Cairo or Varanasi?

Neither city is a place to swim, but Cairo at least has a sea within reach. The Red Sea at Ain Sokhna is about 130km east, warm and calm but lined with resort compounds, so it suits a few extra days more than a day out.

Varanasi is hundreds of kilometres from any coast, and the Ganges, sacred as it is, is polluted and fast-flowing. In both cities a swim means a hotel pool, and in Varanasi only a few larger hotels away from the old city have one.

Both cities eat best on the street and cheaply, but the cooking is very different. Cairo has a broader table: ful and taameya for breakfast, koshari for lunch, grilled kofta, stuffed pigeon and molokhia. The coffeehouse is the backbone of the day, and Zamalek and Heliopolis add a modest layer of international restaurants.

Varanasi is almost entirely vegetarian near the ghats and built around snacks and sweets: kachori at dawn, chaat, lassi in clay cups, malaiyo in winter and paan rolled to order. There are fewer dishes and less alcohol, but a handful of its specialities are as memorable as anything in Cairo.

Both are among the oldest cities a traveller can visit, but Cairo has more to see. Giza's pyramids and Sphinx, the Grand Egyptian Museum and the royal mummies at Fustat sit alongside the mosques, madrasas and Citadel of Islamic Cairo and the churches of Coptic Cairo. That is enough for many full days.

Varanasi's great sight is the riverfront itself: more than eighty ghats where bathing, prayer and cremation go on in plain view, with the Kashi Vishwanath temple in the lanes behind. Museums are thin and some sanctums are closed to non-Hindus, so there is less to tour, but the daily ritual is on a scale Cairo has nothing like.

Cairo has a real evening life, even if it runs on tea. The ahwas of downtown and Islamic Cairo stay full past midnight, families stroll the corniche, and Zamalek, the big hotels and a few party boats supply bars and rooftops.

Varanasi largely closes after the evening aarti. Alcohol is scarce and frowned on near the ghats, the Assi Ghat cafés wind down early, and the city goes to bed ready for dawn.

Neither is a city for landscape, but Cairo gives you more to work with. Inside the city there are Al-Azhar Park and the canyons of Wadi Degla. Two hours away, the Fayoum lakes and dunes and the whale fossils of Wadi Al-Hitan make proper desert outings between October and April.

Varanasi's outdoors is mostly the river: a sunrise row past the ghats and walks on the sandbank opposite. The Vindhya hills and Chandraprabha's waterfalls are about two hours south and are best after the monsoon.

Cairo's surroundings are much richer. Saqqara, Dahshur and Memphis lie within an hour, and the monasteries of Wadi Natrun and the Fayoum oasis are also within reach. Alexandria makes a long but workable day, though most of these trips need a driver.

Varanasi has one outstanding outing: Sarnath, half an hour away, where the Buddha first preached. Chunar Fort and the mosques of Jaunpur fill another day or two. Prayagraj is a long day, and the big names such as Bodh Gaya are too far to return from the same day.

Cairo is not easy with children, but Varanasi is far harder. In Cairo the pyramids, camel rides and Tutankhamun's gold give children real highlights. A hotel pool, a private driver and a winter visit make the traffic and the touts manageable.

Varanasi has almost nothing made for children, and its narrow lanes, open drains and cremations in plain view are a lot for young eyes. Families who go usually keep the stay short: a dawn boat, Sarnath and a comfortable hotel away from the ghats.

Both cities are tiring to move around, but Cairo is a little easier. Its metro links Tahrir, Coptic Cairo and Heliopolis, and ride-hailing apps take the haggling out of the heavy traffic. Walking only works in short stretches, such as Al-Muizz Street or Zamalek.

Varanasi has no metro, but its best route is on foot. The ghats link up for several kilometres from Assi to Raj Ghat, with boats running alongside. Away from the river you rely on rickshaws, autos and a maze of lanes shared with cattle.

Cairo spreads its shopping across many crafts, while Varanasi puts nearly everything into one. Khan el-Khalili and the lanes around it sell brass lamps, inlaid boxes, spices and perfume bottles, appliqué is stitched by hand on the Street of the Tentmakers, Zamalek has small design boutiques, and the suburban malls carry the international brands.

Varanasi's prize is Banarasi silk brocade, bought straight from the weavers' workshops or from the silk houses around Godowlia, with brass ritual ware, painted wooden toys and musical instruments around it. Haggling is expected in both, and in Varanasi touts working on commission will try to steer you to particular silk shops.

Neither city costs much to stay in, so the difference lies in where the money goes. In Cairo the extra spending comes at the big sites, where foreigners pay far more than locals, and on alcohol, guided tours and Nile-view hotels.

In Varanasi the ghats and the evening aarti cost nothing at all. The main temptations are a length of silk or a night in one of the restored palace hotels on the river.

Cairo's formal stage is the Opera House on Gezira Island, with a symphony orchestra, ballet and Arabic ensembles. Its most memorable show is the tanoura whirling dance in the Wikala of al-Ghouri. Between them they make a fine evening or two, where in Varanasi music runs through the whole stay.

Varanasi goes deeper. It is one of the great homes of Hindustani classical music, with recitals in music schools and the all-night Sankat Mochan festival in a temple courtyard. It also has the Ramlila at Ramnagar and the fire and chant of the Ganga aarti every evening, watched from the steps or from boats.

Cairo is the harder place to slow down. Its old hammams have largely fallen out of use, so rest means a hotel spa, a felucca at dusk or a quiet courtyard in a historic house.

Varanasi offers more to the traveller looking inward, with yoga, meditation and Ayurvedic massage around Assi Ghat and calm hours on the river at dawn. Beyond Assi and the river it is still loud and emotionally intense, so rest has to be planned into the day rather than expected from the city.