Cairo or Tunis?

Here the two are far apart. Cairo sits inland on the Nile, which no one swims in, so the nearest sea is the resort strip at Ain Sokhna, a couple of hours' drive east. In the city itself you are limited to a hotel pool.

Tunis has sand within reach of the TGM train, with family beaches at La Marsa and quieter ones at Gammarth, plus the wider bays of Hammamet about an hour away. These are not world-class beaches, but you can fit a swim into an ordinary sightseeing day, which Cairo never allows.

Both are cheap, street-first food cities of a similar standard, but the flavours differ. Cairo is about filling staples: ful and green taameya for breakfast, koshari for lunch, feteer and stuffed pigeon, with the ahwa coffeehouse as the social hub.

Tunis cooks with more heat and more sea. Harissa runs through brik, lablabi and ojja, and the seafood restaurants of La Goulette and La Marsa offer a better sit-down meal than most of Cairo. Local wine is also easier to find there.

Cairo is in a different league. The Giza pyramids, three major antiquities museums, the medieval lanes of Al-Muizz Street, Saladin's Citadel and Coptic Cairo together amount to weeks of sightseeing, and few places on earth can match them.

Tunis is rich too, just on a smaller scale. Its intact medina around the Zitouna Mosque and the Bardo's Roman mosaics are outstanding, and Carthage and Sidi Bou Said round out several good days. The Carthage ruins, though, are scattered and ask more of your imagination than the Sphinx does.

Neither is a party city, but Cairo has more going on after dark. Its streets stay crowded late, the corniche and the ahwas of downtown are full past midnight, and Zamalek offers rooftop bars and party boats on the Nile.

In Tunis evenings mostly end in cafés. Outside the summer lounges and beach clubs of La Marsa and Gammarth, there is little beyond a few rough downtown beer bars.

Cairo has little green on its doorstep: Al-Azhar Park above the old city, a felucca on the Nile at sunset and the dry limestone canyons of Wadi Degla on the eastern edge. Its real landscapes are desert ones, the lakes and dunes of the Fayoum and the whale fossils of Wadi Al-Hitan. They are striking but take a long day out, and although you can go in summer, the heat makes it hard going. October to April is the time for them.

Tunis gives you more of the outdoors close at hand. Flamingos feed on the lagoon, Bou Kornine has short hikes with views over the bay, and the clifftops of Sidi Bou Said and Gammarth make easy coastal walks. Ichkeul's bird-filled wetlands and the walking on Cap Bon are within a day's reach, though marked trails are few there too.

Both make good bases, but Tunis offers more variety. Within two hours you can reach Roman Dougga on its hillside, the holy city of Kairouan, Andalusian Testour and the pottery of Nabeul, and there is a coast to pair with them.

From Cairo, the outings are mostly more pyramids: Saqqara, Dahshur and Meidum, which are superb for anyone who wants depth on ancient Egypt. Further afield there are the Wadi Natrun monasteries and a long day to Alexandria. Nearly all of them need a driver.

Neither city is easy with children, and both have hostile traffic and broken pavements. Tunis is a little more manageable because of its beaches, Belvedere Park and the amusement areas near Hammamet, and many families base themselves on the coast.

Cairo offers bigger moments, such as camel rides by the pyramids and Tutankhamun's gold, but little else for children. Its summer heat and pushy touts make early starts and a winter visit essential.

Tunis is the easier city to move around. The medina and the downtown boulevards are close enough to walk, and the TGM line strings together Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and the beaches, so most visitor sights are on one simple route.

Cairo is spread out, and its metro misses the pyramids and Islamic Cairo. Most visitors end up in ride-hailing cars stuck in some of the worst traffic anywhere, and walking only works in short stretches such as Zamalek or Al-Muizz Street.

Both are bazaar cities, and Cairo's is the larger and deeper. Khan el-Khalili and its surrounding lanes sell lamps, inlay, silver and spices, with the Street of the Tentmakers' appliqué and the coppersmiths' alley nearby. Zamalek's design boutiques add a contemporary layer.

The Tunis medina is calmer and still partly arranged by trade, with chechia makers, perfumers, kilims and carpets. Nabeul ceramics and Sidi Bou Said birdcages make good souvenirs, but beyond the souks there is less to browse.

Both are very cheap by Mediterranean standards, and Cairo stretches money a little further on food, transport and mid-range hotels. Its catch is the foreigner pricing at the big sites, together with constant small tips and touts.

In Tunis, sightseeing is gentler on the wallet, with modest entry to the Bardo and Carthage. Costs rise mainly in the smart coastal suburbs of Gammarth and La Marsa.

Cairo offers more on an ordinary evening. The Opera House on Gezira has a symphony orchestra, ballet and Arabic music through the season, and the tanoura whirling dance in the Wikala of al-Ghouri is a memorable night out for any visitor.

The Tunis calendar is seasonal. Its highlights are malouf concerts at Ennejma Ezzahra and the Carthage festival in the Roman theatre, and outside those dates the choice thins out quickly.

This is where Tunis pulls well ahead. Gammarth has proper thalassotherapy spas, the medina's neighbourhood hammams are still in use, and the Roman-era springs at Korbous are an hour away.

Cairo's old hammams have largely gone out of use, so relaxing there means a hotel spa or a felucca at dusk. Most visitors who want rest finish the trip with a few days elsewhere.