Austin or Houston?

Neither is a beach destination, but only Houston has the sea within easy reach. Galveston Island is about an hour's drive away, with long stretches of sand below the seawall and warm, shallow Gulf water, though the water is cloudy and brown-green. From Austin the coast is three hours or more by car.

Austin swims in fresh water instead: the cold springs of Barton Springs Pool and Deep Eddy, and boat days in the rocky coves of Lake Travis. For a cold plunge on a hot afternoon Austin is the more pleasant choice, but if you want sand and waves, only Houston has them.

Both cities share the Texas staples of brisket, Tex-Mex and breakfast tacos, but Houston eats far more widely. Asiatown along Bellaire Boulevard, the Nigerian, Pakistani and Salvadoran neighbourhoods of the south-west, Vietnamese-Cajun crawfish boils and Gulf oysters and shrimp give it a range Austin can't match.

Austin's strength is focus. Its post-oak barbecue is worth queuing for at dawn, Lockhart and Luling are close by, and daily eating happens at food trucks, beer gardens and taco counters. Houston rewards a curious eater with a car, while Austin rewards the barbecue pilgrim.

Houston has more to see. The Museum of Fine Arts and the natural science museum in the Museum District, the Menil Collection and the Rothko Chapel in Montrose, and the Saturn V rocket and mission control at Space Center Houston can fill several days.

Austin's list is shorter. It centres on the pink granite State Capitol and the university museums, among them the Blanton and the Harry Ransom Center with its Gutenberg Bible. Neither city has much old architecture, so in both the interest lies indoors.

Austin is the better city for a night out, and the easier one to manage. The shot bars of Sixth Street, the bungalow bars of Rainey Street and the dives and mezcal bars of the east side are close together, and the large student population keeps them busy. Its club scene is small, though, so the night is about bars and patios rather than dancing.

Houston's scene is friendly and has plenty of choice, from Montrose's long-established gay bars to the lounges of Midtown and Washington Avenue. It is split between districts, however, including EaDo, so an evening often means a ride from one to the next. Bars stop serving at 2am in both cities, and both drink outdoors when they can: beer gardens in Austin, open-sided icehouses in Houston.

Austin sits on the edge of the limestone Hill Country, which puts varied outdoor country close at hand. In town there are the canyon trails and climbing walls of the Barton Creek Greenbelt, kayaks on Lady Bird Lake and the bats leaving the Congress Avenue Bridge at dusk. Enchanted Rock and Pedernales Falls are within a couple of hours.

Houston's surroundings are flat prairie, bayou and marsh. Memorial Park and Buffalo Bayou are good for a run, and the alligators of Brazos Bend and the spring migrant birds along the coast reward wildlife lovers. For hiking and scenery, though, Austin is clearly ahead.

Austin has a much wider choice of day trips. San Antonio, with the Alamo, the River Walk and its UNESCO-listed Spanish missions, is about an hour and a half away. Fredericksburg and the wineries along the road there, the dance-hall village of Gruene and the river town of New Braunfels fill out the Hill Country.

Houston has one strong outing, Galveston, where the iron-fronted Strand and the Victorian houses of the East End add history to a beach day. Beyond that there are the San Jacinto battlefield and the farm towns around Brenham and Round Top. Every one of these trips, from either city, needs a car.

Houston keeps children busier. Space Center Houston is the highlight, and Hermann Park puts the zoo, pedal boats, the Children's Museum and the natural science museum's dinosaur hall side by side. Galveston's glass-pyramid aquarium and its waterparks are about an hour away.

Austin is easy-going with children but has fewer big attractions. Its family outings are Zilker Park's miniature train and Barton Springs, the hands-on Thinkery and the bat flight, and the theme parks are an hour or so away in San Antonio and New Braunfels.

You need a car in both cities, but Austin is the easier of the two. Its centre, from the Capitol to Rainey Street, can be walked, South Congress and East Austin are a short ride away, and the lakeside trail, rental bikes and scooters cover much of the core.

Houston is spread over a far larger area, with sights many kilometres apart and joined by multi-lane freeways. The METRORail line from downtown to the Museum District is useful, but almost everything else means a hire car or ride-hailing.

Houston is the stronger shopping city. Uptown's enormous mall has the luxury houses under one roof, River Oaks has upmarket boutiques on open-air streets, and the Heights and Rice Village have independent stores. Austin's shopping is smaller and more personal, with vintage, antiques and quirky boutiques on South Congress and the east side. Both are good for cowboy boots and Western wear, but anyone after big fashion names should choose Houston.

Houston is the easier city on the budget. Its hotels are plentiful and reasonably priced outside convention weeks, and several of its major museums are free. Austin's downtown rooms are priced like those of a major city, and they rise sharply and sell out during the big music, film and racing weeks.

In both cities, taquerias, barbecue and food trucks keep everyday meals reasonable. In both, car hire and parking add a noticeable amount to the cost of the trip.

Austin wins for live music. Clubs on Red River and Sixth Street, honky-tonks where couples two-step and bars across the east side have bands on every night, playing anything from blues and indie to Texas country and conjunto.

Houston's strength is the formal stage. Its downtown Theater District has a well-regarded opera and ballet, the symphony at Jones Hall and the long-established Alley Theatre, a far fuller season than Austin's Long Center offers. Go to Austin to hear bands and to Houston for a night at the opera.

Austin is the better place to slow down. Its spa resorts on Lake Austin and in the Hill Country, its strong yoga culture and its shaded patios suit an unhurried trip, and away from the bar streets the city moves at an easy pace.

Houston's rhythm is set by freeways. Its wellness offer is hotel and day spas plus a few Korean-style bathhouses in the suburbs, though an hour in the Rothko Chapel is a calm of its own. Neither city has a tradition of thermal bathing.