I have been to both in the last year and enjoyed the visits. That said, I am a Charleston fan. I love everything about that city. I would allocate no less than three days for a first time visit to Charleston. Do a Gullah tour. For Savannah I think you cheat yourself with anything less than two...better to do three there, too. Do a walking tour. You will find both have wonderful restaurants, interesting architecture and great historical interest. Enjoy your visit.

I seem to remember you plan to visit both.

I agree with cmfong. You need at least 3 in each city, more if you plan to visit plantations or beach areas. The drive between the 2 takes you near Beaufort, which is also worth a visit.

Take a guided tour first thing in each. That will help you get acclimated, learn some history, and decide what areas you want to revisit. Carriage tours are popular here in Charleston, as are walking tours.

I agree with the above. We are west coast people, but we've visited Charlston twice and Savannah once. I think we stayed 2-3 nights in both places, but spent the entire tome in the city. Thought the boat cruse along Savannah was a drag.

Stu Dudley

Charleston, hands down.

I've been to both, and I much prefer Charleston.

Ditto, Sue's suggestion of a stop in Beaufort which is between the two cities. It has a very charming historical district and some excellent restaurants.

I would spend most of my time in Charleston. If I had a week I would stay there 5 nights and 2 in Savannah. Beaufort is a great city to stop for a few hours and have lunch. Charleston has outstanding hotels and restaurants in the HD. Same goes for Savannah. Enjoy your visit.

Thanks for your advice. I hope this trip works out so we can see both cities and lots of other places.

I live in SC four hours away from both Charleston and Savannah. I've been to both dozens of times. I prefer Charleston. The historic section is more contingous. The waterfront is more interesting and shopping is better!

No contest: Charleston.

I've been to both and would be hard-pressed to choose one over the other -- both are wonderful to visit.

I spent three very full sightseeing days (included the Ashley River Road plantations on one of those days) in Charleston and two very full days in Savannah. If you choose to see some further outlying attractions in addition (Cypress Gardens, Boone Hall, etc. for Charleston and the three nearby forts for Savannah), I'd say add an extra day to each.

Savannah, hands down.


Not really, but just wanted to say that.

They are both wonderful. Very much alike but also different. I like them both but prefer Savannah. This is an age-old question and I doubt there will ever be a definitive answer and/or agreement.

"The historic section is more contingous. The waterfront is more interesting..."
I think this is very important. In Charleston, you do the waterfront and the adjacent historic district. If you do the same in Savannah, you get the somewhat tacky River Street, perhaps City Market (that isn't much better) and miss the wonderful part of Savannah = strolling the squares and enjoying the best of Savannah. If "seeing Savannah" is just a stroll along River Street and within a block or two of it, then go to Charleston. If you want to see more than that, you'll like Savannah.

I've been going to Savannah for decades and have never taken a river cruise. I've ridden the new(ish) water taxi and enjoyed the views from there.

If you want a great intro to the magic of Savannah and her squares, take a ramble with Dirk of Savannah Rambles. He is an amazing guide.


I think the "right" answer to the OP's question is to do both Charleston and Savannah if possible.

Hi, starrs, you know I totally agree. Both are so great and, since they are only 100 miles apart, there's no reason for people not to visit both and decide for themselves. Taking guided tours in both really help visitors know what they're looking at! I hope the OP finds a way to do both.

They are both wonderful. If you have time, you should go to both...they are only 2 hours apart. We did 2 days in Charleston and 2 days in Savannah for a longish weekend from Charlotte, and that was fine to get a feel of each city.

The natural beauty in Savannah is astounding. I think it is the prettiest city in the US and really underrated. The parks every other block or so are stunning. It had a much more eclectic and laidback feel than Charleston. I am an artist, and the Savannah appealed more to that side of me. The riverfront is touristy and a little tacky -- we walked through it once but spent the rest away from that.

The food seemed more traditionally southern here than in Charleston -- this is a strange gripe, but service in Savannah is SO SLOW. Truly, it was mind boggling, happened at every single restaurant or bar we went to, and became infuriating for me coming from the city. Such a weird thing to comment on but by the end of the trip I was losing my mind with the service, though it's a good reminder to relax and enjoy the southern pace of life.

Charleston's beauty is really in it's homes and architecture. I love architecture so I really enjoyed a tour of the city we did, learning about the style of the buildings and the history of the city. I find Savannah more aesthetically pleasing from a nature standpoint and Charleston from a city/building standpoint. The food in Charleston is fantastic -- great Southern food but also some really contemporary options. The food in Charleston and Savannah is so heavy but in Charleston you can find some delicious, lighter options, which was a plus.

In a nutshell, both are just wonderful! I preferred Charleston a little bit for some reason, but think Savannah is a much more beautiful city.

I visited both for the first time this time last year. I spent 4 days in Charleston and 3 days in Savannah.

My clear favorite was Charleston. The waterfront, the water fountains, the HD , the food, the history, the 'feel' , the Historic homes tour, the flowers, the carriage rides, the window boxes..well I could go on and on.

Savannah was lovely, but did not really care for the River front 'shopping' (I use that term loosely), the market was not terrific. I did enjoy viewing the older homes, I liked the squares but did not find them as inticing as I thought they would be. Oveall it just seemed not as alive as Charleston was.

I loved everything about Charleston but still am glad that I saw Savannah. It was a wonderful trip and I have wonderful memories of both places.

Aside from the historical significance of the River Street buildings in Savannah, you could just skip River Street and not miss a thing. The real beauty of Savannah is in her squares, and to me, the marsh areas around the city to the east and southeast.

I lived in Savannah but we had weekend escapes to Charleston--more really good dining, much better shopping. The cities are each beautiful in their own way and appeal to different people. My brother far preferred Savannah with all the trees and plantings in the squares. If I could only pick one, though, it would be Charleston.

By the way, I could watch that river cruise leave its dock each day and never had the slightest interest in taking it!! The port is...well it's a port, in all it's ugliness and I can't imagine dining on that boat for any reason...but people did! Now the ships that come into that port are pretty amazing, and it's fun to catch sight of one of them while you are on River Street. Well, I guess that's one other reason to go to River Street, although you can't be guaranteed a ship sighting while there.

I'd take 3 days at least for Charleston, and two for Savannah.

I currently live in Savannah and I think it depends on what type of vacation experience you want. Both cities are rich with history and culture. Savannah is smaller and has a smaller 'downtown' feel to it. If you are wanting a relaxing stroll in the city, Savannah can provide this with the quaint downtown area and numerous parks throughout the city. Charleston offers more variety of food and shopping as well as a much larger downtown. Savannah offers Tybee Island as its main beach destination; it has a small beach town feel to it. Charleston offers a wider variety of beaches but, keep in mind with larger beaches comes larger crowds!
I would suggest spending time in both cities, and deciding which one you prefer! Both will provide an exciting and relaxing vacation!

Both are great, but Charleston deserves more time than Savannah. To get the most out of your visit to Savannah, take one of the narrated tours and for a perfect trip, take a look at Beaufort on your drive between the two. (Beaufort is 70 miles south of Charleston, and 43 miles north of Savannah.)

HTTY

Charleston...more to do, more beautiful and better restaurants. savannah is nice but Charleston really outshines it, IMO!