Austin or San Antonio?

Neither city has a beach, and both are hours from the Gulf. Austin does better with what it has in summer: Barton Springs Pool holds at about 20°C all year, Deep Eddy is the gentler option, and Lake Travis has coves and boat days on warm water.

San Antonio's swimming is mostly outside the city. You can tube the cool Comal and San Marcos rivers under an hour north or swim at Canyon Lake, while in town it comes down to hotel pools and water parks.

Both cities eat breakfast tacos and brisket, so the difference is one of emphasis. Austin leans on Central Texas barbecue, with Lockhart close by for the pilgrimage, and much of its eating happens at food trucks and in beer gardens, with strong craft beer alongside.

San Antonio is the home of Tex-Mex proper: puffy tacos, enchiladas under chili gravy and Sunday barbacoa in family places on the West and South Sides. Add pan dulce from the panaderías and the Pearl for more ambitious cooking.

San Antonio has far more history. The Alamo and the missions of San José, Concepción, San Juan and Espada make up a UNESCO site of Spanish colonial heritage, and the King William mansions, the Spanish Governor's Palace and San Fernando Cathedral add to it.

Austin's sights are the pink granite Capitol and the university museums, notably the Harry Ransom Center with its Gutenberg Bible and the LBJ Library. They are worth a day, but there is little old architecture to walk through.

Austin is the place to go out. You can choose between the crowds of Sixth Street, the bungalow bars of Rainey Street and the dives and mezcal bars of the east side, and the student population keeps them all full.

San Antonio's evenings are gentler: margaritas on River Walk patios, icehouses in Southtown, and drinks at the Pearl or on the St. Mary's Strip. Bars close at 2am in both cities, but San Antonio usually winds down well before then.

Austin puts its outdoors inside the city: the canyon trails and climbing walls of the Barton Creek Greenbelt, kayaks on Lady Bird Lake, the view from Mount Bonnell and the bat flight at dusk. Pedernales Falls and Enchanted Rock are an easy drive.

San Antonio has Government Canyon on its edge and the cycling path along the Mission Reach, and its special extra is underground, in Natural Bridge Caverns. For better scenery than that you have to drive into the Hill Country.

Both cities share the same Hill Country, with Fredericksburg, Gruene and New Braunfels easy to reach from either, and each makes a good day out from the other. From Austin the extras are barbecue in Lockhart and the mammoth site at Waco. From San Antonio they are the cowboy town of Bandera, the Alsatian settlement of Castroville, and the LBJ Ranch and Luckenbach on the Fredericksburg road, all by car.

San Antonio is set up for a family trip in a way Austin is not. SeaWorld and Six Flags Fiesta Texas are on the city's edge, Brackenridge Park holds the zoo and the Witte Museum, and Morgan's Wonderland is built for children with disabilities.

Austin is quieter for families: the miniature train and lawns of Zilker Park, the Thinkery and the bats at dusk. For roller coasters and waterparks, Austin families drive south towards New Braunfels and San Antonio.

Both are car cities with walkable centres, so the difference is in how pleasant that centre is on foot. San Antonio's River Walk links the Alamo, the cathedral and the Pearl along a shaded path below street level, and the river trail takes bikes out to the missions.

Austin's walkable core is the Capitol, downtown and Rainey Street, with scooters and rental bikes for South Congress and the east side, and a single commuter rail line. To get out of either city, you need a hire car.

Neither is a shopping destination, and both sell boots and western wear. Austin's best shopping is South Congress, with independent boutiques, vintage clothing and antiques, and more vintage on the east side. San Antonio's is El Mercado at Market Square, for Mexican crafts, pottery and embroidered dresses, and its downtown mall and the outlets at San Marcos cover practical needs.

San Antonio is easier on the wallet. Its many convention hotels keep rooms moderate away from the river, and the missions cost nothing to visit.

Austin charges big-city rates for downtown rooms, and these jump during the music, film and racing weeks. Cheap tacos and free outdoor sights help, but in both cities a hire car, tips and sales tax add up.

Live music is Austin's great draw. The Red River and Sixth Street clubs put on several bands a night, couples two-step in the honky-tonks, and Austin City Limits is still recorded in the city, with a range that runs from blues and indie to Texas country.

San Antonio has its own sound in Tejano and conjunto, with the Tejano Conjunto Festival and mariachis around Market Square, and the Tobin Center and the 1929 Majestic give it a formal season of its own. Still, it is a scene to enjoy while you are there rather than one to plan a trip around.

Neither city has a thermal or bathing tradition. Austin is the more restful of the two, with a strong yoga culture, shaded patios and spa resorts on the shores of Lake Austin and in the Hill Country.

In San Antonio the quiet spots are the Japanese Tea Garden and the calmer stretches of the River Walk. For real rest, most visitors book a golf or Hill Country resort on the north side, and the summer heat makes lazy days outdoors hard work.