Amritsar or Leh?

Neither city has a beach, so this is not the trip for either. Amritsar's only water is the sacred pool at the Golden Temple, where pilgrims bathe as an act of devotion and visitors do not swim, so a hotel pool is the only option. In Leh, the snowmelt in the Indus and the high lakes is far too cold to swim in, though the river is good for rafting.

Amritsar is a food destination in its own right. Breakfast and lunch are the best meals of the day: buttery stuffed kulcha with chole, batter-fried fish and lassi in steel tumblers, often from dhabas around the walled city that make a single dish every morning. Eating at the Golden Temple langar, seated on the floor beside pilgrims, is one of the most memorable meals in India.

Leh eats to keep warm rather than to impress. Expect momos, thenthuk and skyu, with butter tea and apricots as the local touches, plus rooftop cafés in Changspa serving pizza and coffee to trekkers. It is satisfying after a long day out, but few people would plan a trip around it.

Amritsar has the stronger single sight. Harmandir Sahib, with its gilded sanctum in the middle of the pool, looks different at every hour, and Jallianwala Bagh and the Partition Museum add two of the most moving chapters in modern Indian history, all within a short walk.

Leh's town heritage is smaller and quieter: the hulking Leh Palace, the Namgyal Tsemo ridge, mud-brick lanes in the old town and sunset at Shanti Stupa. You can see it in a day or two. Its real cultural wealth is the monasteries out along the valley, covered under day trips.

Neither city has nightlife to speak of, but Amritsar has a little more to offer after dark. It has a few hotel bars and lounges in the newer districts, and walking round the floodlit temple pool late at night is a real experience. Leh is quieter still: a beer on a rooftop if you can find one, then an early night because of the cold, the thin air and the dawn starts.

This is Leh's strongest suit. The town sits in the Indus valley below the snowy Stok range, with the Markha valley trek, Khardung La above 5,000m, gorge rafting, the dunes of Nubra and the long blue lake of Pangong Tso all within reach. In winter there are snow leopard tracking and the frozen-river Chadar trek.

Amritsar sits among flat wheat and mustard fields. Ram Bagh and Company Bagh give some shade for a stroll, and the Harike wetland, about an hour and a half away, is worth the drive in winter when the migratory waterbirds arrive. Otherwise, nature is not why people go there.

Leh has the better trips out of town, though nearly all of them are religious. Thiksey and Shey are a short drive away, Hemis is about an hour, and a long day to the west takes in Likir, the ruined citadel at Basgo and the thousand-year-old murals of Alchi. That makes for several days of exceptional Buddhist art.

Amritsar's standout trip is the evening flag ceremony at Wagah, about 30km away, which is loud and theatrical. After that come the Sikh pilgrimage towns of Tarn Taran and Goindwal Sahib and the French-style palace at Kapurthala, which are worthwhile but a step down.

Neither city is built for children, but Amritsar is far easier. Families are warmly welcomed at the temple, and older children usually love the langar and the Wagah ceremony. The drawbacks are the summer heat, winter fog, crowded traffic and care over food and water.

Leh adds a problem Amritsar does not have: altitude sickness after a single flight to 3,500m, which young children handle poorly. Most outings are long mountain drives, so the only children who will really enjoy it are tough teenagers who want to trek or raft.

Amritsar is easier to get around, at least where it matters. The temple, Jallianwala Bagh and the Partition Museum line a pedestrianised heritage street, and e-rickshaws and ride-hailing cars cover the rest of the city, noisy as the traffic is.

Leh's small centre is walkable too, but the slopes are tiring at altitude. Almost everything worth seeing is reached by long drives in union taxis or shared jeeps, or on a hired motorbike, and in winter some of the passes close.

Amritsar has more to buy and a stronger local character. Hall Bazaar and Katra Jaimal Singh are packed with phulkari embroidery, stacks of juttis, shawls and suit fabric, and the lanes near the temple sell steel bangles, kirpans and papad and warian to take home.

Leh's Main Bazaar is smaller and focuses on Tibetan and Kashmiri goods: pashmina, thangkas, turquoise jewellery and singing bowls, along with dried apricots sold by Ladakhi women. It is the better place for trekking gear, but stalls often stock the same things and quality varies.

Both are inexpensive, and Amritsar is cheaper. Its main sight and the langar meals are free, pilgrim rest houses take visitors, and getting around by rickshaw costs very little.

Rooms and simple meals in Leh are also cheap, but transport is where the money goes. Taxi union fares are fixed and high by Indian standards, you will need a car for most days out, permits are required for the outer valleys, and hotel rates go up in the short summer season.

Amritsar's music never stops. Gurbani kirtan is sung to harmonium and tabla at the Golden Temple from before dawn until late at night, and anyone can sit by the pool and listen, with the occasional bhangra show as an extra.

Leh's performances depend on the calendar. The masked cham dances at the Hemis festival or around Losar are unforgettable if your dates match, but on most days there is little to see.

Leh is the better place to unwind, though in its own way. It offers meditation courses at Buddhist centres, consultations with amchi doctors and slow mornings on a guesthouse roof, all suited to a contemplative traveller, with the caveat that the thin air disturbs sleep for the first few days.

Amritsar is loud and tiring outside the temple walls. Its calm is concentrated in one place: the cool marble around the pool at dawn, with the hymns playing.