St. Petersburg, Florida

A chain of barrier islands runs along the Gulf just west of the city, and its beaches are the main reason many people come. St. Pete Beach and Pass-a-Grille have wide, fine white sand and calm, shallow water. Fort De Soto's park beaches at the mouth of Tampa Bay feel wilder, and Clearwater Beach and the ferry-only sands of Caladesi Island are within about 40 minutes to the north.

From late spring to autumn the Gulf is bath-warm, around 30°C at its peak. In January and February it drops to about 18°C, cool enough that many visitors only paddle. Downtown is on the bay rather than the open Gulf, so a beach day means a short drive or bus ride west. Summer brings afternoon thunderstorms, and now and then red tide algae spoils a stretch of shore for a while.

Eating here is relaxed and casual, built around Gulf seafood. Grouper sandwiches, smoked fish spread and stone crab claws in season are the local staples, served in waterfront fish shacks on the beaches and in the old fishing village of Pass-a-Grille. Downtown and the Grand Central and Edge districts along Central Avenue have a solid range of modern American kitchens, brunch spots and a few ambitious chef-led restaurants.

The craft beer scene is the real strength, with many small breweries and taprooms across the city. Tampa's Cuban sandwiches and the Spanish and Cuban cooking of Ybor City are close by. What the city lacks is a cuisine of its own with real depth, so serious food travellers will find it pleasant rather than memorable.

The Dalí Museum is the cultural anchor: the largest collection of Salvador Dalí's work outside Spain, in a striking building of concrete and a glass bubble on the downtown waterfront. Close by are the Museum of Fine Arts, with a broad collection in a Palladian-style building, the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art, the Chihuly Collection of glass and a museum given over to the American Arts and Crafts Movement.

Beyond the museums there is less. The historic fabric is mainly 1920s boom-era Mediterranean Revival buildings, such as the pink Don CeSar hotel on St. Pete Beach. Outdoor murals cover walls across downtown and the Central Arts District. Two or three days covers the sights comfortably.

Evenings centre on Central Avenue downtown, where cocktail bars, sports bars, rooftop terraces and brewery taprooms are close enough to walk between. It is a relaxed, mixed crowd, livelier at weekends and in the winter season. The beaches add open-air tiki bars where the night starts with sunset over the Gulf.

Clubbing is limited. Anyone after a bigger, rowdier night usually heads across the bay to Ybor City in Tampa, about 40 minutes away. For most visitors, going out here means a few drinks and a late dinner rather than dancing until dawn.

The landscape is flat, subtropical and dominated by water: Tampa Bay, the Gulf, and mangrove-lined backwaters between the islands. Kayaking and paddleboarding are the best ways to see it. Weedon Island Preserve and Shell Key have paddling trails through the mangroves, where dolphins, rays, wading birds and, in winter, manatees are common. Fort De Soto adds coastal trails and good birding, and fishing charters and sailing leave from the city marinas.

The Pinellas Trail, a long, paved former rail line, makes cycling easy, and the downtown waterfront parks are lined with banyans and palms. Winter is the season for being outdoors. Summer heat, humidity and daily storms push activity into the early morning, and there are no hills to hike.

Tampa, across the bay, is the obvious outing, for the cigar-factory streets of historic Ybor City, the riverwalk and the Moorish-style minarets of the old Tampa Bay Hotel. Sarasota, about an hour south, has the Ringling, a circus magnate's Venetian-Gothic mansion, art museum and circus museum on the bay. Tarpon Springs, about 45 minutes north, is a Greek sponge-diving town with docks and bakeries unlike anywhere else in Florida.

Anna Maria Island's old-fashioned beach villages are within an hour. Orlando's theme parks are about two hours away, at the limit of a day. Beyond that, the region is mostly suburbs and beach towns that look alike, so a week brings only a few distinct trips.

For a family beach vacation the area works very well. The Gulf beaches have gentle surf and shallow water that suits small children, and beachfront resorts and condos are set up for families. Great Explorations, a hands-on children's museum, is in the city. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium, known for rescued dolphins and sea turtles, is about 40 minutes north.

Across the bay in Tampa are Busch Gardens, with roller coasters and African animals, the Florida Aquarium, ZooTampa and a science museum. Orlando's theme parks are close enough for a long day or a split stay. The drawbacks are practical: most outings mean driving, and summer heat and afternoon storms make the middle of the day hard work with young children.

Downtown is compact and pleasant on foot, with the waterfront parks, the pier, the museums and Central Avenue all close together. A downtown trolley loop and a rapid bus line to St. Pete Beach cover the core and the most popular stretch of sand, and bike lanes and the Pinellas Trail make cycling practical in cooler months.

Beyond that, this is car country. The other beaches, Fort De Soto, Tampa's attractions and every day trip are far easier with a hire car or ride-hailing, and buses elsewhere are slow and infrequent. Many visitors who stay on the beaches drive everywhere.

Shopping here is mostly independent and small-scale. Central Avenue and the Grand Central District have vintage and record shops, local boutiques, and galleries selling glass and prints by local artists. The Saturday Morning Market downtown, held in the winter season, mixes produce, crafts and food stalls. Beach towns add swimwear and souvenir shops.

There is no luxury street or major department store in the city. For brand names and designer shops, visitors drive to the big malls in Tampa, about half an hour away.

This is a US beach destination with US prices. Restaurant meals cost more than in most of Europe once tax and tips are added, and beachfront hotels charge their highest rates from February to April, when northern visitors arrive. Most visitors also need a hire car and pay for parking at the beaches.

Summer and early autumn are noticeably cheaper, if hot and stormy. Staying downtown or a little inland rather than on the sand also helps. The museums charge standard American admissions, while the beaches, parks and waterfront are free.

The Mahaffey Theater on the downtown waterfront is the main stage. It hosts the Florida Orchestra, which splits its seasons across the bay area, as well as touring shows. A professional regional theatre company, a restored former church used as an intimate concert hall, and an open-air courtyard venue for rock and indie bands round out the programme. Live music in bars is common, especially at weekends.

For opera, ballet and big Broadway tours, visitors usually cross to Tampa's large performing arts centre, about 30 minutes away. It is a reliable, modest scene that fills an evening rather than one to plan a trip around.

There is no bathing tradition here. Wellness means resort spas, chiefly at the large historic beach hotels, plus day spas and yoga studios downtown. What the place does offer is pace: sunset-watching is a nightly ritual on the beaches, Pass-a-Grille's quiet streets stay sleepy, and the waterfront parks downtown are easy places to sit.

Winter, with warm days and low humidity, is the most restful time to come. In summer, heat and storms make the best way to unwind an early swim and an afternoon indoors.