Agra or Darjeeling?

Neither city has open water to swim in. In Agra the Yamuna is a backdrop to the Taj rather than a place to bathe, so a hotel pool is the realistic option, and a welcome one in the hot months. Darjeeling sits on a cool mountain ridge above fast, cold valley rivers, so any time in the water belongs to another part of the trip.

The two eat about equally well, but in very different styles. Agra cooks in the Mughlai tradition of kormas, kebabs and tandoor breads. It is at its best in the old bazaars, with bedai and jalebi for breakfast near the Jama Masjid and chaat in Sadar Bazaar in the evening, and petha is the sweet to take away.

Darjeeling's food comes from the hills: momos, thukpa and sel roti in small kitchens around Chowk Bazaar. Above all there is the tea itself, which you can taste flush by flush on the Mall or at an estate. In both towns the choice narrows quickly beyond this, and neither suits anyone looking for fine dining.

Agra pulls well ahead here. The Taj Mahal alone justifies the journey. Agra Fort, the Baby Taj and Akbar's tomb at Sikandra add a run of Mughal monuments that very few cities in India can match.

Darjeeling's heritage is gentler and more mixed. It has the UNESCO-listed toy train looping round Batasia, the old monastery at Ghoom, St Andrew's Church and the mountaineering museum linked to Tenzing Norgay. That makes two or three pleasant days of wandering, but nothing there stops you in your tracks the way the Taj does.

Both towns are asleep by late evening, and for the same reason: an alarm set before dawn, for the Taj in one and for Tiger Hill in the other. The difference is the setting. In Agra the evening drink is on a hotel rooftop facing the dome in warm air, while in Darjeeling it is in an old pub by the fire, with the streets outside cold and quiet by around ten.

Darjeeling is the place for landscape. Kangchenjunga fills the sky on clear mornings, and the tea terraces and rhododendron forest begin at the edge of town. The Singalila Ridge is a proper multi-day trek through red panda country, with views of four of the world's five highest peaks.

Agra is flat and dusty, and its greenery is limited to the Mughal gardens and the riverside at Mehtab Bagh. Its strength is wildlife: the winter birds at Keoladeo and the gharials and river dolphins of the Chambal are worth the trip for nature lovers. There is nowhere to hike.

Agra has far more within a day's reach. Fatehpur Sikri, an entire abandoned Mughal capital about 40km away, pairs easily with the Bharatpur wetlands or the water palaces of Deeg. Mathura and Vrindavan offer Krishna's temples and ghats, and Gwalior's hilltop fort is a train ride to the south.

Darjeeling's outings are to smaller hill towns much like itself: Kurseong with its schools and tea estates, Mirik with its lake, and Kalimpong with its monasteries across the Teesta. They are pleasant places, but the winding roads make for slow days, and they offer a change of mood rather than new sights.

Darjeeling is the easier of the two with children, though neither is simple. The cool air, the zoo and the toy train win children over. The steep steps, the long drive up that often brings on car sickness and the cold dawn outings mean it suits older children better than toddlers.

Agra has little for children beyond the monuments, and the heat, chaotic traffic and touts at the gates wear families down. Older children may love the scale of the Taj and the fort ramparts, and the bear rescue centre on the Mathura road is a real highlight. Still, most families keep the stay short and spend the afternoons by the pool.

Neither is a walking town, but for different reasons. Agra's sights are spread across a flat, congested city with few pavements, so app taxis, auto-rickshaws or a car and driver for the day do the work. The last stretch to the Taj is on foot, by electric cart or by cycle rickshaw. Arriving is easy by train from Delhi into Agra Cantt.

Darjeeling has a pleasant car-free centre around Chowrasta and the Mall, but everywhere else means steep lanes, long flights of steps and shared jeeps in slow traffic. Simply getting there takes three hours or more by road from Siliguri, Bagdogra or New Jalpaiguri.

Both suit a shopper with a clear aim rather than someone browsing for fashion. Agra's buy is pietra dura marble inlay, along with leather and carpets in Kinari and Sadar bazaars. The risk is the commission trade, so shop where you choose rather than where a driver takes you.

In Darjeeling the buy is tea, tasted and bought loose by estate and flush along the Mall and Nehru Road. The Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre also sells carpets and thangkas made on site. The stalls of singing bowls and shawls repeat each other, but nobody is steering you into a showroom.

Both are very cheap on the ground, with guesthouses, street food and short rides all costing little. In Agra the main extra costs are the foreigners' entry fees at the Taj and the other monuments, and the few hotels with a view of the dome.

In Darjeeling the costs come from heritage hotels, tea-estate bungalows, private taxis to Tiger Hill and rooms with a mountain view. Those rooms cost more in the autumn and spring peaks and during Indian school vacations.

Neither has a stage worth planning an evening around. Agra's offer is made for visitors, with productions retelling the story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal and the Taj Mahotsav festival of crafts and folk dance each spring at Shilpgram. Darjeeling's comes from the hills themselves: masked cham dances at the monasteries during festivals such as Losar, and occasional evenings of Nepali and Lepcha music.

Darjeeling is the more restful of the two because the calm comes from the place itself. A tea-estate bungalow, cool mountain mornings, long walks and a quiet corner at Ghoom monastery all help you unwind. Stay on the edge of town, though, because the Mall and its jeeps are anything but peaceful.

In Agra, rest means retreating into a hotel, with its spa, Ayurvedic massage and pool after a hot morning of sightseeing. Outside, traffic and touts set the tone, and the walled gardens at Itimad-ud-Daulah and Sikandra are among the few calm places in the open.