, all within a quarter of an hour of the old town. From late spring to autumn the water is warm and shelves gently, so swimming is easy.

Pittsburgh has more to eat and more variety. The Italian grocers and Asian markets of the Strip District, the pierogies and haluski left by its Central European families, and the chef-led kitchens in Lawrenceville and East Liberty will fill several days of good meals, with local breweries alongside.

St. Augustine is a seafood town: shrimp, oysters and fried fish by the water, with the fiery Minorcan datil pepper as its signature. It is enjoyable for a few days, but the tourist places on St. George Street dominate and there are only a few serious restaurants.

St. Augustine has the edge for anyone who likes history they can walk through. Its Spanish colonial lanes, the coquina star fort and Flagler's Gilded Age hotels form one compact townscape that has no equal in the country, and two or three days covers it.

Pittsburgh's sights are larger but further apart: the Carnegie museums and the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland, the Warhol Museum on the North Side, and the view of its bridges from Mount Washington. It suits museum-goers better than people who want to wander old streets.

Neither is a clubbing destination, but Pittsburgh gives you more choice for an evening out. Butler Street in Lawrenceville has cocktail bars and breweries, East Carson Street on the South Side is a loud student strip, and game nights fill the bars with fans in black and gold.

In St. Augustine an evening means a drink on a courtyard patio in the old town or at a beach bar on the island, and most places close early.

Pittsburgh is the better base for active days. It has wooded ravine trails in Frick and Schenley parks and riverside cycling in town. Beyond the city lie the Laurel Highlands, with whitewater rafting at Ohiopyle and the Great Allegheny Passage cycle trail, all at their best in autumn.

St. Augustine's outdoors are flat and full of water: salt marsh, dunes, paddleboarding on the lagoon and kayak trips past dolphins and ospreys. They are gentler, and the summer heat pushes outings into the early morning.

Both have a modest list of day trips, and both need a car. Pittsburgh's best outing is to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob in the Laurel Highlands, with the Flight 93 memorial further on. St. Augustine's trips mostly follow the coast, from Jacksonville and Amelia Island to the long but popular drives to Kennedy Space Center and the Orlando parks.

Both work well with children, in different ways. Pittsburgh has more indoor attractions: the Carnegie Science Center, the Children's Museum, the National Aviary and the dinosaur halls, plus the wooden coasters of Kennywood. They are handy on a wet day, but they are spread across a hilly city.

St. Augustine is about outdoor days and the beach: the Alligator Farm, cannon firing at the fort, a lighthouse to climb and gentle surf, all close together. The summer heat can wear small children out.

Pittsburgh is a little easier without a car. Downtown is walkable, the T light rail crosses to the North Side and the inclines climb Mount Washington, though reaching the outer neighbourhoods means taking a bus or a ride-hailing car. St. Augustine's historic district is flat and quick to cross on foot, but the beaches and the lighthouse need a car, a bike or a taxi, and the local buses are of little use to visitors.

Neither is worth the journey for shopping. In Pittsburgh the best browsing is food and kitchenware in the Strip and the independent and vintage shops on Butler Street, with Walnut Street for boutiques. St. Augustine offers galleries and antique dealers around Aviles Street, plus datil-pepper sauces that make better souvenirs than the fudge and T-shirt shops of St. George Street.

Pittsburgh is the cheaper stay. Hotels, even downtown, cost well under what the coastal cities charge, and meals and beer are fairly priced, except on big game weekends.

St. Augustine's historic inns and hotels within walking distance of the old town are in high demand, and weekend and peak-season rates climb steeply. Travellers on a budget there rely on highway motels, midweek visits and the free beaches.

Here Pittsburgh is far ahead. Its Cultural District has the Pittsburgh Symphony in Heinz Hall, plus opera, ballet and touring Broadway shows at the Benedum Center. There are plays all year round and a jazz heritage tied to the Hill District of August Wilson's plays.

St. Augustine's main stage is the open-air Amphitheatre in the woods on Anastasia Island, which hosts touring rock, country and folk acts, and acoustic sets play on the bar patios. For opera or an orchestra you would have to go to Jacksonville.

St. Augustine is the easier place to unwind, though in both cities rest comes from the setting rather than from any bathing culture. In Pittsburgh it means a massage at a hotel or day spa, an hour in the warm glasshouses of Phipps Conservatory or a quiet walk in Frick Park. A proper spa stay means driving an hour and a half to the resort hotels of the Laurel Highlands.

St. Augustine's spas are just as limited, but the town itself slows you down. You can sit on the veranda of an old-town B&B, read in a walled courtyard garden or stroll along the bayfront seawall in the evening. It is calmest midweek, away from the busy long weekends.