Albuquerque or Anaheim?

This is Anaheim's clear win. It is inland, but Huntington Beach's wide surf sands, the Balboa Peninsula at Newport and the coves of Laguna are all about half an hour's drive. That makes a beach afternoon easy to fit between park days, though most people want a wetsuit outside high summer.

Albuquerque has no swimming at all beyond pools. The Rio Grande is too silty and fast, and the closest thing to a day by the water is a drive out to Cochiti Lake.

Albuquerque edges ahead because it has a cuisine of its own. Red or green chile runs through everything from carne adovada to breakfast burritos, and the best of it comes from old family places in the South and North Valleys. In late summer the smell of roasting chile fills the streets.

Anaheim's food around the parks is chains and counters. Its strength is variety a short drive away: Lebanese and Yemeni bakeries in Little Arabia on Brookhurst Street, and pho and banh mi in Little Saigon. Albuquerque's narrow international choice cannot match that.

Albuquerque offers a good deal more to see. Old Town gathers around a church from 1793, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and the National Hispanic Cultural Center explain the region's peoples, and thousands of rock carvings line the volcanic escarpment on the city's edge.

Anaheim's citrus-town past survives in a few blocks and the packing houses. Its true landmark is Disneyland, the only Disney park its founder saw finished. For proper museums, such as the Bowers in Santa Ana or the Nixon Library, you have to drive.

Neither city is a place for big nights, but Albuquerque has a little more going on. Downtown along Central Avenue has bars and a few clubs that fill at weekends, while Nob Hill offers quieter cocktail bars and taprooms, and warm dry evenings suit brewery patios.

In Anaheim, the parks' fireworks usually end the day. A drink afterwards means the promenade bars, a brewpub in the centre or a sports bar on game night, and anything livelier means driving to Long Beach or Los Angeles.

Albuquerque's landscape is more dramatic and much closer to hand. The aerial tramway lifts you above 3,000m onto the forested Sandia crest, foothills trails start at the end of suburban streets, and the cottonwood bosque along the Rio Grande draws wintering cranes.

Anaheim is flat suburbia, but its outdoors has the sea. There are tide pools and bluff-top walks at Crystal Cove, and whale-watching boats from Newport and Dana Point. Chaparral trails run into the Santa Ana Mountains, and the mild climate means any season works.

Anaheim has more to reach. Los Angeles, with Griffith Observatory and the Getty, is about an hour away, and Long Beach's Queen Mary, the ferries to Catalina, Mission San Juan Capistrano and even San Diego are all within range. Trains also run to Los Angeles and San Diego.

Albuquerque has one outstanding day out in Santa Fe's plaza, Canyon Road and museums. After that come scattered but striking sights by car: Acoma's Sky City on its mesa, the cliff dwellings at Bandelier and the mining villages of the Turquoise Trail.

Anaheim is one of the great family destinations. Two Disney parks stand side by side, surrounded by hotels built for families, Knott's Berry Farm is ten minutes away, and many families never need to go further. The only real drawback is the queues.

Albuquerque does well, but on a smaller scale: the BioPark's zoo and aquarium, Explora and the dinosaur halls, and the tramway ride. Its highlight is the October Balloon Fiesta at dawn, though long drives and strong sun at altitude are worth planning around.

Both are car cities, and Anaheim comes out slightly easier. Its resort district is compact, with hotels within walking distance of the gates and a shuttle network, so a parks-only trip needs no car. Trains from the stadium station serve Los Angeles and San Diego.

Albuquerque has walkable Old Town, a bus line along Central Avenue and the commuter train to Santa Fe. Nearly everything else needs a hire car, though the airport is close to the centre and driving is easy.

Anaheim offers more range. One of the country's largest luxury malls is twenty minutes away in Costa Mesa, there are outlets in Orange, and Disney merchandise is a draw in its own right. It is all malls and car parks, though, with almost nothing local.

Albuquerque's shopping is smaller but more distinctive: turquoise and silver jewellery, Pueblo pottery and Navajo weaving around Old Town's plaza, ideally bought from Native artists themselves. Add a few vintage shops in Nob Hill.

Albuquerque is the cheaper trip. It is not a bargain, since mid-range rooms, tax, tips and the essential hire car all add up, but Old Town, the petroglyphs and the foothills trails cost little. Book well ahead or avoid Balloon Fiesta week, when room rates jump.

In Anaheim the park tickets dominate the budget. Hotels near the gates charge for the location and food inside the parks is expensive. Staying in a motel a short drive away and eating in Little Saigon or Little Arabia brings costs down.

The two are level, but the stages are very different. Albuquerque's distinctive strength is flamenco, with a long-established institute and festival, and weekend Pueblo dances at the cultural centre. The KiMo Theatre and Popejoy Hall cover film, Broadway tours and the philharmonic, and Santa Fe's open-air opera is a summer drive away.

Anaheim's evenings revolve around the polished parades and water shows in the parks. For a formal concert, the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa hosts the Pacific Symphony and ballet, while the arena brings major pop tours.

Albuquerque is the slightly better place to slow down. Hot springs are within reach at Jemez Springs, and there are more bathhouses around Santa Fe. Resort spas on Pueblo lands look out at the mountains, and the dry air and quiet evenings set an easy pace.

In Anaheim, early starts and park crowds work against rest. A pool day at the hotel, a Korean-style day spa in the suburbs or a drive to the clifftop resorts of Laguna and Dana Point are the main ways to unwind.