Seoul or Singapore?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Singapore does better. Sentosa's man-made beaches and breakwater lagoons are inside the city, the water is calm and warm in every month, and the sheltered Southern Islands are a short ferry ride away. The view of anchored tankers is part of the deal, and most visitors end up in the hotel pool anyway.

Seoul's nearest sand is an hour or more away on the Yellow Sea, at Eurwangni or Muuido. The tides there pull the water far out over mudflats, and the sea is only warm in late summer. In the hot months locals go to the outdoor pools in the Han River parks instead, and anyone who wants proper swimming heads for Busan or the east coast.

Both cities are excellent places to eat, but in different ways. Seoul goes deep into one cuisine and treats meals as social occasions. Pork belly sizzles on the table grill, stews arrive bubbling in stone pots, every dish comes with side dishes, and the evening carries on with soju at a tented stall. Its café culture in Seongsu and Ikseon-dong is a draw of its own.

Singapore's strength is range. A single hawker centre such as Maxwell or Tekka puts chicken rice, laksa, satay, roti prata and fish-head curry within a few steps of each other, so you can taste several of the city's cuisines in one meal. In Seoul, food from outside Korea is the weaker side.

Seoul has far more history to see. Five Joseon palaces stand against the mountains, Changdeokgung's secret garden and the Jongmyo shrine are both UNESCO-listed, the hanok lanes of Bukchon are still lived in, and the old Fortress Wall runs over the hills. The National Museum of Korea is reason enough for a full day. Between these sights, though, much of the city is postwar concrete.

Singapore's heritage is younger and more compact. The colonial Civic District, the National Gallery's Southeast Asian collection and the Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam quarters cover the essentials in two or three days. After that, the sights are the skyline and the Supertrees.

The gap here is wide. Seoul drinks late and in rounds, and the streets are still full at 3am. You can choose between indie clubs and buskers in Hongdae, international bars in Itaewon, dressed-up clubs in Gangnam, or tiny bars in Euljiro's old print-shop alleys, and most group nights end in a private karaoke room.

Singapore is a city for a well-made cocktail on a rooftop over Marina Bay or in a Keong Saik shophouse, followed by an early night. Alcohol taxes make every round expensive, the clubs around Clarke Quay are few, and the mood stays orderly.

Seoul is ringed by mountains, and hiking is a national habit. Bukhansan National Park lies within the city limits and its trailheads are reached by subway. Shorter climbs such as Inwangsan look down over the palaces, and cycle paths follow the Han River for many kilometres.

Singapore's green spaces are different in kind: real tropical rainforest at Bukit Timah and MacRitchie, with macaques and monitor lizards, wetland birds at Sungei Buloh, and the mangroves of Pulau Ubin by bicycle. They are good places, but there are few of them, the island is flat, and the heat limits walking to the early morning.

Seoul is much the better base for days out. You can take the subway to Suwon's walled fortress, join a tour to the Demilitarized Zone, ride the KTX to Jeonju's hanok quarter in about two hours, or spend a slower day on Ganghwa Island or Nami Island.

From Singapore the options are limited. Johor Bahru is just across the causeway, but the border queues eat into the day. The ferries to Bintan and Batam lead mainly to resorts, and Malacca really needs a night. Most visitors fly onwards rather than make day trips.

Singapore makes travelling with children easier. The Mandai parks, with the open-enclosure zoo, the Night Safari and the giant pandas, together with Universal Studios and the beaches on Sentosa, make for days that need almost no planning, and air conditioning and lifts make the heat bearable.

Seoul is also good for families, with Lotte World in the city, Everland and its safari an hour away, and playgrounds in the Han River parks. The culture is warm towards children. Its sheer size, crowded weekends and cold winters make it more work than compact Singapore.

Both cities have first-rate metros, and a car is pointless in either. In Seoul the challenge is distance. The city is enormous, crossing the river from the palaces to Gangnam can take a long time with changes, and local map apps work far better than international ones, so it is worth staying near the area you will use most.

Singapore is small enough that every journey is short, you can tap a bank card straight at the gates, and taxis are cheap for short hops. What limits walking there is the midday heat. In Seoul it is the wide roads, although the palace quarter is pleasant on foot.

Seoul gives shoppers more that they cannot find at home. Myeongdong is lined with Korean skincare shops, Dongdaemun's wholesale fashion malls trade through the night, Seongsu and Garosu-gil stock local designers, and Insadong sells celadon, hanji paper and tea. The best value is in mid-range fashion and beauty.

Singapore's Orchard Road has every international brand in a long line of cool malls, but they are much alike. Its more distinctive shopping is on a smaller scale: the boutiques on Haji Lane, the bookshops of Tiong Bahru, and gold, spices and Peranakan beadwork in Chinatown and Little India.

Seoul is clearly the cheaper of the two. Hotels are still the biggest expense, but guesthouses and business hotels keep the cost of a room reasonable, casual Korean meals and palace entry are modest, and a night of drinking costs no more than it would in Southern Europe.

In Singapore even plain mid-range rooms are among the costliest in Asia, drinks are heavily taxed, and the wildlife parks and Sentosa charge high entry fees. Eating at hawker stalls, riding the MRT and spending time in the free gardens keeps the daily bill down, but the room will still make up most of it.

Seoul has the larger and more distinctive stage life. The National Gugak Center stages traditional court music and dance, the Seoul Arts Center hosts the Philharmonic and opera, Hongdae's small clubs carry the indie scene, and the big K-pop concerts fill stadiums. Language is the catch: most of the plays in Daehangno's theatre district are in Korean, so visitors tend to choose the non-verbal percussion shows.

Singapore revolves around the Esplanade, where free outdoor performances by the bay make for an easy evening, along with the Symphony Orchestra's season and touring musicals at Marina Bay Sands. It makes a pleasant evening out, though rarely a reason to visit.

Seoul has a real bathing culture, which Singapore lacks. Its jjimjilbang bathhouses are open around the clock, with hot and cold pools, a vigorous scrub from an attendant, and heated clay and jade rooms where people lounge and even sleep. Temple stays and Insadong's teahouses offer quieter retreats.

In Singapore, relaxation means a hotel spa with a skyline pool, foot reflexology in Chinatown or Ayurvedic treatments in Little India. The best place to slow down there is the Botanic Gardens early in the morning.