Savannah vs Charleston: which Southern city should you visit?

22.07.2024 - 12:02 / lonelyplanet.com / Bill Murray

Jul 22, 2024 • 7 min read

It's hard to find two more beautiful cities in the USA than Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina.

The proximity – roughly two hours apart by car – and similar historic character of these popular Southern gems have led to many comparisons, but if you've only got limited time, how do you choose which one to visit? In a friendly spirit of competition, we asked two travel writers to make the case for the place they love the most. Let's see how the two cities stack up.

A native of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and resident of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Jesse Scott has visited Charleston dozens of times through the decades. He has written extensively on the city as well as the state of South Carolina for Lonely Planet.

Charleston has been a regular family destination for this East Coast lifer since I was a time, and now, at 38 years old, my wife and I return, often with friends in tow, at every possible moment. Sure, the origins of its "Holy City" moniker are ingrained in its steeple-loaded skyline, but more than 350 years into its existence, it is true heaven on every cultural level.

In a nod to Savannah's baseball team, picking the Georgia city over Charleston would be, well, bananas. Fun fact: Charleston's RiverDogs are co-owned by native/icon/general man of awesomeness, Bill Murray, who is the team's – wait for it – Director of Fun. Building on Murray's title, Charleston is fuuuuuuuuuun (nine more Us worthy than Savannah). It's a true college town done right: townies and tourists mesh beautifully with the population of College of Charleston for a nonstop, Southern-charmed buzz. The never-ending landscape of rooftop bars, a mix of historic and contemporary inns, cobblestone streets, palmettos and posh boutiques only complete the vibe. It's best on display during the SEWE wildlife festival where, among other things, the DockDogs Competition involves adorable sporting dogs jumping and flying through the air as far as they can, before splashing down into pools below.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Savannah is loaded with visible history. But understand that Charleston is a city of so many firsts and bests, which make it that much more special. At Fort Sumter looming off its coast were the first shots of the Civil War. On the site of the Country Club of Charleston, the country's first golf club was born. It's a blast to stroll and bike over the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the country.

And, somehow, someway, we have made it this far without addressing Charleston's OMG-worthy culinary scene. Holy City is widely regarded as "the food capital of the South." This is the birthplace of sherry-dashed, cream-alicious she-crab soup as well as Planters Punch, a