Cartagena or Tulum?

Cartagena's own beaches at Bocagrande and Castillogrande have darkish sand, water clouded by river sediment and plenty of vendors. The clear turquoise Caribbean is offshore, in the Rosario Islands and at Playa Blanca on Baru, so a good beach day here means a boat trip.

Tulum is clearly stronger for beaches. A long run of pale sand starts a few kilometres from town, from the beaches below the cliff-top ruins down to the quieter shore towards Sian Ka'an, and Akumal's turtle bay is half an hour north. The one thing to check before you book is sargassum seaweed, which can pile up in the warmer months.

Cartagena has more to eat, and more of it belongs to the place. There is fried fish with coconut rice, arepas de huevo on street corners, ceviche from carts, Palenquera women selling fruit and the sweet stalls of the Portal de los Dulces. The walled city adds a polished tier of modern Colombian cooking in colonial houses, and Getsemaní has cheaper places to eat.

Tulum's food is narrower. The firelit restaurants on the beach road often sell the setting more than the plate, so the dishes worth looking for are Yucatecan, such as sopa de lima, or cochinita pibil from the taco stands in town. Both places have plenty of menus aimed at tourists.

About 11km of stone ramparts enclose Cartagena's old town, and walking them at sunset is the best introduction to one of the most complete colonial townscapes in the Americas. Below them are balconied houses in ochre, blue and pink, the cathedral, San Pedro Claver and the Palace of the Inquisition, and the Castillo San Felipe rises on its hill just outside. San Diego and Getsemaní carry the old streets on in plainer form. The collections are modest, a small Gold Museum among them, and two or three days covers the main sights.

Tulum's one important sight is smaller in every way. It is the walled Maya port on the cliff, where El Castillo stands above the sea. You go for the setting rather than the size: a couple of hours among low temples with turquoise water below, best early before the tour coaches arrive. Around it is a modern town grid with no museums of note, so the ruins make one morning's visit rather than several days of sightseeing.

Cartagena's nights are busier and more varied. There are drummers and street food on the Plaza de la Trinidad, salsa bars in Getsemaní, rooftop bars inside the walls, champeta at local parties and chiva buses with a band on board, all within walking distance. Touts come with it.

Tulum is known for big electronic nights instead: DJ sets in jungle clearings, beach clubs and full-moon parties, at their peak in winter. Between those events there is only a short strip of mezcal bars in town.

Cartagena's best outdoors is the reef at Corales del Rosario, which shows wear from boat traffic. Closer in there is canoeing through the mangroves at La Boquilla, kitesurfing in the windy dry months and a wallow in the Totumo mud volcano. Inland the land is flat farmland.

Tulum has far more. There are cenotes of very clear water for snorkelling and cave diving, the lagoons and mangroves of Sian Ka'an with dolphins and turtles, reef snorkelling at Akumal and flat roads for cycling. Neither place has hills or hiking trails.

Cartagena has few easy outings. San Basilio de Palenque, with its own language and music, makes a thoughtful half day, and the island trips are more about the water than the villages. Mompox and Santa Marta both need an overnight stay.

Tulum is within reach of the Maya world. Coba is under an hour inland, and Chichen Itza is about two hours away, paired with Valladolid or Ek Balam. Playa del Carmen and the ferry to Cozumel are also close. For most of these you need a car, a tour or the train.

Cartagena is good for a few hours with children: carriage rides, shaded plazas and the ramparts, then calm water at the island beaches and the National Aviary on Baru. Beyond that little is made for children, and the heat and long boat rides tire small ones.

Tulum gives children more in the water. There are turtles in the shallows at Akumal, cenotes with steps down into calm pools, and the eco-parks at Xel-Ha and Xcaret. Many beach hotels lean towards adults and sights are spread out, so families do best with a pool and a hire car.

Cartagena is much easier to get around. The walled city, San Diego and Getsemaní are minutes apart on foot, the fortress is a walk away, and plentiful cheap taxis cover the rest. Midday heat and narrow, uneven pavements are the main drawbacks.

Tulum is strung out along a highway, with the town, the beach and the hotel strip kilometres apart. Bicycles work on the flat roads, but public transport is thin and taxis are expensive, so most visitors hire a car or book tours.

Cartagena has more to buy, though still not a great deal. It has Wayuu bags, sombreros vueltiaos and hammocks in the vaulted rooms of Las Bóvedas, emerald jewellers near the Plaza de Bolívar, boutiques of Colombian designers' resortwear and malls in Bocagrande.

Tulum's shopping has one look: linen, macramé and woven baskets in expensive boutiques on the beach road. Embroidered huipiles and silver jewellery sell for better prices on the town avenue.

Both places have an expensive top tier, but Cartagena is far kinder to a budget once you leave the boutique hotels inside the walls. Guesthouses in Getsemaní, street food, set lunches, cheap taxis and reasonably priced island trips keep costs down, except over Christmas, New Year and Easter.

Tulum costs more almost everywhere, from beach-road hotels to taxis, beach clubs and the separate entry fees at cenotes. The way to keep it manageable is to stay in town and cycle to the sea.

Neither is a place for a full season of performances, but Cartagena at least has a stage. There is the ornate Teatro Adolfo Mejía, a classical festival every January in churches and courtyards, and cumbia dancers and drummers in the plazas each evening.

Tulum has no theatre or concert hall at all, only bar bands on the main avenue and staged ceremonial dance at the eco-parks.

In Cartagena, rest comes from a hotel courtyard and plunge pool, a cheap massage or a few nights on the islands. The old town is hot and noisy, and the Totumo mud bath is more of a lark than a cure.

Tulum is built around wellness, with yoga shalas, retreat hotels, open-air spas, sound baths and Maya temazcal sweat lodges, and slow, barefoot days on the southern beach strip. For real quiet, choose somewhere well away from the party venues.