Austin or Colorado Springs?

Neither city has a beach, but Austin at least has a real swimming culture. Barton Springs and Deep Eddy are spring-fed pools that stay bracingly cool through summer, and Lake Travis warms to around 29°C for boat days in its rocky coves.

Colorado Springs offers little beyond hotel and public pools and reservoirs that stay cold at altitude. Its big water day is rafting on the Arkansas River, which is more of a thrill than a swim.

Austin is by far the better place to eat. Post-oak brisket, breakfast tacos and Tex-Mex are worth planning a trip around, Lockhart is close by for a barbecue pilgrimage, and the more ambitious kitchens are in East Austin and on South Congress.

Colorado Springs eats casually and adequately: green chile on the Southwestern menus, burger joints and brewpubs, with the Broadmoor's dining rooms at the formal end. Its strong point is local beer, and Austin's craft breweries match it there too.

Neither city is a sightseeing destination, and a couple of days covers the main sights of either. Austin's sights are grouped together: the pink granite State Capitol and a cluster of serious museums around the University of Texas campus, where the Harry Ransom Center keeps a Gutenberg Bible.

Colorado Springs spreads its sights out and leans towards modern American themes. It has the aluminium spires of the Air Force Academy chapel, the Olympic and Paralympic Museum and the Gold Rush story at the Pioneers Museum, and the Victorian streets of Manitou Springs add some period character.

Austin is a proper night-out city. It has the crowded shot bars of Sixth Street, the bungalow yards of Rainey Street and the dive and mezcal bars of the east side, all busy until the 2am last call, and the festival weeks turn the whole centre into one long party.

Colorado Springs has a few blocks of bars on Tejon Street and brewery taprooms that often close before midnight. It is good for a pint after a day on the trails, not for a late night.

Colorado Springs is the outdoor destination of the two. Pikes Peak rises to more than 4,300m right above the edge of town, Garden of the Gods and Red Rock Canyon offer climbing on red sandstone fins, and the dry climate keeps the mountain-bike trails open for much of the year. Rafting and the ski resorts are within reach.

Austin's outdoors is gentler and centred on water. It has the wooded Barton Creek Greenbelt, paddling on Lady Bird Lake, the bat flight at dusk and Enchanted Rock within two hours. There are no mountains, and the summer heat pushes everything into the early morning.

Both cities have a good list of outings, and almost all of them need a car. From Austin the draw is history and small-town Texas: the Alamo and the Spanish missions of San Antonio, Fredericksburg with its German roots and wineries, and the old dance-hall village of Gruene.

Colorado Springs points you to the mountains and old mining towns instead. Cripple Creek and Victor are up steep scenic roads, the Royal Gorge Bridge is about an hour away, and Denver is a little over an hour north for a full day of big-city museums.

Colorado Springs gives children more to do, as long as they enjoy being outdoors. They can hand-feed giraffes at the mountainside zoo, go underground at Cave of the Winds, explore the cliff dwellings and ride the cog railway up Pikes Peak. The altitude and strong sun need some care.

Austin is relaxed and easy with children, but it has fewer attractions of its own: Zilker Park with its miniature train, the Thinkery and the bat flight. Theme parks and waterparks mean a drive to San Antonio or New Braunfels, and summer days are planned around pools and air conditioning.

Both are car cities, but Austin is a little easier without one. Downtown, the Capitol and Rainey Street are walkable, South Congress and East Austin are a short ride away, and bikes, scooters and the lakeside trail fill some gaps. Buses and the single rail line rarely help much, though.

In Colorado Springs the sights are strung out along the foothills, the zoo is up a mountain road and buses are few. Downtown, Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs are pleasant on foot, but anyone planning more than a couple of outings should hire a car.

Austin has a proper shopping street in South Congress Avenue, with independent boutiques, vintage clothing and cowboy boots, and the east side adds small design stores. Luxury brands are kept in a mall on the northern edge of the city.

Shopping in Colorado Springs is more modest. You'll find galleries, rock and gem shops, outdoor gear and Western wear in the old storefronts of Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs, then malls and outlets along the highways. Both cities do Western wear, but Austin has more of it in one walkable stretch.

Colorado Springs is easier on the budget. Chain hotels and motels along the interstate keep rooms reasonable, and Garden of the Gods, the canyon parks and most trails are free.

Austin's downtown hotels are priced like those of a major American city and climb steeply during the big music, film and racing weeks. Tacos and food trucks keep meals sensible, but in both cities you can't avoid car hire and tipping.

Live music is Austin's defining strength. Several bands play every night in the clubs of Red River and Sixth Street and in the honky-tonks, often with no cover, covering blues, indie, Texas country and conjunto, and the festival weeks bring in hundreds more. Austin's formal arts are modest, but the symphony, opera and ballet at the Long Center still go further than anything in Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs has a Philharmonic season at the Pikes Peak Center, a theatre company at the Fine Arts Center and summer concerts at the amphitheatre. On most nights, though, live music means a small room or a brewery stage.

Austin unwinds through yoga studios and lakeside resort spas, not through any bathing tradition of its own. A strong fitness culture, day spas across town and a few restorative resorts on Lake Austin and in the Hill Country set the tone, and away from the bar streets the shaded patios and parkland make for slow afternoons.

Colorado Springs has an actual bathing history. Manitou Springs grew up as a health resort around its naturally carbonated springs, and you can still fill a cup at the public fountains or sit in a small outdoor soaking spa facing the mountains. The Broadmoor's spa is the city's fullest, though Colorado's well-known hot-spring pools are more than two hours away.