San Marino or Turin?

Neither city is on the coast, but San Marino is much closer to it. The long sandy beaches of Rimini and Riccione are a short drive down the mountain, with shallow water and rows of umbrellas, and they make an easy afternoon out in summer.

From Turin, the nearest sea is the Ligurian Riviera around Savona, the best part of two hours away, so swimming there means a full day trip. Locals cool off at lakes such as Avigliana instead, and that is the realistic option for visitors too.

Turin is one of Italy's great food cities. It offers agnolotti del plin, vitello tonnato, autumn truffles from the Langhe, Barolo and Barbaresco, vermouth, gianduiotti and bicerin in the historic cafés, plus the huge Porta Palazzo market. Eating well is a reason to go there.

San Marino's Romagna cooking is honest: piadina, passatelli, hand-rolled pasta and the republic's own Sangiovese. On the summit, though, many restaurants sell the view more than the food, and the good meals are down in Borgo Maggiore or over the border.

San Marino has one striking sight, which is the whole town itself. Its towers on the crest of Monte Titano, the Palazzo Pubblico and the story of a republic that has lasted for centuries are atmospheric, but most people have seen them in half a day.

Turin gives you several days of serious sightseeing. The Museo Egizio is among the most important Egyptian collections anywhere, and around it stand the Royal Palace, Palazzo Madama, the Shroud cathedral, the UNESCO-listed Savoy residences, the cinema museum in the Mole and contemporary art at Rivoli.

San Marino has almost nothing after dark. Once the coaches leave, you are left with dinner and a glass of wine on a terrace above the lights of the coast, and anyone wanting more drives down to the Riviera clubs.

Turin has a proper evening culture, though a relaxed one. It begins with a long aperitivo and moves on to wine bars in the Quadrilatero Romano, pavement crowds in San Salvario and, in summer, the riverside Murazzi. A few clubs in old industrial buildings stay open late.

Monte Titano gives San Marino cliff-edge views to the Adriatic and pleasant woodland paths between the towers and down to Borgo Maggiore, with quiet cycling roads in the Montefeltro hills beyond. It is gentle country for a morning outside.

Turin has the Alps on its horizon. The Gran Paradiso, with its ibex and high trails, the Susa valley and the Sestriere ski area are all close enough for a day trip, offering skiing in winter and hut-to-hut hiking and climbing in summer. Closer in, there are the Superga hills and the Mandria forest.

Both make good bases for day trips. San Marino's are hill towns and art cities: the fortress of San Leo, Renaissance Urbino, Gradara castle and Ravenna's mosaics. Almost all of them need a car, because the only regular bus goes down to Rimini.

Turin has a wider and easier choice. The Langhe wine villages and Alba are about an hour away, Milan is an hour by fast train, and Genoa, Aosta and the Sacra di San Michele all make a good day out. Good rail links mean you can do several of them without a car.

Children usually love San Marino's battlements and cable car, but the steep steps and summer crowds are hard work with a pushchair, and the real attractions for families are down on the coast: Fiabilandia, Italia in Miniatura, waterparks and shallow beaches.

Turin is easier with children day to day. Its flat, arcaded streets work well with pushchairs, and the glass lift in the Mole, the car museum, the mummies and Valentino park keep older children busy. The city has no zoo or theme park of its own, though Zoom Torino is about 45 minutes away.

San Marino's old town is tiny and car-free, but almost every street climbs, often by steps. Arriving without a car means the bus up from Rimini, and the villages and hill towns around it are hard to reach without one.

Turin is flat, laid out on a grid and covered by kilometres of arcades, so most sights are a pleasant walk apart. A driverless metro, trams and good intercity trains cover the rest, and a car only matters for the mountains and wine hills.

In San Marino, the main draw is lower-tax goods. Perfume, watches, leather and spirits cost less than over the border in Italy, and the streets are lined with shops selling them, alongside souvenir crossbows and the stamps and coins that collectors seek out. There is an outlet centre in the valley, but little in the way of crafts or independent design.

Turin has much more choice. Big labels line the arcades of Via Roma, smaller boutiques fill the Quadrilatero, and antique dealers cluster on Via Maria Vittoria. The Balon flea market runs on Saturdays, and the chocolate makers and delicatessens are the city's most distinctive shops.

Day-to-day costs are similar in both, at the moderate level of northern and central Italy, with Turin a little easier on the wallet. San Marino's summit charges extra for the view, while the trattorias lower down and the low-tax fuel and spirits are good value.

Turin's advantage lies in its habits. A generous aperitivo can replace dinner, the market food is cheap and you can walk most of the centre. Truffle season, fine dining and the big museums are where costs add up.

San Marino's stage is mostly its summer streets. The Medieval Days festival brings crossbow contests, flag-throwers and costumed musicians, and otherwise there is little beyond occasional concerts in a small theatre.

Turin has a full year-round season. There is opera and ballet at the Teatro Regio, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, concerts in the Lingotto auditorium, theatre at the baroque Carignano and long-running jazz and electronic festivals.

Neither has a bathing culture of its own, and in both the spas are mostly in hotels. Calm in San Marino depends on the hour: daytime is crowded around the towers, and the evening walks on the walls are peaceful once the day visitors have gone.

Turin's slower pace lasts all day. You can spend long breaks in historic cafés, walk under the arcades and by the Po, and take quiet afternoons in Valentino park. The thermal waters at Acqui Terme or in the Aosta valley take close to two hours to reach.