Bogota or Mexico City?

Neither city is a beach destination. Both sit high on a plateau, and swimming means a hotel pool. The difference is in how far the coast is. From Bogota the Caribbean means a flight, and the nearest warm water is in the pool and water-park towns down the western slope. From Mexico City the Pacific at Acapulco is a long drive, so it is easier to add a few beach days by road.

Food is where the two cities differ most. In Mexico City eating is a main reason to come. Al pastor tacos late at night, tamales and atole at breakfast, and the counters of Medellín, San Juan and La Merced markets give the trip its rhythm. Above that come the tasting menus of Roma and Polanco, the pulquerías and the mezcal bars.

Bogota eats well in a quieter way. Ajiaco, hot chocolate with cheese and the pandebono from bakeries are comfort food, and Paloquemao's fruit stalls are a real discovery. Its modern kitchens in Zona G and Usaquén are good, but its street food is only for snacking.

Both cities have a world-class archaeological collection, the Museo del Oro in Bogota and the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City. The difference is in what surrounds it. Bogota's sights cluster in La Candelaria and around the Plaza de Bolívar, with the Botero Museum, Calle 26's street art and the view from Monserrate, and two or three days cover them well.

Mexico City has far more. The Aztec Templo Mayor sits beside the cathedral on the Zócalo, Rivera's murals cover the National Palace and Bellas Artes, and Coyoacán, San Ángel and the Xochimilco canals each make an outing of their own. A week still leaves things unseen.

Mexico City has the edge, mostly because its nights run longer and are easier to string together. In Roma and Condesa, cocktail bars, mezcalerías and rooftops sit a short walk apart, old Centro cantinas add a traditional evening, and electronic clubs go on until morning.

Bogota's rumba is no less serious about dancing. Its salsa bars and Chapinero's huge clubs are high points, but the scene is split across Zona T, Chapinero and Usaquén, so the night involves taxis. Venues also tend to close earlier.

Bogota wins here because the mountains start at the city's edge. A morning climb to Monserrate is on the doorstep, and beyond the Eastern Hills lies the páramo, a rare high landscape of frailejón plants and glacial lakes, in Chingaza and Sumapaz. Chicaque's cloud forest, the climbing cliffs at Suesca and the Sunday Ciclovía round it out.

Mexico City has Chapultepec, the Xochimilco wetlands and forest hiking at Ajusco and Desierto de los Leones. Its big scenery, the volcano pass at Paso de Cortés and the crater lakes of Nevado de Toluca, is about two hours away through heavy traffic.

Mexico City has much more to choose from. Teotihuacan's pyramids are an hour away, Puebla and Cholula combine tiled churches with their own cooking, and Cuernavaca, Tepoztlán and silver-town Taxco lie to the south. Day trips alone could fill several days of a stay.

Bogota has one excellent outing, the salt cathedral at Zipaquirá, and pairs it well with Nemocón or the El Dorado lake at Guatavita. Villa de Leyva is the region's finest town but needs a night, and after that the choice runs short.

Long transfers are the main hurdle for families in Bogota. Maloka's science halls, the Salitre Mágico and Mundo Aventura amusement parks and the car-free Sunday roads give children plenty to do, but the sights are spread out, traffic is heavy and parents do best staying in the northern districts.

Mexico City also needs planning by neighbourhood, but it gives children more in return. Chapultepec alone holds the zoo, boating lakes and the Papalote children's museum, the aquarium in Polanco and a trajinera ride at Xochimilco suit all ages, and lucha libre makes a loud, memorable night. In both cities the altitude can tire young children for the first day or two.

Distance shapes every day in Bogota. La Candelaria and the northern districts of Chapinero, Zona T and Usaquén lie far apart along the foot of the mountains, and crossing between them means half an hour or more in heavy traffic. TransMilenio's bus lanes are crowded and take time to learn, so most visitors rely on cheap taxis and ride-hailing, though each district is walkable once you arrive and the bike lanes reward confident cyclists.

In Mexico City the main visitor areas, the Centro, Roma, Condesa, Polanco and Coyoacán, are pleasant on foot. A large, cheap metro with a picture sign for each station links them, backed by Metrobús lanes and bike-share. Rush-hour crowds and long distances still send most people home by ride-hailing at night, but a visitor can cover much more of the city on public transport.

Mexico City is a real shopping destination, especially for crafts. La Ciudadela gathers pottery, alebrijes, textiles and silver from across the country, La Lagunilla's Sunday flea market and San Ángel's Saturday bazaar make long browses, and Masaryk and the grand department stores cover fashion.

Bogota's offer is narrower but has one distinctive item, emeralds from the dealers on Avenida Jiménez. Usaquén's Sunday market is good for hammocks and woven bags, and the rest is malls and local designers in the north.

Both are inexpensive by Western standards, and the overall costs are close. Bogota's strength is cheap comfort: good hotels in the northern districts, cheap office-worker set lunches and taxis across town.

Mexico City's savings are in street tacos, market counters and the metro, but the gap between areas is wider there. Staying and eating in Roma, Condesa or Polanco costs close to European prices, while the Centro remains cheap.

Mexico City offers more to a visitor who does not speak Spanish. The Ballet Folklórico at Bellas Artes, mariachis in Plaza Garibaldi and the spectacle of lucha libre at Arena México need no translation, and Sala Nezahualcóyotl and the Auditorio Nacional add concerts.

Bogota's highlights are the gilded Teatro Colón, the Filarmónica and its large festivals, the Ibero-American Theatre Festival and the free Rock al Parque. Day to day, its salsa bars are the most rewarding live music.

Neither city is restful, but Mexico City has a tradition of its own in the temazcal steam bath, along with good spas in Polanco and Condesa. The shaded plazas of Coyoacán offer quiet corners, and the spa towns around Cuernavaca and Tepoztlán are close for a proper retreat.

Bogota offers hotel spas, and for a real soak the thermal springs at Choachí or Tabio are about an hour away. Usaquén's quieter streets are its calmest corner.