Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai?

Neither city is a beach destination. Both lie deep in the northern hills, far from any coast, so sand and sea mean a separate leg of the trip in the south. For a swim nearby, both have hotel pools, cool pools under forest waterfalls and reservoirs to paddle in on a hot afternoon.

The difference is that Chiang Mai's options are closer and better known. Huay Tung Tao reservoir sits just under Doi Suthep, and the flooded quarry lakes on the edge of town are popular with locals for a proper swim. In Chiang Rai a swim more often comes as part of a trip out to a waterfall.

Both cities serve the same northern cooking, including khao soi, sai ua sausage, chilli dips and sticky rice, but Chiang Mai does it in far greater depth. Its morning markets, the evening stalls at Chang Phueak Gate and the weekend walking streets give you weeks of eating. A small group of kitchens also takes Lanna ingredients in modern directions, and the café scene runs from Nimmanhaemin roasters out to garden cafés towards the mountains.

Chiang Rai adds sour-spicy nam ngiao, roadside grills and hill-grown oolong tea alongside its coffee. Beyond the night bazaar food court and the markets, though, the choice soon narrows, and a trip planned around eating will feel short after a few days.

Chiang Mai has more traditional heritage and more of it on foot. Inside the moat you can walk between Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh, the silver Wat Sri Suphan and dozens of smaller teak monasteries, and Doi Suthep watches over the city from its mountain.

Chiang Rai's appeal is different and more recent. Its White Temple, Blue Temple and Black House are contemporary works that you will not find elsewhere in Thailand. Its older heritage is thinner, though Wat Phra Kaew, where the Emerald Buddha was found, is a notable exception. In both cities the museums are modest.

Chiang Mai gives you a proper evening out. Nimmanhaemin has cocktail and craft-beer bars full of university students, the old city has backpacker bars and rooftops, and Loi Kroh Road is the louder strip. There are a few clubs, but most places close around midnight.

Chiang Rai has a short street of small reggae and acoustic bars near the clock tower and beer tables at the night bazaar. Plan on dinner and a couple of drinks rather than a night out.

Both cities sit in green, forested valleys and are about equally good for the outdoors, but they offer different kinds of trip. Chiang Mai's strengths are being close and having plenty to do. Doi Suthep-Pui National Park starts at the edge of town, Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest peak, is a day out, and the Mae Taeng and Mae Rim valleys offer rafting, ziplines and treks.

Chiang Rai's countryside feels wider and more remote. There are tea terraces on Doi Mae Salong, sunrises over the clouds at Phu Chi Fa, the broad Mekong at the Golden Triangle, and quiet rural roads that are good for cycling. In both places the burning-season haze spoils the views.

The two are about level for outings, but they lead to different places. From Chiang Mai the best day trips are to historic towns: Lamphun's gilded chedi half an hour away, and Lampang's horse carriages, teak mansions and walled temple. The craft villages make easy half days, while Pai and the city of Chiang Rai are better done as overnight stays.

From Chiang Rai the usual loop runs to the border. It takes in the ruined walled town of Chiang Saen, the Golden Triangle and its opium museum, the market at Mae Sai and the gardens at Doi Tung. Doi Mae Salong, a Yunnanese tea village, adds something you cannot reach as easily from Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai keeps children busy for longer. Elephant sanctuaries, the zoo on Doi Suthep, the Night Safari, quarry swimming parks and ziplines are all within easy reach, although broken pavements and traffic around the moat make getting about hard work.

Chiang Rai welcomes children just as warmly but has less made for them. Singha Park, with its lakes, tea fields and bikes, is the main outing, and the sights are far enough apart that you spend a lot of time in the car. In both cities, avoid the smoky months with young children.

Neither city has a metro or tram, so in both you walk the centre and take the road beyond it. The difference is in the kind of journey. Chiang Mai's moated old city is the more pleasant place to explore on foot, with quiet lanes running between temples. Across the wider city, red songthaews that you flag down in the street and ride-hailing apps handle the short trips.

Chiang Rai's flat centre around the clock tower takes only minutes to cross, but there is little shade. Its advantage is the public bus. A local bus runs out to the White Temple, and regional buses from the old terminal reach Chiang Saen, Mae Sai and Phayao, so you can visit the border towns without hiring a driver. In the countryside around Chiang Mai, by contrast, you usually need a hired driver or a tour.

Chiang Mai is the place to buy handmade things. The Sunday Walking Street on Ratchadamnoen and the Saturday market on Wualai, the old silversmiths' street, run for long evenings. There is also the nightly Night Bazaar, plus the craft villages of Bo Sang and San Kamphaeng for umbrellas and weaving, and design studios in Nimmanhaemin.

Chiang Rai has a smaller version of the same thing. Its night bazaar and the Saturday market on Thanalai sell textiles, silver and carvings, and Doi Mae Salong oolong and local coffee are the best things to take home.

Both are among the cheapest stays in Thailand, and day-to-day costs barely differ. Chiang Mai keeps getting around cheap because songthaews and ride-hailing cover most trips. What adds up there are paid extras such as sanctuaries, treks and cooking classes.

Chiang Rai's rooms, meals and cafés cost a little less again. Because its main sights are spread out, though, drivers and tours become the largest part of your spending.

Neither city has a theatre or concert season, but Chiang Mai has more live entertainment. There are nightly jazz and blues jams near the old city's north gate, rock and acoustic bands in Nimmanhaemin, Muay Thai fight nights and the Yi Peng processions.

Chiang Rai offers Lanna dance on the night bazaar stage, khantoke dinners and the odd acoustic set in a bar, and little beyond that.

Chiang Mai is the better place for a stay built around wellbeing. It is Thailand's best-known place to learn Thai massage, and it has spas in old teak houses and yoga studios. Wat Umong and Wat Suan Dok run meditation retreats, the San Kamphaeng hot springs are close, and the Mae Rim valley has resorts designed for quiet stays.

Chiang Rai relaxes you mainly through its slow pace. Massage shops are everywhere, but the hot springs at Pong Phrabat and Mae Kachan are simple pools, and its few retreats are out in the countryside.