Toronto or Montreal?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Toronto has more shoreline to enjoy. The ferry to the Toronto Islands takes you to sandy beaches at Centre Island, Ward's Island and Hanlan's Point with the skyline behind them, and Woodbine Beach in the east end has a long boardwalk. The catch is that the lake can turn cold overnight.

Swimming in Montreal is more makeshift. There is a supervised beach on a filtered lake at Parc Jean-Drapeau and a small river beach in Verdun, and the wider shore at Oka is about an hour away.

Montreal has a food identity of its own, and that puts it ahead. Wood-fired bagels, smoked meat, poutine and spring sugar-shack feasts sit alongside bistros that cook game and offal in the French way. The bring-your-own-wine restaurants of the Plateau and Little Italy make dinner feel distinctly local.

Toronto's strength is range rather than character. You can eat in the Spadina Chinatown, at Greek tavernas on the Danforth and at Cantonese, Hakka and Sri Lankan places out in Scarborough and Markham. Apart from the peameal bacon sandwich, though, there is no local cuisine to look for.

Montreal has the history that Toronto largely lacks. The cobbled streets of Old Montreal, the blue and gold interior of Notre-Dame Basilica, Pointe-à-Callière on the founding site and the dome of Saint Joseph's Oratory give you a city with centuries behind it. The Museum of Fine Arts leads its collections.

Toronto is a city of museums in a mostly modern setting. The Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario, with its Group of Seven paintings, are both substantial. The Distillery District and Casa Loma are pleasant, but they do not add up to a historic core.

Montreal stays out later and has more energy. Bars serve until 3am and students fill them every night of the week. Boulevard Saint-Laurent runs from cocktail bars to clubs, and in summer there are after-hours parties and outdoor dance events on Île Sainte-Hélène.

Toronto's nights are spread across neighbourhood strips: cocktail bars on Ossington, dressy clubs on King West and the gay village on Church Street. They are good, but last call comes at 2am and the city empties soon after.

Montreal has a mountain in the middle of town. Mount Royal's wooded park, lookout and skating lake sit right beside downtown, cycling along the Lachine Canal is easy, and you can even surf a river wave below the Lachine Rapids. The lakes, forests and ski slopes of the Laurentians are about an hour and a half away.

Toronto's green spaces lie lower. Its best are the ravines along the Don and the Humber, the oak savannah in High Park and the Scarborough Bluffs. The Niagara Escarpment offers rocky hiking an hour out, but real wilderness such as Algonquin is a weekend away.

The two are evenly matched for outings, and each has one obvious headline. From Montreal it is Ottawa by train, with Parliament and the national museums. The villages and covered bridges of the Eastern Townships make a gentler alternative, and Quebec City is better kept for an overnight stay.

From Toronto it is Niagara: the Falls, then Niagara-on-the-Lake and its wineries, all in one long day. Stratford's Shakespeare season comes second. Montreal's choices lean towards countryside, while Toronto's centre on one big sight.

Toronto gives children a little more. The aquarium's shark tunnel, the glass floor of the CN Tower, a zoo big enough for a full day and the old-fashioned rides at Centreville cover most ages. Canada's Wonderland adds proper roller coasters.

Montreal is close behind. The Biodome, Insectarium and Botanical Garden are grouped at the Olympic Park, the Science Centre is in the Old Port and the Expo 67 amusement park is on the islands. Its harder winter makes cold-season trips with small children more of an effort.

Montreal is the easier city to get about. Its central neighbourhoods, from Old Montreal to Mile End, are close enough to walk, or to cycle on separated bike lanes. The four-line metro reaches the main sights, the Olympic Park and the islands.

Toronto's downtown grid is easy to walk, and the PATH keeps you out of the winter weather much as Montreal's underground network does. Beyond the core, though, a few subway lines and slow streetcars mean long rides to the zoo or the suburban food plazas.

Toronto has the larger shopping scene. International fashion houses line Bloor Street through Yorkville, and the Eaton Centre and Yorkdale gather the big brands under one roof. Queen West, Ossington and Kensington Market supply Canadian designers and vintage.

Montreal is better for browsing than for serious buying. It has the department stores on Rue Sainte-Catherine and independent boutiques in Mile End and Saint-Henri. Its best souvenirs are made in Quebec: ice cider and maple products from the markets, and Inuit art from specialist galleries.

Montreal is the cheaper of the two, though neither is a bargain. Hotels still cost what they do elsewhere in North America. Much of the best eating is casual, though, from bagels and smoked meat to market food. Bring-your-own-wine restaurants cut the cost of drinks, and many summer festival concerts are free.

Toronto's downtown hotels and sit-down restaurants cost more, especially during the September film festival. You save there by eating at suburban dumpling houses and roti shops and by walking the ravines and the Islands.

Both cities have a full arts calendar, but they differ in language and form. Montreal's specialities are French-language theatre and contemporary circus, with the National Circus School and TOHU. Each summer the International Jazz Festival fills the Quartier des Spectacles with free concerts, and Place des Arts houses the symphony, opera and ballet.

Toronto is the place for English-language drama and big musicals at the Royal Alexandra. It has opera and ballet at the Four Seasons Centre and concerts in the old hall at Massey Hall. Its clubs play everything from indie to Caribbean and African music most nights.

Montreal is much the better city for slowing down. The Nordic spa is a local habit here, with hot pools, saunas and cold plunges taken even in snow. There are circuits on Nuns' Island and on a ferry moored in the Old Port, and forest spas in the Laurentians an hour north. In summer, picnics in Parc La Fontaine set an easy pace.

Toronto has hotel and day spas around Yorkville and a few Korean-style bathhouses in the suburbs. For a Nordic circuit you have to drive into the countryside, and the city's everyday pace is busier.