I am planning a round the world trip and can't decide whether to stop in Los Angeles or San Francisco. Can you help me make up my mind? Danny Mason, Newcastle

Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds: LA is fabulous for a stopover ­ all freeways and fads, bling and Botox ­ and as long as you hire a car, it is a huge amount of fun. I'm biased (I used to live there), but stroll an afternoon away beside the clifftop palms at Santa Monica, or look out to Tinseltown at its most twikliest, from the Griffiths Park Observatory at night, and you'll see what I mean.

Be sure to visit the new Getty Centre, try a different kind of stargazing in Beverly Hills and Hollywood, and take in the beaches at Venice, Malibu, and Huntington.

Most people, however, would lobby for San Francisco. It's certainly the more beautiful of the two cities, with its famous steep streets, vast bay and, of course, the mesmerising Golden Gate Bridge. In contrast to LA, it has compact areas that are good for exploring on foot, with charming cable cars if you get tired. Get a flavour at the terrifically tacky Fisherman's Wharf (also the jump-off point for a boat trip to Alcatraz) and nearby Chinatown.

You should also visit the stunning Museum of Modern Art. San Francisco is just about the most liberal town in America, birthplace of Californian cuisine and a wonderfully successful melting pot too.

How do you solve this dilemma?

Well, why not visit both? It shouldn't cost any more flightwise, to land in LA and leave from SF, and there is no drop-off charge if you hire a car and drive up the super scenic Pacific Coast Highway between the two. It's worth setting aside a couple of days for the drive and three days for each city.

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