St Andrews or York?

St Andrews has real beaches on its doorstep. West Sands is a broad strand backed by dunes, East Sands by the harbour is sheltered enough for children, and Castle Sands sits under the cliffs, all within walking distance of the centre.

York is inland, so the seaside means an hour's train ride to Scarborough's two bays, or further to Filey and Whitby. That makes it a day out rather than part of daily life. Both coasts face the same cold North Sea, so swimming is a short, bracing affair either way.

The two are broadly level, but the flavour differs. St Andrews leans to the sea, with East Neuk crab and lobster, harbourside fish and chips in the villages, smoked fish and the town's beloved ice cream parlours. York is a city of tearooms and pubs, with afternoon tea, fat rascals, Yorkshire ale, Sunday roasts and the stalls of the Shambles Market. Neither offers much international range, and both are quieter at dinner than at lunch.

York has far more to see. The Minster, with its medieval glass, nearly three miles of walkable walls, Jorvik on its excavated Viking street, the abbey ruins in the Museum Gardens and the vast National Railway Museum easily fill two or three days.

St Andrews has a smaller, more focused heritage: the ruined cathedral and St Rule's Tower, the castle's siege tunnels, the medieval university quadrangles and the golfing landmarks. It is charming, but a day or two covers it.

Both are pub towns, but York has much more of it. Its centuries-old inns along Stonegate, Micklegate and the river make for a proper ale crawl, there are cocktail bars and a few small clubs, and race days and weekend crowds keep things lively. Leeds is half an hour away for serious clubbing.

St Andrews depends on its students. Outside term, which is when most visitors come, the town is quiet early, and a real night out means a trip to Dundee or Edinburgh.

The outdoors is about equally good in both, but the settings are very different. St Andrews is all coast: the Fife Coastal Path past sea stacks and caves, wading birds on the Eden estuary, and seals on the shore beyond Tentsmuir's pines, much of it reachable on foot or by bike.

York sits on flat farmland with riverside paths and the Strays close at hand. Its big landscapes, the heather of the North York Moors and the limestone of the Dales, lie further out and really need a car.

York has the edge, mainly because of its railway. Durham, Harrogate, Leeds, Beverley and Scarborough are all easy train rides, and Castle Howard, Fountains Abbey and the moorland abbeys are close by road or coach tour.

St Andrews is a good base too, with the East Neuk harbours, Falkland Palace and Dundee all close. Edinburgh is a full day out by bus and train, though, and without a car the trips to the castles and palaces need careful planning around buses.

York keeps children busier. They can walk among real locomotives at the National Railway Museum, see the Vikings at Jorvik, explore the Victorian street in the Castle Museum and walk the walls, and older children enjoy the ghost walks.

St Andrews offers a gentler few days: sandcastles and rock pools, the small aquarium, the boating pond and miniature railway at Craigtoun Park, and the putting green by the Old Course. The wind can cut beach days short, and there is no big family attraction to fall back on.

Both are a pleasure on foot, and in neither do you need a car in town. York has the advantage of a station just outside the walls, on a main line with fast trains in several directions, and its flat centre is easy to cycle.

St Andrews has no station of its own, so arriving by rail means a bus or taxi from Leuchars, about 8km away. Inland, both depend on a hire car or a tour, because the rural buses are sparse.

York offers more. Stonegate, Petergate and the Shambles are lined with independent bookshops, jewellers and antiques dealers, Coney Street has the familiar chains, and the Christmas markets are a reason to visit in their own right.

St Andrews fills a pleasant afternoon on its three main streets. Golf gear and Old Course souvenirs are the speciality, along with cashmere, tartan and bookshops, but serious shoppers go to Edinburgh.

Neither is cheap, but York is the easier one to do on a budget. Staying midweek or just outside the walls cuts the cost of a room, and the National Railway Museum, the walls and the Museum Gardens are all free.

In St Andrews, rooms are scarce and priced for golfers, and they climb further in tournament and graduation weeks. A round on the famous courses adds a large cost. Staying in the East Neuk villages is the usual way to save.

Live performance in St Andrews follows the university. The Byre Theatre and the recitals in the chapel and concert halls are at their fullest in term and thin out in the summer break, which is just when most visitors arrive. For opera or an orchestra, you go to Edinburgh or Dundee.

York is livelier, with a steadier programme through the year and a broader one. The Grand Opera House brings touring musicals and comedy of a size the Byre does not take, and the Theatre Royal's annual pantomime is a fixture of the city's winter. Neither place has an orchestra of its own, but only York has the medieval Mystery Plays, revived from time to time and performed on wagons in its streets.

The two are level, and the difference is in the kind of rest. St Andrews offers sea air, long walks on West Sands, spas at the golf resorts and the local habit of cold dips off East Sands. York's own centre is restful mainly early in the day, but Harrogate is half an hour away by train, where the Victorian Turkish baths at the Royal Baths give you a proper day of bathing.