Seattle or Sonoma?

Neither is a beach destination, but Seattle at least lets you swim. In July and August, Lake Washington warms enough for lifeguarded beaches such as Madison Park and Matthews Beach. Alki and Golden Gardens add sandy strips on the Sound for bonfires and sunsets, even if the salt water is too cold for more than a paddle.

In Sonoma, swimming means a hotel pool or a drive to the gravel beaches of the Russian River. The Bodega Bay coast is well over an hour away and too rough and cold to swim in.

These two are about equal for eating well, but in very different ways. Seattle offers range: oysters, Dungeness crab and salmon from Pike Place Market, a serious coffee culture, craft beer, and strong Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and Korean cooking across the city and suburbs.

Sonoma has a narrower focus. Wine is the point, from old-vine Zinfandel to Carneros Pinot Noir, and it comes with seasonal Californian cooking in a small cluster of restaurants around the plaza and in Glen Ellen. Come for long lunches with a good bottle, not for a different cuisine every night.

Seattle gives you more to see, although almost all of it is modern. The Space Needle, the Museum of Pop Culture and Chihuly glass sit at Seattle Center, with the Burke Museum's Northwest Coast art and the huge Museum of Flight further out. Together they fill two or three days.

Sonoma's history is older but smaller. It covers the plaza of the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt, the last Franciscan mission in California, General Vallejo's house and Jack London's ruined Wolf House. That makes a good half day rather than a reason to go.

Seattle has a real night out, centred on Capitol Hill's Pike and Pine streets. Cocktail bars, dive bars, dance floors and the LGBTQ+ scene fill them most nights, and Ballard's taprooms and Belltown's clubs add more, even if last call comes at 2am.

In Sonoma, the evening is dinner, perhaps followed by a glass in a wine bar or saloon on the plaza. After that the town is silent, and anyone wanting more has to drive to Santa Rosa.

Seattle has the bigger outdoors. Mount Rainier's glaciers and meadows are about two hours away, and the Cascade trails and ski slopes start within an hour. The Olympic rainforest lies across the Sound, and closer in you can kayak on Lake Union or watch for orcas from the ferries.

Sonoma's landscape is gentler: vineyards between two low ranges, with redwood groves at Sugarloaf Ridge and trails starting near the plaza. Quiet roads for cycling and balloon flights at dawn suit an easier pace, and the coast and Point Reyes are about an hour away.

Sonoma is the better base for days out, mainly because San Francisco is about an hour away. Napa, Yountville and Healdsburg are just as handy, though apart from the city most outings are another wine town, and they need a car.

Seattle's best excursions go by water. Ferries run to Bainbridge Island, Whidbey Island and the Victorian port of Port Townsend, and Tacoma's glass museum is an hour south. Vancouver and Leavenworth are too far for a comfortable day.

Seattle is much easier with children. Woodland Park Zoo, the waterfront aquarium, the Pacific Science Center and the Museum of Flight cover several days, and the monorail and ferries count as outings too. Steep hills and wet months are the drawbacks.

Sonoma is calm and safe, but it is built for adults tasting wine. A miniature railway park and an African wildlife park near Santa Rosa are about all there is, which is why many families make San Francisco their base instead.

In Seattle you can manage without a car for most of a stay. Link light rail runs from the airport through downtown to Capitol Hill, and one tap card also covers buses, the monorail and the water taxis. You only really need to drive for the national parks.

Sonoma's plaza is walkable, but the wineries, parks and coast are spread across the valley, and the local buses are little help. Plan on a hire car, a driver or a tour, or a bike for the wineries nearest town.

Seattle has more variety. Department stores and big outdoor gear stores fill downtown, Capitol Hill has vintage clothes and record shops, Fremont and Ballard have independent boutiques, and there are luxury malls across the lake in Bellevue.

Sonoma's shopping is a stroll round the plaza arcades. It is good for kitchenware, olive oil, cheese and wine bought direct from the cellar door, but there is almost no fashion.

Both are costly. Seattle is the gentler of the two, because public transport saves on cars, and teriyaki shops, food halls and Pike Place counters keep some meals cheap. Staying near the light rail outside the centre helps too.

Sonoma has few rooms, priced for wine-country weekends, and tasting fees add up quickly, on top of the car or driver you will need anyway. To save, budget travellers sleep in Santa Rosa or Petaluma and picnic among the vines.

Seattle has a full programme all year. Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet share McCaw Hall, the symphony plays at Benaroya Hall, and the 5th Avenue and Paramount stage musicals. The live music runs deepest of all, rooted in Hendrix and grunge and played in clubs most nights.

Sonoma's stage is mostly a summer affair: Broadway-style concerts in the ruins at Jack London park and concerts at wineries. The Green Music Center, half an hour away, is the one serious venue for classical music.

Sonoma is the more restful choice, and it has something Seattle lacks: natural hot mineral springs at Boyes Hot Springs on the edge of town, which feed a historic resort spa with day passes. Calistoga's mud baths are about an hour away, though almost everything comes at resort prices.

Seattle relies on hotel spas and Korean-style bathhouses in the suburbs. It rests you in a different way, with slow mornings in coffee houses and walks through the Japanese Garden.