Albuquerque or Las Vegas?

Neither city has a beach, and in both you swim in pools or reservoirs. The difference is the kind of pool. Albuquerque has ordinary hotel and public pools, with Cochiti Lake for a summer afternoon out. Las Vegas resorts have built sand-lined wave pools and lazy rivers, and Lake Mead's Boulder Beach is about 40 minutes away, though its gravel shore has no shade.

Las Vegas gives more choice and more ambition. The Strip holds dining rooms from famous chefs, steakhouses and tasting menus. Off the Strip, the Chinatown along Spring Mountain Road runs for kilometres of Asian cooking, much of it open late. For all that range, it has no dish that belongs to the city.

Albuquerque has the stronger local identity: red or green chile on everything, and carne adovada and stuffed sopaipillas in long-running family places in the South and North Valleys, with craft taprooms on the side. Its weakness is range, with little fine dining and a modest choice of international food.

Albuquerque has far more history to see. There is the adobe plaza of Old Town with its church from 1793, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center run by the nineteen Pueblos, the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Barelas, and thousands of rock carvings at Petroglyph National Monument. Together they fill two days easily.

Las Vegas offers spectacle more than heritage. The themed resorts, the fountains and the light canopy over Fremont Street fill an evening, and the Neon Museum and the Mob Museum tell the city's short story well. Once you have seen those, there is little left for a sightseer.

This is the widest gap between the two cities. Las Vegas runs around the clock, with famous DJs on residency in the resort clubs, dayclub pool parties and casino bars that never close. Around Fremont Street there are cheaper dive bars and cocktail lounges for a looser night.

In Albuquerque a night out means taprooms, patios and a downtown bar strip that only fills at weekends, with calmer cocktail bars in Nob Hill. It is pleasant for a beer after a day outdoors, but nobody chooses it for this.

Both cities have big landscapes right on the edge of town, and both need a car to reach them. Albuquerque's outdoors is mountain and river: the tramway to the Sandia crest above 3,000m, pine and fir trails, the steep La Luz Trail, and the cottonwood bosque along the Rio Grande, where cranes spend the winter.

Las Vegas is all bare rock and colour. It has the sandstone cliffs and first-rate climbing of Red Rock Canyon, the flame-red formations of Valley of Fire and kayaking on Lake Mead, with Mount Charleston's forests for cooler walks. Its fiercer summer keeps the desert trails off limits for longer.

Albuquerque has far more within driving distance. Santa Fe fills a day on its own and can be reached by commuter train as well as by car. Acoma's Sky City, the cliff dwellings at Bandelier, the church at Chimayo and the villages of the Turquoise Trail give you a run of quite different outings.

From Las Vegas the obvious half day is Hoover Dam with Boulder City. The Grand Canyon, Zion and Death Valley are long journeys to landscapes rather than to towns, so the options run out after one or two.

Albuquerque is the more natural fit for children. The BioPark's zoo, aquarium and gardens, Explora, the dinosaur halls, the Sandia tramway and the October Balloon Fiesta make a full plan, and restaurants in this relaxed city welcome children.

Las Vegas can fill a day or two with its indoor amusement park, the shark aquarium and the Discovery Children's Museum. But almost every route through a resort crosses a casino floor, and the adult side of the Strip is hard to avoid. Most families treat it as a stop on the way to the national parks.

Neither city is easy without your own transport, but Las Vegas keeps more of a visit in one place. Buses run day and night along the Strip and on to Fremont Street, a monorail runs behind the resorts, and taxis and ride-hailing fill the gaps. The size of the resorts and the summer heat make walking slower than the map suggests.

In Albuquerque only Old Town works on foot, and the Central Avenue bus links it with downtown and Nob Hill. Everything else, from the mountains to the petroglyphs, needs a hire car, though driving and parking are simple.

For brands and range, Las Vegas is clearly ahead. The resort malls along the Strip hold the major fashion and jewellery houses, Fashion Show adds department stores, and two outlet centres serve bargain hunters, all of them open late.

Albuquerque is the place for things you cannot buy elsewhere: turquoise and silver jewellery, Pueblo pottery and Navajo weaving from Old Town and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. There is also a short run of boutiques in Nob Hill, and beyond that only suburban malls.

Neither is a budget trip, but Albuquerque is somewhat easier on the wallet. Rooms are fairly priced for most of the year, New Mexican plates are generous and the main sights cost little. A hire car is an unavoidable extra, and Balloon Fiesta week is expensive.

A midweek room in Las Vegas can look cheap, but weekend and convention rates, resort fees, shows, clubs and dining on the Strip push the total up quickly. Staying Sunday to Thursday and eating in Chinatown helps a good deal.

Las Vegas is one of the great places to see a show. Its resorts have permanent theatres for water and acrobatic spectacles, there are magicians and comedians every night, and pop and country stars play residencies you would rarely catch on tour. Serious drama and opera are thin, though the Smith Center brings in Broadway and ballet.

Albuquerque has a smaller stage with its own character. There is the Pueblo Deco KiMo Theatre, a strong flamenco tradition with an annual festival, and Native dances at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center at weekends. Touring musicals play Popejoy Hall.

Las Vegas has the bigger spas, with thermal circuits, saunas and salt rooms that day visitors can use. The casinos around them pull the other way, so choosing a non-gaming hotel and booking a morning slot makes the difference.

Albuquerque offers quiet more than facilities. It has an unhurried pace and resort spas on Pueblo lands just outside town, but for proper soaking you drive to the hot springs at Jemez Springs or around Santa Fe.