St. Petersburg, Florida or Clearwater?

These two share the same stretch of Gulf coast with the same fine white sand and calm, shallow water, so the beaches themselves are almost a match. The difference is where you sleep. In Clearwater you stay on the barrier island, with Pier 60 and its sunset crowds on the doorstep and the wilder sands of Caladesi and Honeymoon Island just to the north.

St. Petersburg's downtown faces the bay, so the sand is a short trip west. It offers more variety once you're there: broad St. Pete Beach, the old village of Pass-a-Grille and the wilder park beaches of Fort De Soto at the mouth of Tampa Bay.

Both cities eat the same Gulf staples, such as grouper sandwiches, smoked fish spread and stone crab, in waterfront fish shacks. Clearwater stops there, with a beachfront dominated by chains and tourist grills and a meal at the Greek tavernas of Tarpon Springs as its best outing.

St. Petersburg goes further. The Grand Central and Edge districts on Central Avenue add modern American kitchens, brunch places and a few ambitious chef-led restaurants, and the city's many small breweries are its real draw. That craft beer and better cooking are exactly what Clearwater's own visitors drive down to find.

This is where the two differ most. Clearwater has a restored 1920s theatre and a few older buildings on its downtown bluff, and little to fill even a morning.

St. Petersburg is where people go for art. The Dalí Museum's glass-bubble building on the waterfront holds the largest collection of his work outside Spain, with the Museum of Fine Arts, the Western art museum and the Chihuly glass nearby, plus murals across the Central Arts District. It is two or three days of sights rather than a great art capital, but it is a world away from Clearwater.

Both cities start the evening by watching the sun set over the Gulf from a tiki bar, and neither has much clubbing. Ybor City in Tampa is where both send anyone who wants a rowdy night.

The difference comes after sunset. Clearwater stays a resort night of cover bands and drinks by the water, livelier only when the spring crowds arrive. St. Petersburg has a proper downtown strip on Central Avenue, with rooftop terraces, cocktail bars and taprooms close enough to wander between.

The outdoors is much the same in both: flat mangrove coast, dolphins in the bays, manatees in winter, and the Pinellas Trail for easy cycling. Clearwater's wild spaces are the state parks on Caladesi and Honeymoon Island, with ospreys and pine flatwoods. St. Petersburg's are the paddling trails of Weedon Island and Shell Key and the birding at Fort De Soto, which suit kayakers slightly better.

The two share one menu of outings, so in effect each is the other's best day trip. From Clearwater the pull is south to St. Petersburg's museums, with Tarpon Springs' Greek sponge docks only a short hop north. From St. Petersburg, Tampa's Ybor City and Sarasota's Ringling are closer, and Anna Maria Island's old beach villages are within reach. In both cases a car is close to essential.

Clearwater suits small children a little better, mostly because the favourite outings are close to where you stay. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a rescue centre for dolphins and sea turtles, is the big draw. Separately, dolphin-watching and pirate-themed boat trips leave from the marina, and the hotels and condos come with pools and kitchens.

St. Petersburg has Great Explorations, a hands-on children's museum, and Gulf beaches that are just as gentle. The aquarium, though, is a drive of about 40 minutes north. Busch Gardens and the Florida Aquarium in Tampa make a similar day out from either base.

Both are car country beyond a small walkable core, so the real question is which core you want. Clearwater's is the beach island itself, with a trolley down to Sand Key and a ferry to downtown. St. Petersburg's is its downtown, where the pier, the museums and Central Avenue sit close together, with a rapid bus out to St. Pete Beach. That gives it a slightly better case for managing a few days without a car.

Neither is a shopping destination, and for brand names and department stores both send you to the Tampa malls. Clearwater offers little beyond beachwear and souvenir strips, with Tarpon Springs sponges as the local buy.

St. Petersburg gives you more reason to browse. Vintage and record shops, local boutiques and galleries selling glass and prints line the Grand Central District, and the Saturday Morning Market runs through the winter season.

Costs are much the same, with American resort prices, tips and tax on meals, and the highest room rates in the late-winter and spring peak. Where you save differs slightly. In Clearwater it is a mainland motel or a condo kitchen. In St. Petersburg it is staying downtown rather than on the sand, though museum admissions and a hire car add to the bill.

Clearwater's stage is mostly for visiting productions. Ruth Eckerd Hall takes touring rock and pop acts, comedians, Broadway tours and orchestral concerts. The restored 1920s Capitol Theatre downtown holds smaller shows, and the beach bars fill in with cover bands and acoustic sets.

St. Petersburg has more of its own. A professional regional theatre company performs in the city. Alongside the waterfront Mahaffey Theater there is a former church used as an intimate concert hall and an open-air courtyard for rock and indie bands, so a few evenings out can each be quite different. The Florida Orchestra serves the whole bay area and plays in both cities. For opera and ballet, you cross to Tampa's large performing arts centre from either base.

Clearwater's calm comes from being a low-rise resort and retirement town: hotel pools, long lunches, early nights and evenings by the marina. Spring break weekends are the exception. St. Petersburg's quiet is spread across separate spots, from the sleepy streets of Pass-a-Grille to the shaded parks downtown, and its yoga studios add to the resort spas both cities offer.