Agra or Jodhpur?

Neither city has anywhere to swim outdoors. Agra's Yamuna and Jodhpur's Kaylana lake are both views rather than places to bathe, so on both sides a pool is the only way to cool off. In Agra that usually means a modern hotel pool, while in Jodhpur it is often a courtyard pool inside a heritage hotel.

Agra cooks in the rich Mughlai style, with kormas, biryani and tandoor breads. Its best local eating is in the old bazaars: bedai and jalebi for breakfast near the Jama Masjid, chaat in Sadar Bazaar in the evening, and petha to take away. Away from those streets, meals tend to be tour-group restaurants and hotel dining rooms.

Jodhpur has more to explore. Marwari desert cooking is distinctive, from mirchi vada and pyaaz kachori at the Clock Tower stalls to saffron makhaniya lassi, ker sangri on a thali and the fiery laal maas of the royal kitchens. Both cities serve tourist menus near the main sight and little alcohol, but Jodhpur keeps a curious eater interested for longer.

Agra has the greater monuments. The Taj Mahal alone justifies the trip, and Agra Fort, the fine inlay of Itimad-ud-Daulah and Akbar's tomb at Sikandra make it a whole Mughal city rather than one sight. Its weakness is museums: there are few, and once the monuments are seen there is little more.

Jodhpur's set is smaller but more varied. Mehrangarh is a dramatic fort with one of Rajasthan's best museums inside, and below it the indigo lanes of the old city, the carved stepwell of Toorji ka Jhalra and the Art Deco Umaid Bhawan show a living city rather than a set of tombs.

Both cities are quiet after dark, and neither has clubs or a bar district. Agra's evenings are shaped by the pre-dawn start at the Taj, so most people eat early and turn in. In Jodhpur a long rooftop dinner facing the floodlit fort, followed by a drink in a heritage hotel bar, makes the evening feel a little more like an outing.

Neither city offers hills, forest or proper hiking, but the outdoor experience differs. Agra's strength is wildlife: Keoladeo at Bharatpur is a superb winter wetland for birds, and the Chambal sanctuary adds gharials and river dolphins by boat.

Jodhpur gives you the desert itself. You can walk the volcanic rock trails of the Rao Jodha park under the fort, see blackbuck and chinkara in Bishnoi country, and ride camels near the dunes. Birdwatchers lean towards Agra, and those after landscape lean towards Jodhpur.

Agra is far better placed. Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's abandoned sandstone capital, is about 40km away and combines easily with Bharatpur or the water palaces of Deeg. Mathura and Vrindavan are about an hour north, and Gwalior's hilltop fort is an easy train ride south.

From Jodhpur the close outings are smaller: the carved temples and dunes of Osian, Bishnoi villages and the rug weavers of Salawas. The region's major sights, Ranakpur, Kumbhalgarh and Jaisalmer, are long drives that work better as stops on a route than as returns in a day.

Jodhpur is the more manageable choice for families. Mehrangarh's armour, cannons and elephant howdahs hold children's attention, and ziplines, camel rides and a blackbuck safari add some adventure.

Agra has less for children. Older ones may be impressed by the scale of the Taj and the fort ramparts, and the bear rescue centre towards Mathura is a real treat, but the crowds and touts at the gates are tiring. In both cities a winter visit and a hotel pool for the afternoons make the biggest difference.

Getting around takes effort in both cities, with heavy traffic and broken or missing pavements, so the real difference is the layout. Agra's monuments are scattered along and away from the Yamuna. That makes it a city of rides between sights rather than walks, and a car with a driver is the simplest way to fill a whole day.

Jodhpur's core is more compact. In the cooler hours you can walk between the Clock Tower, the blue lanes and the stepwell, and the fort is a steep climb above them. You only need wheels for Umaid Bhawan, Mandore and trips out of town, and it is best to agree rickshaw fares before setting off.

Jodhpur gives you more to buy and more ways to buy it. Sardar Market sells spices, bangles and silver, the lanes around it specialise in bandhani and leheriya cloth and embroidered mojari, and warehouses on the outskirts sell antique doors and chests and can ship them home.

Agra's speciality is pietra dura, the marble inlay of the Taj, along with leather and carpets, and Kinari Bazaar is a lively market. The commission showrooms that drivers steer you to are a bigger problem in Agra, though bargaining patiently pays off in both cities.

Both are very cheap, with street food, guesthouses and rickshaw rides costing little. Where the money goes is different. In Agra the unavoidable expense is the foreigners' entry fees at the Taj and the other Mughal monuments. In Jodhpur the fort is modest to visit, and the big cost is optional: a night in a converted palace or haveli priced like a fine hotel anywhere.

Jodhpur has a real musical tradition. Hereditary Manganiyar and Langa musicians play kamaicha, dholak and khartal in the fort courtyards and on hotel terraces, often with Kalbeliya dancers, and the autumn folk festival at Mehrangarh draws players from across the desert.

Agra's performances are mostly made for visitors: stage shows retelling the story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, and dance evenings in the larger hotels. The spring Taj Mahotsav at Shilpgram is its one real festival.

Neither city is restful outside closed doors, but Jodhpur offers more ways to slow down. Ayurvedic massage centres in the old town add to the palace hotel spas, and shaded courtyards and rooftop terraces at dusk make calm easy to find.

In Agra, rest mostly means the hotel spa and pool after an early, hot morning at the monuments. The quiet walled gardens of Itimad-ud-Daulah and Sikandra are the main exception, and they are pleasant late in the afternoon.