Bariloche or Ushuaia?

Neither is a swimming destination, but Bariloche at least has beaches you can use. Playa Bonita, Villa Tacul and the shores of Lago Gutiérrez and Lago Moreno are pleasant for sunbathing and picnics in January and February, and the smaller lakes allow a short, cold dip.

Ushuaia's shore on the Beagle Channel is rock, shingle and kelp in a steady wind, and the water is too cold for anything but a polar plunge. There the water is something to see from a boat.

Both kitchens rest on lamb roasted on iron crosses over an open fire and the Argentine parrilla, and both have a narrow range beyond their specialities. The difference is in what comes from the water. Bariloche leans on its lakes and forests, with trout, wild boar, venison, smoked meats and fondue. Its real pleasures are the chocolatiers on Calle Mitre and the brewery gardens on the road to Cerro Catedral.

Ushuaia cooks from the cold sea. Centolla king crab, toothfish and mussels from the channel are the dishes worth the journey, and cafés serve cake and hot chocolate against the wind. Its craft beer is poured in pubs rather than lakeside gardens.

Neither town is visited for its sights, and either can be seen in a morning or a day. Bariloche's interest is its architecture. The stone and timber Centro Cívico by Bustillo and de Estrada gave the town its alpine look, and there is also the Museo de la Patagonia, the neo-Gothic cathedral and the Llao Llao hotel with its wooden chapel.

Ushuaia's one big sight is the old penal colony, whose radial cell blocks now house the Maritime Museum with displays on Antarctic exploration. Smaller museums cover the Yámana people, and pioneer houses of wood and corrugated iron stand in the streets. Its history is about a frontier and a prison rather than a planned mountain town.

Bariloche has more going on after dark, though not in a form most adults want. Its big central clubs belong to school-leavers on graduation trips through winter and spring. Away from them, brewpubs and bars around Calle Mitre and the lakefront make for relaxed late evenings, busier in the ski season and January.

Ushuaia is quieter still. There are a few craft-beer pubs, a casino and the odd late bar, and an early boat trip or trek usually ends the night.

Both are outdoor destinations first, and both have skiing, glaciers and national park trails, but Bariloche offers the bigger and more varied playground. It has the lakes and forests of Nahuel Huapi, the network of mountain huts beyond Cerro Catedral, cable cars up Cerro Campanario and Cerro Otto, kayaking, trout fishing and the long day out to Tronador's hanging glaciers. Its summers are also warmer and sunnier.

Ushuaia offers the sea and the far south instead. Boats on the Beagle Channel pass sea lions and cormorants on the way to a penguin colony, hikes climb to the Martial Glacier and Laguna Esmeralda, and dog-sledding fills the winter. The country is wilder and more exposed, and the weather can change within the hour.

Bariloche has more places to visit. Villa La Angostura's wooden houses and gardens lie along the north shore, Colonia Suiza has its weekend fair and curanto, and El Bolsón, two hours south in a warmer valley, has a craft market and hop farms.

From Ushuaia the list is short. You can visit Estancia Harberton and its marine mammal museum, stop at Tolhuin on the way to Lago Fagnano, or take the boat across to Puerto Williams in Chile. From either town most outings are into the landscape, but Ushuaia runs out of them sooner.

Bariloche is the easier family choice. It has ski schools and gentle slopes at Cerro Catedral, sledging on Cerro Otto, lake paddling in a warm summer, boat trips to Isla Victoria and chocolate shops with workshops. Children have plenty to do, even if a wet day drags.

Ushuaia appeals to children through wildlife and novelty: penguins and sea lions seen from a boat, and the small steam train on the old convict railway. The cold and wind shorten outdoor days, though, so it suits families who already enjoy walking.

Both have small, walkable centres on steep hillsides, and in both you need transport to reach the countryside. The difference is in their shape. Bariloche stretches about 25km along Avenida Bustillo, with lodgings and trailheads spread out along it. City buses reach Llao Llao and Cerro Catedral, and a car or tours cover the rest.

Ushuaia is compact, and its boats leave from the central pier. Its local buses are of little use to visitors, though, so the national park, the glacier trailhead and the ski area mean shuttles, taxis or a hire car.

Bariloche has more to buy, though the themes are similar. Calle Mitre has chocolate in every form, Patagonian wool knitwear, leather, smoked trout and outdoor gear. Craft fairs at the Centro Cívico and Colonia Suiza add woodwork, ceramics and Mapuche-style textiles.

Ushuaia's main street is mostly penguin souvenirs, chocolate, wool and outdoor shops that are handy for a forgotten fleece. Tierra del Fuego's special tax regime makes some goods cheaper, but there is no craft or market scene.

Both are among the more expensive places to visit in Argentina, for different reasons. Bariloche charges resort rates, highest in the July school break and January, and ski passes and rental add up. Hostels, cabins in the side valleys, self-catering, city buses and free hiking in the park bring costs down a good deal.

Ushuaia's costs come from its remoteness and its role as a cruise and Antarctic port. Boat trips, guided treks, park entry and taxis to trailheads soon add up, though casual meals and hostels stay reasonable. In both towns, rooms cost less in spring and autumn.

Bariloche has a real classical tradition. The Camerata Bariloche chamber orchestra grew out of a festival held here, and the Semana Musical Llao Llao brings a week of chamber concerts to the lakeside hotel each year. Outside that, there is a small municipal theatre and occasional folk music.

Ushuaia has only a cultural centre with occasional concerts and the odd pub band, nothing a visitor could plan around.

Neither has thermal springs or a bathing tradition, so rest comes from hotel spas and the setting. Bariloche has more of both. Lakeside lodges and the grand Llao Llao offer pools and saunas, and the wooded valleys towards Colonia Suiza slow the days to lake views and evenings by the fire, as long as you stay away from the busy centre.

Ushuaia's version is a hotel spa in the forest above the channel, or an afternoon at a window watching the weather move over the mountains. The town is quiet once the cruise passengers leave, but there are fewer places to rest in comfort.