Bariloche or Salta?

Neither is a beach destination, but Bariloche at least has shores worth sitting on. Strips of pebble and sand at Playa Bonita, Villa Tacul and the smaller lakes make fine picnic spots in midsummer, with snowy peaks across the water. The glacial water allows only a quick, bracing dip.

Salta has nothing of the kind. Swimming means a hotel pool or a trip to the Cabra Corral reservoir, which is used more for boating than bathing.

Salta has the more distinctive table. Its cooking belongs to the Andean northwest: baked empanadas salteñas, humitas and tamales of fresh corn, locro, goat and llama, with aromatic Torrontés from the valleys to the south. The central market is the place to eat it.

Bariloche follows a mountain-resort pattern of lamb roasted over open fire, lake trout, smoked meats and fondue. Its real treats are the chocolate on Calle Mitre and the brewery gardens out towards Cerro Catedral. Neither city has much fine dining.

Salta is the clear winner. The pink-and-cream cathedral, the arcaded Cabildo and the red-and-gold tower of San Francisco make the centre itself worth walking. The Museum of High Mountain Archaeology, with the preserved Inca children from Llullaillaco, is a sight of national importance.

Bariloche's cultural interest is mostly architectural: Bustillo's alpine Centro Cívico, the Museo de la Patagonia beside it and the Llao Llao hotel with its wooden chapel. People come for the setting, not the sights.

Neither city is for serious clubbing, but Salta offers adults more. On weekends Calle Balcarce, near the old railway station, fills with bars, a few clubs and late crowds of locals.

Bariloche's big clubs are mostly the domain of teenage school-leavers' groups, which most adult visitors steer around. A good night there means a long dinner and a beer in a brewpub after a day in the hills.

Both are surrounded by grand scenery, but in Bariloche it is right on the doorstep. The town sits inside Nahuel Huapi National Park, with lakes, lenga forest and granite spires. Trails link refuges such as Frey and Jakob, cable cars climb Cerro Otto and Campanario, and Cerro Catedral gives a full ski season.

Salta's wild country is drier and further away: the red rock of the Quebrada de las Conchas, the cactus slopes of Los Cardones and the puna. Apart from Cerro San Bernardo and the San Lorenzo cloud forest, all of it needs hours on the road.

Salta has the better destinations to aim for. Cafayate and its Torrontés bodegas, the UNESCO-listed Quebrada de Humahuaca with Purmamarca and Humahuaca, the colonial village of Cachi and the Tren a las Nubes all start here. They are long dawn-to-dusk days, though, and many travellers stay overnight.

Outings from Bariloche are mostly into scenery. The few places to visit are lakeside Villa La Angostura, the craft fair at Colonia Suiza and El Bolsón's market, and there is nothing in the way of heritage or wine.

Bariloche is easier with children. Winter brings ski schools and sledging on Cerro Otto, summer brings lake shores, boat trips to Isla Victoria and gentle forest walks, and chocolate shops and St Bernard dogs are on hand in town.

Salta's compact centre and evening plazas are relaxed, and the cable car is a treat. Beyond that, the region's highlights mean long, winding drives and real altitude, which tire younger children quickly.

Salta is a little simpler on foot. Its colonial centre is a flat grid, and the churches, museums, market and cable car are all within walking distance. Bariloche's small centre is steep, and the town stretches about 25km along Avenida Bustillo, so lodgings and trailheads depend on buses.

For outings, both cities come down to a hire car or organised tours. In Bariloche winter driving on snow is the obstacle, and in Salta it is slow mountain roads, some of them gravel.

Both are modest places to shop, and what you bring home differs. In Bariloche it is chocolate and mountain wear along Calle Mitre, with Patagonian wool knitwear and smoked trout. In Salta it is the red-and-black poncho salteño, alpaca weaving, silverwork and bottles of Torrontés from the artisan market. Neither offers much in fashion or design.

Salta is noticeably kinder to the wallet. Central guesthouses, market meals and taxis are all cheap, and the main expense is the tours or car hire needed to see the region.

Bariloche is Argentina's leading mountain resort. Lodging, restaurants, ski passes and excursions all carry resort prices, especially in the July break and January. Cabins in the side valleys, self-catering and free hiking help, as do spring and autumn.

For a night of live music Salta is far ahead, and the two cities differ in kind as well: Bariloche's claim is classical and occasional. The Camerata Bariloche carries the town's name, and the Semana Musical Llao Llao brings a week of chamber concerts to the lakeside hotel. On an ordinary evening there is little to attend.

Salta's music is folk, and it is there most nights. In the peñas, guitar and bombo drum carry zambas while couples dance chacareras between the tables. The June vigil at the Güemes monument and carnival add to the calendar, and the provincial theatre hosts the symphony orchestra.

Neither has thermal baths close by, but Bariloche is the better place to unwind. Lodges along the lake, with the Llao Llao at their head, have pools, saunas and treatments, and a base in the wooded valleys settles into a slow rhythm of views and fires.

Salta offers calm of a different kind: the long siesta, unhurried evenings in plaza cafés and quiet estancias or San Lorenzo to stay in. Hot springs mean a long drive to Rosario de la Frontera.