Albuquerque or Santa Fe?

Neither city has a beach. Both sit on the high desert plateau, a very long way from any coast, so the only difference is where people go on a summer afternoon. From Albuquerque the usual outing is Cochiti Lake, while from Santa Fe people head north to Abiquiu Lake or float the Rio Grande, and in both cities most visitors simply swim in the hotel pool.

Both cities eat New Mexican food first, so you will find the red or green question, carne adovada, posole and sopaipillas with honey in either. Albuquerque's strength is everyday cooking in long-running family places in the South and North Valleys and along Route 66, with a larger craft brewery scene in converted industrial buildings.

Santa Fe serves the same classics in old adobe rooms around the Plaza and adds a fine-dining tier that Albuquerque largely lacks. It also has the Railyard farmers' market, one of the country's oldest. Neither city offers much international variety.

Albuquerque's Old Town is a single small adobe plaza, but the city tells stories Santa Fe does not. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center gives a good introduction to Native cultures, and there are the nuclear science museum, the Route 66 neon and the rock carvings of Petroglyph National Monument. It makes a rewarding couple of days.

Santa Fe has the deeper history and stronger collections. Founded in 1610, it keeps a whole adobe townscape around its Plaza, including the Palace of the Governors, the cathedral and the Loretto Chapel. Museum Hill, the O'Keeffe museum and the galleries of Canyon Road add art of real weight.

Of the two, only Albuquerque has a real night out. Downtown's bars and dance clubs along Central Avenue fill at weekends and can get rowdy, while Nob Hill offers a gentler round of cocktail bars and taprooms. Midweek it is still quiet.

Santa Fe winds down after dinner, with a margarita on a rooftop at sunset and a few bars and breweries around the Railyard. The streets are quiet before midnight, and locals who want to dance drive down to Albuquerque.

Albuquerque has the Sandias on its doorstep. The tramway climbs to the crest, the La Luz Trail goes all the way up on foot, and the cottonwood bosque along the river draws wintering cranes. The volcanic escarpments lie to the west.

Santa Fe goes further. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains rise from the edge of town into aspen forest that turns gold in autumn, and beyond them is the Pecos Wilderness, with peaks above 3,600m. Valles Caldera's elk, rafting in the Rio Grande Gorge and the red cliffs of Abiquiu are all within reach, which makes it the better base for serious hiking.

Albuquerque's best day out is Santa Fe itself, an hour to the north. Further options include Acoma's Sky City on its mesa to the west, the mining villages of the Turquoise Trail and the Salinas missions, but Taos is too far for a comfortable day.

Santa Fe is right beside the richest cluster of sights. From here you can take the High Road through Chimayo and Truchas to Taos Pueblo, or visit Bandelier's cliff dwellings, Los Alamos, Pecos and O'Keeffe country at Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch. From either city, almost everything needs a car.

Albuquerque works for a family visit in a way Santa Fe does not. The BioPark's zoo, aquarium and gardens, the hands-on Explora, the natural history museum's dinosaurs and the tramway ride all appeal to children. The dawn launches of the Balloon Fiesta each October are the great family event of the region.

Santa Fe has a children's museum, the ladders at Bandelier and ski lessons in winter, but its galleries and long dinners are made for adults. At 2,100m, its altitude can also tire small children for the first day or two. Families with older children who like hiking fare best there.

Albuquerque is a sprawling car city. Old Town is walkable, and the Central Avenue bus links it to downtown, the university and Nob Hill, but almost everything else means driving. Santa Fe's historic centre is much easier on foot, with the Plaza, the downtown museums, Canyon Road and the Railyard all within about twenty minutes of each other.

Outside these centres, both cities need a hire car. The Rail Runner train links the two directly.

Both cities are about Native American and Southwestern craft. In Albuquerque, the shops around Old Town's plaza and at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center sell turquoise, pottery and Navajo weaving, and Nob Hill adds a short run of vintage and independent shops.

Santa Fe takes the same specialism much further. Native artists sell directly under the portal of the Palace of the Governors, and Canyon Road and the Railyard are lined with galleries. The summer Indian, Spanish and International Folk Art markets draw collectors from far away. Neither city is a place for fashion or luxury.

Neither is a budget destination, but Albuquerque costs noticeably less. Hotels are plentiful and fairly priced except during Balloon Fiesta week, and casual New Mexican places serve generous plates.

Santa Fe charges resort rates around the Plaza, especially during the summer markets, the opera season and at Christmas, and its restaurants and galleries are priced for wealthy visitors. Staying out along Cerrillos Road helps. In both cities the hire car is one of the largest costs.

Albuquerque's stages are Popejoy Hall, for touring musicals and the philharmonic, and the Pueblo Deco KiMo Theatre. It also has weekend Native dances at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, which Santa Fe does not match. Flamenco runs deep in both cities.

Santa Fe has the region's main stage, the open-air opera on its hill north of town, where performances begin at sunset. A summer chamber music festival adds to it, and the Lensic theatre covers the rest of the year. In winter the gap narrows, because Santa Fe's calendar thins to that of a small town.

In Albuquerque, relaxing mostly means a resort spa on Pueblo land outside town, or the drive of about an hour and a quarter to the mineral pools at Jemez Springs.

Santa Fe is better made for unwinding. It has Japanese-style soaking tubs among the pines on the road to the ski area, the historic springs at Ojo Caliente to the north, and an unusual number of spas, yoga studios and healers for its size. Adobe courtyards and quiet evenings help too, though neither city has a public bathing culture.