Santa Barbara or Santa Monica?

Santa Monica has the better beach for a stay by the sea. Its very wide strip of pale sand runs the length of town with lifeguard towers and the path behind, and the Malibu coves at Zuma, El Matador and Point Dume add scenery a short drive north.

Santa Barbara's beaches are more scattered and smaller in scale: East and West Beach either side of Stearns Wharf, local favourites at Leadbetter and Arroyo Burro, and the shallow sands at Carpinteria. Its south-facing, island-sheltered shore gives gentler surf, but the water is cooler and the beach is part of town life rather than its centre.

The two eat on a similar level, and both lean on California produce and strong farmers' markets. Santa Barbara has the stronger local identity: spot prawns and sea urchin off the harbour boats, wine from the Santa Ynez and Santa Rita Hills poured in the Funk Zone tasting rooms, and old Eastside taquerias along Milpas Street.

Santa Monica is more of a restaurant town than a wine town, with seasonal Californian cooking, brunch and a good Italian and Japanese tier around Main Street and Montana Avenue, and Venice for something looser. Neither offers much cheap international food; in Santa Monica the immigrant kitchens of Los Angeles are at least within a long drive.

Santa Barbara has more to see, and the town itself is the reason. Rebuilt in Spanish Colonial Revival style after the 1925 earthquake, its centre of stucco, red tiles and courtyards leads to the Courthouse clock tower, the Old Mission and the Presidio, with two museums worth an afternoon each.

Santa Monica's own sights stop at the pier, its carousel and the Route 66 sign, plus the galleries of Bergamot Station. Its real cultural asset is borrowed: the Getty Center and the Getty Villa sit close by, but you are visiting Los Angeles rather than the town.

Neither is a place for a big night, and both are broadly level. Santa Barbara's evenings start in the Funk Zone tasting rooms and breweries and end early, with the student crowd taking over the lower blocks of State Street at weekends.

Santa Monica leans to rooftop bars with ocean views around the Promenade, British-style pubs on Main Street and a more local mix over in Venice. Its advantage is that Hollywood's clubs are reachable, if a long taxi ride away.

Both have mountains straight behind the sea, but Santa Barbara's outdoors runs bigger. The Santa Ynez trails at Rattlesnake Canyon, Seven Falls and Inspiration Point climb steeply to channel views, Los Padres National Forest offers proper backcountry, and Rincon and the Channel Islands extend things onto the water.

Santa Monica's strength is ease. Temescal Canyon and Topanga give good ridge walks, and the paved beach path of about 35km suits cycling and skating in a way Santa Barbara's shorter shoreline path does not.

Santa Monica has more variety within a day's drive. Malibu is close, Laguna Beach and Catalina lie south, and Los Angeles itself offers Pasadena's Huntington Library, Hollywood and downtown architecture, with Santa Barbara reachable to the north.

From Santa Barbara the standout is the Santa Ynez Valley, with its wineries, Danish-founded Solvang and the missions at Santa Inés and La Purisima. After Ojai and Ventura the choice thins out, and Los Angeles is far enough to deserve its own stay.

Santa Monica is the easier pick with children. The wide lifeguarded sand, the pier's Ferris wheel and roller coaster, the carousel and the small aquarium beneath the pier sit within a few minutes of each other, and Universal Studios and Disneyland are within a day's reach.

Santa Barbara is gentler and quieter, with a small hillside zoo, touch tanks at the Sea Center, the MOXI science museum and calm water at Carpinteria. It lacks rides of any kind, though its clean, safe streets will appeal to parents bothered by the homelessness around downtown Santa Monica.

Santa Monica is a little easier without a car, mainly because the E Line light rail runs from near the pier into downtown Los Angeles and the blue buses cover the town. Hollywood, the Getty Center and the canyons still mean ride-hailing or a rental and slow freeways.

Santa Barbara's flat downtown along State Street and its shoreline path are pleasant on foot or bike, and the coastal train arrives near the beach. Beyond that the Mission is uphill and the wine country, Ojai and outlying beaches really need a car.

Santa Monica offers more range. The Promenade and Santa Monica Place handle mainstream shopping, Montana Avenue and Main Street add boutiques and surf shops, and Abbot Kinney in Venice brings design-led labels, with Rodeo Drive nearby.

Santa Barbara is smaller and prettier to browse: galleries and boutiques around the fountain courtyards of La Arcada and the paseos, and upmarket shops on Coast Village Road in Montecito. Its best purchases are wine and market produce.

Both are expensive and close to identical in cost, so neither is a budget choice. In Santa Barbara the beachfront and Montecito rooms carry the highest prices, and the relief comes from staying in Goleta or Ventura and coming midweek or in the cooler months.

Santa Monica adds parking and car hire to the bill, but its cheap buses and light rail make staying a little inland on the Westside workable. In both, the beaches and trails are free.

Santa Barbara has the stronger stage for a small city. The restored Granada hosts symphony, opera and ballet, the Lobero offers chamber music and jazz, the Santa Barbara Bowl draws touring bands to a canyon setting, and the Music Academy of the West fills summers with concerts.

Santa Monica's own offer is modest: the Broad Stage, small playhouses, folk rooms and free summer concerts on the pier. The Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall are its real attractions, each a long drive across the city.

The two are broadly level, and neither has a bathing tradition. Santa Barbara's restorative side is its unhurried pace, with resort spas in Montecito, a hike to small hot pools in the hills and Ojai's long-established spa resorts an hour away.

Santa Monica is more active about it, with yoga on the sand, juice bars and morning runs along the ocean, and a daily sunset over the bay as the closest thing to a ritual.