Austin or St. Louis?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Austin at least gives you somewhere to swim. Barton Springs holds its cold spring water all year, Deep Eddy is a gentler pool, and Lake Travis has coves and boat days on warm water.

St. Louis has nothing like this. Its rivers are too strong for swimming, so a summer swim means a hotel or public pool, or a long drive to the Ozark lakes.

Both cities take barbecue seriously, but Austin builds its whole food scene around it. Post-oak brisket on butcher paper, with Lockhart close enough for a pilgrimage, plus breakfast tacos, Tex-Mex and food-truck lots, give it the stronger and more distinctive table. The more ambitious cooking is in East Austin and on South Congress.

St. Louis offers ribs and a set of local oddities: toasted ravioli, Provel-topped thin pizza, gooey butter cake. Its real interest is in neighbourhoods such as the Italian Hill and the Bosnian grills of South Grand. It is good eating, but rarely the reason for the trip.

St. Louis has more to see. The Gateway Arch, with its tram-pod ride to the top, the Old Courthouse where the Dred Scott case began, the free art and history museums in Forest Park and the mosaics of the Cathedral Basilica make a fuller list. It also has the architecture Austin lacks: the Wainwright Building, Union Station and whole red-brick streets in Soulard and Lafayette Square.

Austin's sights centre on the pink granite Capitol and the museums around the university campus. The Harry Ransom Center's Gutenberg Bible is the standout there. Historic streets are few.

Austin is the city for going out. Sixth Street, Rainey Street's bungalow bars and the dive and mezcal bars of the east side are all close to downtown, and the large student crowd and warm nights keep them busy. Clubbing is limited, though, and bars stop serving at 2am.

In St. Louis the evenings are friendlier but quieter, spread across Soulard's blues taverns, the dance bars of Washington Avenue, the Grove and the Delmar Loop. Moving between them usually means a taxi, and on weeknights outside baseball season many streets are quiet early.

Austin has the outdoors on its doorstep. The Barton Creek Greenbelt's canyon trails, kayaking on Lady Bird Lake and the view from Mount Bonnell are all in town, and Enchanted Rock and Pedernales Falls are an easy drive away. Its limit is the summer heat, which leaves only the early mornings for being active.

St. Louis has Forest Park, the bluffs and caves of the Ozark foothills and the Katy Trail for cyclists. The landscape is gentle rather than striking, but it gives winter visitors bald eagles along the river bluffs.

The day trips are about as good in both cities, and both need a car, but they offer different things. From Austin the pull is San Antonio, with the Alamo and its UNESCO-listed Spanish missions, plus the Hill Country: German-founded Fredericksburg, wineries, and river towns such as Gruene and New Braunfels.

St. Louis offers a wider spread of history. Cahokia Mounds is barely twenty minutes away, Ste. Genevieve keeps its French colonial houses, Hannibal is Mark Twain's boyhood town and Springfield has Lincoln's home. Hermann and Augusta supply the wine country.

St. Louis gives children more to do. The City Museum, with its tunnels, slides and rooftop climbs, is a day out in itself. The zoo and Science Center are free, the Magic House is a large hands-on museum, and a theme park lies about forty minutes west.

Austin is relaxed and easy with children. Zilker Park has its miniature train and Barton Springs, the Thinkery is a hands-on museum and the evening bat flight is a reliable hit. For theme parks and waterparks, though, you have to drive to San Antonio or New Braunfels.

In both cities you will want a car. In Austin the walkable core is downtown, the Capitol area and Rainey Street, with rental bikes and scooters for short hops. Heavy traffic on the main highway makes driving there more tiring.

St. Louis has the MetroLink light rail, which links the airport, the Central West End, Forest Park and downtown. Its roads are uncongested and parking is easy, so the car-dependence costs less effort.

Austin is the better place to browse. South Congress Avenue packs independent boutiques, vintage clothing and cowboy boots and hats into one walkable street, and Western wear is a souvenir worth buying.

St. Louis spreads its smaller selection over several districts: the antiques and record shops of Cherokee Street, student shops on the Delmar Loop and boutiques in the Central West End. In both cities big-name fashion sits in suburban malls rather than downtown.

St. Louis is the cheaper stay. Its hotels cost noticeably less, and the main attractions in Forest Park are free. Austin's downtown rooms are priced like those of a major American city and climb sharply during the big festival and racing weeks.

In both cities a hire car adds to the bill. Austin's free trails, swimming spots and bat flight, along with its cheap tacos, offset some of the cost.

Austin wins on live music. Bands play every night on Red River and Sixth Street and in the honky-tonks, from blues and indie to Texas country, often with no cover charge, and the festival weeks bring hundreds of acts at once.

St. Louis is the stronger city for formal arts. The Symphony is one of the oldest orchestras in the country, the Fox hosts touring Broadway shows, the Muny stages musicals outdoors and the opera has a summer festival season. Its blues heritage, from Chuck Berry to the National Blues Museum, keeps bars playing through the week.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, but Austin makes it easier to unwind. Spa resorts on Lake Austin and in the Hill Country offer quiet grounds and lake views, and the city has a strong yoga culture.

St. Louis has hotel and day spas in Clayton and the Central West End. Its best calm is a slow morning in the Missouri Botanical Garden's Japanese garden.