Albuquerque or Big Sky?

Neither place is for swimmers. Both sit high and far inland, so the only real choice is a pool. The difference is in the water nearby: in Albuquerque's hot summers, locals head for pools or drive to Cochiti Lake, while the silty Rio Grande is left alone. Big Sky's Gallatin River is fast and cold even in July, and its small ponds are good for a quick paddle at most.

Albuquerque has a real regional cuisine, which Big Sky does not. Its red and green chile, carne adovada, posole and stuffed sopaipillas are best in family places in the South and North Valleys and along Route 66. In late summer the whole city smells of roasting chile, and its craft breweries in old industrial buildings add a good evening out.

Big Sky eats like a resort: bison, elk, trout and big ski breakfasts around the lift base and the villages, plus a few ambitious lodge kitchens. The choice is narrow and the prices are high, and some kitchens shut between seasons.

This is where Albuquerque pulls well ahead. The adobe plaza around the San Felipe de Neri church, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Barelas, the nuclear science museum and thousands of carvings at Petroglyph National Monument fill a rewarding couple of days.

Big Sky was built as a ski resort from the 1970s on. Apart from the two log cabins of the Crail Ranch homestead in Meadow Village, it has lodges and condos rather than sights.

Albuquerque at least offers a night out. Downtown along Central Avenue has bars and a few dance clubs that fill at weekends, and Nob Hill has calmer cocktail bars and taprooms, though midweek is quiet.

In Big Sky an evening means après-ski: boots-on drinks on the decks at the lift base, a tavern or two in Town Center, and old saloons in the canyon. There are no clubs, and most people go to bed early so they can catch the first lift.

Albuquerque has fine outdoor country close to town. You can ride the tramway up the Sandias, climb the La Luz Trail, or walk and cycle in the cottonwood bosque along the river, where cranes spend the winter. The heat at low elevations limits summer days, though.

Big Sky is in another league. Lone Peak looks down on one of North America's largest ski areas, and summer opens the Spanish Peaks and the Lee Metcalf Wilderness, Beehive Basin and Ousel Falls. The Gallatin is a fly-fishing and rafting river, and Yellowstone's geysers and wolves are about an hour away.

Albuquerque has the better range of trips out, led by Santa Fe. It is about an hour away by car, or an hour and a half on the commuter train, and has its plaza, the Canyon Road galleries and major museums. Acoma's Sky City, the cliff dwellings at Bandelier, Chimayo and the old mining villages on the Turquoise Trail add depth, though you need a car for all of them.

From Big Sky the towns are modest. Bozeman and its Museum of the Rockies are an hour down the canyon, and the gold-rush boardwalks of Virginia City are about two hours away. Most of the best outings are into the landscape rather than to other towns.

Both work well with children, in very different ways. Albuquerque is the easier choice for a mix of activities: the BioPark's zoo, aquarium and gardens, Explora's hands-on science and the dinosaur halls are all there for a bad-weather day, and dawn at the October Balloon Fiesta is hard to beat.

Big Sky is a trip for outdoor families. It has a ski school and gentle slopes in winter, and zip lines, climbing walls, horse riding and Yellowstone bison in summer. There are no museums for a rainy day, though, and the altitude can tire small children at first.

In both places you will want a car. Albuquerque is a sprawling, low-rise city where only the bus along Central Avenue and the train to Santa Fe help much, but its airport is close to the centre and driving is straightforward. Big Sky has a free bus linking its three villages and many ski-in lodgings. On the other hand, its airport is an hour away in Bozeman, and the canyon road needs care in winter.

Albuquerque has something worth carrying home: silver and turquoise jewellery, Pueblo pottery and Navajo weaving, best bought around Old Town's plaza and at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Nob Hill adds a few independent and vintage shops. Big Sky's shops sell ski and fishing gear, Western-style clothing and wildlife art, and for anything more you have to drive to Bozeman.

Neither place is cheap, but Albuquerque costs much less. Mid-range rooms are fairly priced for most of the year, casual New Mexican meals are generous, and many of its sights cost little or nothing. The car hire is the main extra cost, and Balloon Fiesta week is the expensive exception.

Big Sky is among the priciest places to stay in the American West. Slopeside rooms, lift passes, ski school and guided fishing all cost a lot. Summer is gentler on the wallet, and so is staying in Bozeman, but that means more driving.

Albuquerque offers much more on stage. Touring musicals and the philharmonic play at Popejoy Hall, the KiMo Theatre has a Pueblo Deco interior, and the city has a surprising depth in flamenco. Traditional Pueblo dances are performed at weekends, and Santa Fe's open-air opera is within an evening's drive in summer.

Big Sky's arts life is seasonal: chamber music and touring acts at a small Meadow Village arts centre in winter, and free lawn concerts and a short classical festival in summer.

Big Sky makes rest part of the stay. You end the day in a hot tub on the deck, the big lodges have full spas geared to tired ski legs, and the nights are dark and quiet. Natural hot springs are about an hour away, towards Bozeman.

Relaxing in Albuquerque takes more effort. It means a resort spa on Pueblo land outside town or a drive of over an hour to the mineral pools at Jemez Springs. The city itself is easy-going, but it is not set up for doing nothing.