Amman or Riyadh?

Neither city is a beach destination. Amman at least has the Dead Sea an hour's drive away, where resort beach clubs give you an afternoon of floating and mud, and Aqaba's coral can be a separate trip south. Riyadh has no sea or lake within reach: swimming means a hotel pool or a water park, and the Gulf coast is about 400km away.

Amman eats better, and well even at street level: fuul and falafel breakfasts downtown, manakish, hot knafeh and late-night shawarma. Uphill, there are rooftop terraces and modern Arab cooking in Weibdeh and Jabal Amman, and Jordanian wine and beer if you want them.

Riyadh's strength is Najdi cooking on shared platters, such as kabsa, mandi and jareesh, alongside plenty of Yemeni, Indian and Pakistani kitchens. Coffee is where it really shines, from cardamom coffee with dates to the specialty coffee shops of Olaya. Street food is thinner, though, and there is no alcohol.

Amman has the more layered city sights: Roman columns and an Umayyad palace on the Citadel, the theatre cut into the hillside, and the Jordan Museum with its Dead Sea Scrolls and 'Ain Ghazal statues. Riyadh's answer is At-Turaif in Diriyah, the UNESCO-listed mud-brick citadel above the palms of Wadi Hanifah, plus Masmak Fort and the well-presented National Museum. Both cities take two or three days, so the real choice is Roman and Umayyad stone against Najdi mud brick.

Amman is the only one of the two where you can order a drink. It has bars and rooftop lounges in Jabal Amman, Weibdeh and Abdoun, a few weekend DJ nights, and Rainbow Street stays busy after dark. It is still a city for cafés rather than partying.

Riyadh has no bars or conventional clubs at all. Late nights happen in coffee shops, dessert cafés and entertainment zones, which stay full of families past midnight. There are occasional alcohol-free club nights and big festivals in the cooler months.

Amman has more variety close at hand: the steep drop to the Dead Sea, wading up the Wadi Mujib gorge in the warmer months, and the oak and pine trails of Ajloun, which are green in spring. Dana and Wadi Rum need an overnight stay but fit into the same Jordan trip.

Around Riyadh there is only desert. The Edge of the World escarpment, dune driving and winter camping under the stars are memorable, and Wadi Hanifah has a palm-lined walking route. There are no forests or hills, though, and summer heat shuts everything down.

This is where Amman pulls furthest ahead. Jerash's colonnaded Roman streets are under an hour north. Ajloun castle, Umm Qais, the Ottoman town of Salt, Madaba's mosaic map, Mount Nebo, the Baptism Site and Kerak all make full days out.

From Riyadh the choice is thin. There is the restored mud-brick village of Ushaiger and the old quarter of Shaqra, both about two hours away, and otherwise trips into the desert. The kingdom's other cities are a flight away.

For families the two are close, and both treat children as part of public life, staying out late with their parents. The difference is in kind. Riyadh has more attractions built for children, such as mall amusement parks, ice rinks, a zoo and camel rides at desert camps. Amman has fewer of these but bigger outings, such as floating in the Dead Sea or exploring Jerash. Both are hard with a pushchair: Amman because of its steep, broken pavements, Riyadh because of its distances and summer heat.

Neither city is easy on foot, and in both, taxis and ride-hailing apps do most of the work. In Amman the obstacle is the hills. The stone stairways between downtown, Jabal Amman and Weibdeh are pleasant to walk, but there is no metro. In Riyadh it is the size of the city, which a driverless metro along Olaya and out to the airport only partly solves. Sights are far apart, and walking works only around Masmak and Diriyah in the cooler months.

Riyadh is the stronger shopping city. Its large malls and the luxury floors of the Kingdom Centre and Al Faisaliah carry every international brand, and there are perfume houses for oud and Arabian scents. For something traditional, Souq Al Zal sells carpets, antiques and coffee pots in the evening.

Amman has a smaller range but better crafts: embroidered Palestinian textiles, Hebron glass and Dead Sea cosmetics, often from women's cooperatives. Downtown there are spice and gold souks too. Its malls are well stocked but are no reason to visit.

Amman goes further for the money, especially if you eat locally. Falafel breakfasts, shawarma and taxi rides cost little, and mid-range hotels cost about what they would in Southern Europe. Alcohol and private drivers are the expensive parts.

Riyadh's hotels are priced for business travel, and sit-down restaurants and entertainment zones add up. Cheap South Asian eateries, low metro fares and free or low-cost museums help, but overall it is the more expensive stay.

Amman's performances are small and irregular, while Riyadh's arrive in big seasonal bursts, and neither city has a steady programme to plan evenings around. In Amman, small stages in Weibdeh and downtown put on oud recitals, Arab indie bands and experimental theatre, mostly in Arabic. Its one major event is the Jerash Festival each summer, which brings Arab singers and folk troupes to the ancient theatres.

Riyadh has no resident opera, orchestra or theatre district. In the cooler months, though, it fills arenas and outdoor festival grounds with big-name Arab and international concerts. Its traditional side shows in the ardah, the Najdi sword dance with drums and poetry, performed at national celebrations.

Amman wins clearly because of what lies an hour below it: Dead Sea resort spas with floating, mineral mud and pools, and the waterfalls of the Ma'in hot springs. In the city there are Turkish-style hammams too.

Riyadh has no bathing tradition of its own, so wellness means the spas of international hotels, usually with separate facilities for men and women. For real quiet, you have to leave for a night at a desert camp or spend a winter evening in Diriyah's palm groves.