Aspen or Colorado Springs?

Neither is a beach destination: both sit high in the Rockies, a long way from any coast, and mountain water stays cold into summer. The difference is in what replaces a swim. Aspen has small alpine lakes and rafting on the Roaring Fork right in the valley, while Colorado Springs points water lovers to whitewater on the Arkansas River, a longer drive out.

Aspen eats better, at least at the top end. Its downtown grid packs chef-led dining rooms, sushi and steak counters and serious wine lists into a few blocks, and the après-ski terraces at the base of Aspen Mountain are an occasion in themselves.

Colorado Springs is more casual and more local in flavour: green chile, barbecue, Mexican kitchens and above all craft breweries with food trucks outside. It lacks Aspen's polish, but it fills the cheap and cheerful middle that Aspen leaves empty, and its kitchens do not close for the quiet seasons.

Colorado Springs gives a curious visitor more to see, though its sights are scattered. The aluminium spires of the Air Force Academy's Cadet Chapel, the Olympic and Paralympic Museum, the Southwestern collection at the Fine Arts Center and the Pioneers Museum in the old courthouse add up to several good outings.

Aspen's culture is mostly architectural and fits into an afternoon: the red-brick Victorian core around the Wheeler Opera House, the painted miners' cottages of the West End, Herbert Bayer's modernist Aspen Institute campus and a contemporary art museum. It is charming, but small.

Aspen has the livelier nights, though only in winter. Après-ski spills from the slopeside decks into downtown lounges and hotel bars, and over Christmas, New Year and the X Games a well-dressed crowd stays out late. In spring and autumn the town all but shuts.

Colorado Springs keeps more regular hours. Tejon Street's sports bars, cocktail bars and few dance spots fill with students and young soldiers at weekends, but most drinking happens in brewery taprooms that close well before midnight.

Both are mountain towns first, and Aspen has the edge. Its four ski mountains, the reflected peaks of the Maroon Bells and wilderness summits above 4,000m put alpine scenery within minutes of town. In summer, the road over Independence Pass adds high passes you can reach by car.

Colorado Springs offers a different landscape: the red sandstone fins of Garden of the Gods, the 4,300m bulk of Pikes Peak with its cog railway, the waterfalls of North Cheyenne Cañon and the gruelling Manitou Incline. Its drier, milder climate keeps the trails open for more of the year, but serious skiing means a two-hour drive.

Colorado Springs is far better placed for excursions. Denver's museums are a little over an hour north, the gold-mining towns of Cripple Creek and Victor and the Royal Gorge are each about an hour away, and Manitou Springs is next door.

From Aspen the choice is mostly small mountain towns: Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, Marble and the ghost town of Ashcroft. Leadville is a fine drive over Independence Pass, but the pass closes in winter and the list shrinks with it.

Colorado Springs gives children more variety, particularly in summer: the hillside zoo with its giraffe feeding, Cave of the Winds, the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, the cog railway and a small Christmas-themed amusement park. The catch is the hours spent driving between them.

Aspen shines for a family ski trip, with gentle slopes and good ski schools at Buttermilk and Snowmass, and summer lift rides to alpine coasters and ropes courses. Off the mountain there is little aimed at children, and the higher altitude can tire young ones at first.

Aspen is much easier without a car. The flat downtown grid takes minutes to cross, free buses link all four ski areas, and a summer shuttle runs to the Maroon Bells. Only trips beyond the valley really call for a hire car.

Colorado Springs is the opposite: its sights are strung along the foothills and the zoo is up a mountain road, while buses are thin and infrequent. Downtown, Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs are each walkable, but almost every visitor ends up driving.

Aspen is the place to shop, provided your taste runs to luxury. A few pedestrian blocks hold international designer boutiques, high-end ski wear, jewellers and commercial art galleries, and browsing them is part of an evening out.

Colorado Springs is more modest but more homespun: Western wear, rock and gem shops, outdoor gear and local crafts in the old storefronts of Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs, with malls and outlets for everything else.

Aspen is a vacation for deep pockets. Rooms, lift tickets, ski school, meals and drinks all cost well above what most big cities charge. Summer and the shoulder seasons ease the bill only a little, and staying down the valley in Glenwood Springs or Carbondale softens it without making the trip cheap.

Colorado Springs costs about what an American city usually does. Chain hotels along the interstate keep lodging affordable, and Garden of the Gods and the canyon parks charge nothing, though most visitors also have to pay for a hire car.

Aspen has the stronger programme, and in summer it is a reason to visit in itself. The Aspen Music Festival fills the Benedict Music Tent with orchestral, chamber and opera performances for weeks, with free listening on the lawn, alongside jazz festivals and the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.

Colorado Springs has a respectable local season: the Philharmonic at the Pikes Peak Center, plays and musicals at the Fine Arts Center, and touring bands at the arena and amphitheatre in summer. It is pleasant to catch on the right evening, but rarely worth planning a trip around.

Aspen is the more restful choice outside ski season, with clear air, riverside paths, yoga in the parks and large hotel spas. The big mineral pools and cave vapour baths of Glenwood Springs are about an hour away, and hikers can soak at remote Conundrum Hot Springs.

Colorado Springs has a gentler, historic take on wellness: Manitou Springs grew up as a health resort, its carbonated springs still flow from public fountains, and there is a small soaking spa with mountain views. Beyond that and the Broadmoor's resort spa, the larger hot-spring pools are more than two hours' drive away.