Arequipa or Puno?

Neither is a swimming destination, and they disappoint in different ways. From Arequipa the Pacific is about two hours' drive away, at Mollendo and Mejia, where the sand is wide but the Humboldt Current keeps the water cold and the surf rough.

Puno sits right on Lake Titicaca, but at 3,800m the water is even colder, and only a few island coves suit a quick, brave dip. In Arequipa a hotel pool is the realistic answer, and in Puno you simply do without.

Arequipa is the place to eat well. Its picanterias, some cooking on wood-fired clay stoves, serve a whole regional repertoire, from stuffed rocoto peppers and river-shrimp chowder to Sunday adobo, with chicha de guinapo on the table and queso helado sold from street carts. San Camilo market and the modern Peruvian kitchens around the plaza add range.

Puno's cooking is plainer, built on lake trout, quinoa stews, chairo soup and alpaca. The best of it is breakfast at the Mercado Central counters, since the restaurants on Jirón Lima mostly serve visitors the same menu.

The gap here is wide. Arequipa's whole centre, built in pale volcanic sillar and carved in a mestizo baroque, is a UNESCO site, and the Santa Catalina Monastery alone, a walled town of ochre and indigo lanes, can take half a day. Add Juanita, the Inca girl at the Museo Santuarios Andinos, and the portal of La Compania, and the city fills several days.

Puno's own sights take an afternoon: the cathedral façade, a couple of small museums, the Victorian steamship Yavari and the view from Kuntur Wasi. Its real cultural interest lies out on the lake.

Arequipa is the better place for an evening out, though neither city has a big scene. Calle San Francisco and the streets off it have pisco bars, craft beer pubs and a few dance clubs that fill with students from Thursday to Saturday, sometimes until late to salsa and reggaeton.

In Puno a few pubs on Jirón Lima keep travellers going, but freezing nights, the effect of alcohol at altitude and early boat departures mean most evenings end after dinner.

Both are places for big landscapes, but Arequipa offers more to do in them. El Misti and Chachani can be climbed with a guide, the green campina is good for walks and cycling, and Colca Canyon has condors at Cruz del Condor and treks down to oases on the canyon floor.

Puno's landscape is the lake itself, spreading to the snow peaks of the Cordillera Real, with reed beds full of grebes and ibis. Kayaking off the Capachica peninsula and short island climbs are the main activities, and the thin air makes even those hard work.

Puno is by far the better base for outings. Boats reach the floating Uros islands in a short ride and Taquile in a longer one. By road, the stone burial towers of Sillustani are under an hour away, and the southern shore leads past Chucuito to the colonial churches of Juli.

Arequipa's easy outings are gentle countryside: the Sabandia mill, the Mansion del Fundador and country lunches in Characato. Its big sights, Colca and the Toro Muerto petroglyphs, are really overnight trips, and the lake is usually the next stop on the same route rather than a day out.

Arequipa is the far better choice with children, though neither is built for them. At 2,335m the altitude is manageable, the centre is flat, and older children usually love Santa Catalina's maze and the frozen mummy.

Puno, nearly 1,500m higher, brings a real risk of altitude sickness, bitterly cold nights and guesthouses with little heating. The reed islands are the one real treat for children there, and families who come tend to keep the stay short.

Both centres are small enough to walk, but Arequipa is easier on the legs. Its grid is nearly flat, the main sights are a few blocks apart, and ride-hailing apps cover the campina and Yanahuara.

In Puno the plaza, Jirón Lima and the market are close together, but the climb back up from the port leaves newcomers breathless. Getting about means colectivos and pedal or motor tricycles, which are cheap but chaotic.

Both cities are about alpaca, but Arequipa is where to buy with confidence. It is the home of Peru's alpaca wool industry, and the mills' outlet stores sell baby alpaca and vicuna knitwear of reliable quality, with craft shops in colonial courtyards and at Fundo El Fierro.

Puno's craft market by the port is a long run of stalls where acrylic sits beside fine wool, so you need to check every piece. Its best buys are the knitting and weaving bought straight from the makers on Taquile.

Both are cheap, and they are almost level, so the difference lies in where the money goes. In Arequipa the big costs are organised Colca tours and guided volcano climbs, while colonial guesthouses and picanteria meals cost little.

In Puno the island boats are shared and cheap, and market breakfasts cost next to nothing. It is the lakeside hotels and the traveller restaurants on Jirón Lima that push the spending up.

Puno has the edge, almost entirely because of February. The Candelaria festival, recognised by UNESCO, fills the streets for days with masked dancers, brass bands and panpipe ensembles, and the town calls itself Peru's folklore capital. For the rest of the year it offers little beyond dinner shows.

Arequipa has more ordinary performance, with the Teatro Municipal, a regional symphony orchestra and folk penas at weekends. Its one big public celebration is the founding anniversary in August.

Arequipa is the more restful stay. The dry sun, long lunches and quiet cloister courtyards slow the pace, and the volcanic thermal pools at Yura, or the hot springs near Chivay after a day at Colca, give it real bathing.

Puno offers little more than a massage at one of the lakeside hotels. The first days at altitude are tiring rather than restful, so the best relaxation there is a sunny hour with coca tea or dusk on one of the islands.