Breckenridge or Santa Fe?

Neither town has a beach, so this is no reason to choose either. The difference is in what replaces it. Breckenridge's water is snowmelt-cold even in summer: Lake Dillon is for sailing and paddling, and a swim usually means the recreation centre's indoor pools.

Santa Fe's warmer summers make outdoor water more of an outing, with Abiquiu Lake about an hour north and calm stretches of the Rio Grande to float, though most visitors still end up in a hotel pool.

Santa Fe is the place to come hungry. New Mexican cooking is a cuisine in its own right, with chile in red or green, blue corn, posole and sopaipillas served in old adobe dining rooms around the Plaza, plus a fine-dining tier rare for a small city and a long-established farmers' market in the Railyard.

Breckenridge feeds skiers well with steakhouses, pizza and dishes of elk, trout and bison along Main Street, and its own breweries and whiskey distilling give it the edge for a drink. Its green chile and breakfast burritos are a faint echo of what Santa Fe does properly.

Santa Fe has far more to see. Founded in 1610, it keeps a whole townscape of adobe walls and portals around the Plaza, with the Palace of the Governors, the cathedral and the Loretto Chapel within a few minutes' walk, and museums of folk art and Native American art on Museum Hill that would stand out in a much larger city.

Breckenridge's history is gold-rush Victorian: painted storefronts, miners' cabins, a mine tour with gold panning and the old river dredges. It fills a relaxed afternoon, not two or three days.

Neither is a party town, but Breckenridge has more going on after dark. In winter the après-ski crowd moves from the lift bases to brewpubs and saloons in old Victorian buildings, and a couple of dance bars stay open past midnight on Saturdays, though spring and autumn evenings fall silent.

Santa Fe's evenings are built around dinner, followed by a mezcal or margarita on a rooftop facing the sunset over the Jemez Mountains. The streets empty well before midnight, and a proper night out means driving to Albuquerque.

Both sit at the foot of serious mountains, but Breckenridge puts them closer and higher. Five peaks of ski terrain rise straight above town, Keystone, Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin are next door, and in summer Quandary Peak and a dense web of hiking and biking trails start almost from Main Street. It is the stronger base for anyone whose days revolve around skiing or high-alpine walking.

Santa Fe wins on variety. The Sangre de Cristo trails and Pecos Wilderness give alpine country, while the desert mesas, the red cliffs around Abiquiu, Valles Caldera's elk-grazed crater and rafting in the Rio Grande Gorge give it landscapes Breckenridge has nothing like.

Santa Fe has the richer surroundings. The High Road to Taos runs past Chimayo's pilgrimage church to the thousand-year-old Taos Pueblo, and Bandelier's cliff dwellings, Los Alamos, Pecos, Ghost Ranch and the Turquoise Trail villages each make a full and different day, though nearly all of them need a car.

From Breckenridge the best outings are the old mining towns of Leadville and Georgetown, Vail's pedestrian village and Denver's museums about two hours away. Beyond those, most destinations are other ski resorts, and winter roads can stretch any drive.

Breckenridge is the better choice for families, as long as they come for the mountain. Children's ski schools, wide beginner slopes and a free gondola make winter manageable, and summer adds an alpine coaster, mazes and climbing walls, though the near-3,000m altitude and winter layering can wear small children down.

Santa Fe is safe and calm, with a children's museum, the folk art museum's toys and the ladders at Bandelier, but its days of galleries and long meals suit teenagers who like history and hiking better than toddlers.

Breckenridge is much easier without a car. The free gondola, town buses and county buses link the lodgings, trailheads and neighbouring resorts of Summit County, so many visitors never drive once they arrive. The catch is the two-hour road trip from Denver's airport, which snow and weekend traffic can stretch.

Santa Fe's centre is walkable, with the Plaza, Canyon Road and the Railyard close together, and the Rail Runner train reaches Albuquerque. Beyond the centre, buses are infrequent, and Museum Hill, the trailheads and nearly every day trip are reached by hire car.

Santa Fe is a real shopping destination for art and craft. Native American artists sell silver, turquoise and pottery directly under the Palace of the Governors' portal, Canyon Road and the Railyard are thick with galleries, and the summer Indian, Spanish and folk art markets draw collectors from far away.

Breckenridge's Main Street is better for ski gear, technical clothing and souvenirs than for anything you would collect, and serious bargain hunters drive to the Silverthorne outlets. Neither town offers fashion or department stores.

Both are expensive, but Breckenridge in ski season is in another bracket, with slope-side lodging, lift tickets, equipment hire and lessons adding up quickly, especially over Christmas and spring break. Staying in Frisco or Silverthorne, or visiting in summer, eases the bill, and local transport is free.

Santa Fe is less punishing, though hotels near the Plaza and its restaurants are priced for a well-off crowd. Cerrillos Road lodgings, free hiking and gallery browsing help, but the hire car most visits need eats into the saving.

Both towns come alive musically in summer, and Santa Fe does so on a bigger stage. Its opera, performed in an open-sided theatre on a hill as the sun sets over the desert, is known for rare and new works, and a chamber music festival and a long flamenco tradition add to the season. The historic Lensic theatre keeps something on in winter.

Breckenridge's Riverwalk Center hosts a summer festival orchestra and a young professionals' academy by the Blue River, which makes a fine evening out, but in winter the offer shrinks to bands in après bars.

Santa Fe is the more restful choice. Japanese-style soaking tubs sit among the pines on the road to the ski area, Ojo Caliente's mineral pools are about an hour north, and the town has an unusual number of spas, yoga studios and healers, all helped by quiet courtyards and early nights.

In Breckenridge, wellness mostly means a condo hot tub in the snow or a resort spa massage after a hard ski day. The nearest natural springs are an hour away, and the town's active pace makes it a place to exert yourself rather than to recover.