Bengaluru or Mumbai?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Mumbai at least has sand in town. Juhu and Girgaum Chowpatty are for sunset walks, kites and bhel puri rather than swimming. The cleaner water is across the harbour at Alibaug, and the trip takes most of a day.

Bengaluru sits high on the Deccan plateau with no seafront at all. The nearest coast is a full day or an overnight journey away, so swimming means a hotel pool.

Both cities eat very well and cheaply, but Mumbai has the wider choice. It has vada pav from carts outside stations, bhel puri on Chowpatty, bun maska in the Irani cafés of the Fort and Malvani crab and pomfret from the coast. Bandra and Lower Parel add a polished top end that Bengaluru lacks.

Bengaluru is at its best in the morning: crisp dosas and filter coffee at a darshini, the old vegetarian houses of Basavanagudi and Malleswaram, and military-hotel biryani from dawn. In the evening the street food lanes of VV Puram and the brewpubs take over, while Mumbai turns to cocktails.

Mumbai has the sights worth travelling for. The Gothic Revival railway terminus faces you with its sheer extravagance, the Victorian buildings of the Oval Maidan look across at Marine Drive's Art Deco, and the former Prince of Wales Museum has strong sculpture and miniature collections. Haji Ali and the Banganga Tank add contrast.

Bengaluru's list is short by comparison: Tipu Sultan's wooden summer palace, the Tudor-style Bangalore Palace, the Vidhana Soudha and the giant Nandi of the Bull Temple. Two or three days covers them, and its best heritage lies outside the city at Mysuru and beyond.

Both are bar cities where closing time comes early, so the difference is one of style. Bengaluru drinks in large brewpubs and on rooftop terraces along Indiranagar's 100 Feet Road and in Koramangala, with a relaxed after-work crowd and craft beer at the centre of it.

Mumbai is dressier and more about cocktails. It has a handful of clubs in Bandra, Khar and the old mill compounds of Lower Parel, and an older bar strip in Colaba. When the bars shut, Mumbai still has late dinners and the seafront, while Bengaluru simply goes quiet.

Mumbai has more wild country within reach. Sanjay Gandhi National Park, with its leopards and the Kanheri caves, lies inside the northern suburbs, and flamingos feed on the Sewri mudflats in winter. The Western Ghats around Lonavala and Matheran turn green for hiking in the monsoon.

Bengaluru's green spaces are mostly gardens, Cubbon Park and Lalbagh, plus granite outcrops such as Nandi Hills for a sunrise drive and Ramanagara for climbing. Its milder weather makes walking pleasant, but the richer forests are a long drive away.

The two are evenly matched, but the outings are different in kind. From Bengaluru they are about palaces and temples: Mysuru and Srirangapatna by express train, the star-shaped Hoysala temple at Somanathapura, and the painted ceilings of Lepakshi.

From Mumbai the highlight is the boat to Elephanta and its rock-cut Shiva, with the Buddhist cave halls of Karla and Bhaja and the sea forts of Alibaug further out. From either city, the great sites of the region, Hampi or Ajanta and Ellora, need an overnight stay.

Bengaluru keeps children busier. Bannerghatta adds a lion and tiger safari and a butterfly park to its zoo, there is a large water park on the way out towards Mysuru, and older children who like the stars have the planetarium. Mumbai's best outing is indoors, at the Nehru Science Centre in Worli. The Byculla zoo, a boat from the Gateway and an evening on the sand at Chowpatty are gentler extras, and its theme parks sit on the edge of the city or further out towards Khopoli.

Both cities have the same practical problems. Distances are long, traffic is heavy and pavements are poor for pushchairs, so in either city a car with a driver is the realistic way to move a family about. The weather is what sets them apart. Bengaluru's plateau stays mild, while Mumbai adds sticky heat for much of the year and heavy monsoon rain, and that tires children out faster.

Neither city is easy, but Mumbai gives a visitor more to work with. Outside rush hour, the suburban railway runs the length of the city quickly, and the Fort, Kala Ghoda and Colaba area is pleasant to explore on foot.

Bengaluru has no centre like that. It sprawls, its traffic jams are famous across India, and the Namma Metro often leaves a last stretch to cover by auto-rickshaw or app taxi. Plan each day around one area.

Mumbai is the stronger shopping city. Zaveri Bazaar sells gold, Chor Bazaar antiques and old film posters, and Crawford Market fills a Victorian hall. The boutiques of Kala Ghoda and Bandra cover everything from handloom to Indian designer labels.

Bengaluru's strength is regional crafts: Mysore silk in the lanes of Chickpet, sandalwood carvings and Channapatna's lacquered wooden toys. Beyond those, its malls and Commercial Street are everyday rather than special.

Both cities are cheap on the street, where a dosa or a vada pav, an auto-rickshaw ride or a train fare costs very little. The gap is in rooms.

Bengaluru has plenty of budget and mid-range rooms, though its business hotels charge more on weekdays. In Mumbai, comfortable rooms cost far more and decent budget beds are scarce, so a good hotel and smart bars there bring prices close to a Western city. In both cities, heavy taxes on alcohol make the evenings the expensive part.

Mumbai has the formal stage. The National Centre for the Performing Arts is home to the Symphony Orchestra of India and also stages Hindustani music, dance and jazz. Prithvi Theatre in Juhu and the Marathi playhouses of Dadar add a busy theatre scene.

Bengaluru has no orchestra, but it has Carnatic concerts at the violin-shaped Chowdiah Memorial Hall and plays in Kannada, English and Hindi at Ranga Shankara. It also has a long-standing rock and indie scene playing in small venues most weekends.

Bengaluru is the better place to slow down, mainly through Ayurveda and yoga. It has clinics offering longer treatment programmes, yoga schools you can simply drop into and residential retreats on its outskirts. The city is noisy, but the garden suburbs of Malleswaram and Basavanagudi are calm.

Mumbai is louder, more humid and more crowded. Rest there means a luxury hotel spa or an early walk on Marine Drive or Bandstand, and people who want a real retreat head for the hills at Lonavala.