Chiang Rai or Phuket?

Chiang Rai sits deep in the northern hills, so there is no beach to speak of. A swim means a hotel pool, a cold plunge under a forest waterfall or a dip at a reservoir.

Phuket is one of Thailand's main beach islands. It has crowded Patong, the broader and calmer sands at Kata and Karon, Nai Harn between its headlands, and the long empty stretch at Mai Khao. Between November and April the water is calm and clear. In the monsoon months, rip currents make the west coast dangerous and the sheltered east-coast bays are safer.

Both have proper regional cooking. In Chiang Rai that means northern Thai food: khao soi, sai ua sausage and chilli dips with sticky rice, best eaten cheaply at the night bazaar and the walking-street markets, with hill-grown coffee in garden cafés. After a few days, though, the choice starts to feel narrow.

Phuket gives a food-focused trip more to work with. Phuket Town has Hokkien and Peranakan dishes such as moo hong and yellow noodles, along with morning dim sum, and you can buy seafood by weight on the waterfront. The beach resorts add a layer of upmarket restaurants that Chiang Rai doesn't have.

Chiang Rai has more to see, and its best-known temples are modern works rather than ancient monuments, made by contemporary Thai artists who mix Buddhist imagery with personal fantasy. Most lie outside the low-rise centre, so each one means a ride out of town. The older Lanna-era temples, the gilded clock tower and the small hill-tribe museum fill out a stay of two or three days.

Phuket's heritage comes from trade, left by the tin-mining boom: pastel Sino-Portuguese shophouses on Thalang Road and Soi Romanee, Chinese clan houses and shrines, and a few tin barons' mansions, all close enough together to walk around Phuket Town. Wat Chalong, the hilltop Big Buddha and the museum at Thalang are spread across the island. A day or two covers it all, so here the culture fits between beach days rather than shaping the trip.

The two could hardly be more different after dark. In Chiang Rai you get a short street of small reggae and acoustic bars near the clock tower and beer tables at the night bazaar, and the town is mostly asleep by midnight.

In Phuket, Bangla Road in Patong fills every night with neon, go-go bars and big clubs open until dawn. There are also sunset beach clubs at Bang Tao and Kamala, quieter bars in Kata and Rawai, and a few small bars in Phuket Town's old shophouses.

Phuket's outdoors is mostly on the water, and that is where it pulls ahead. You can kayak among the limestone towers and hidden lagoons of Phang Nga Bay, dive and snorkel at the Similans in the dry season, and visit the Racha islands. On land there is little beyond the rainforest trails of Khao Phra Thaeo.

Chiang Rai's outdoors is hill country: waterfalls such as Khun Korn, treks through hill-tribe villages, tea terraces on Doi Mae Salong and sunrise over the clouds at Phu Chi Fa. It is the better pick for walking, as long as you avoid the smoky months.

Both offer a few days of pleasant outings without one famous trip that would justify the journey by itself. The difference is the kind of outing. From Chiang Rai you go by road, to the ruined chedis of Chiang Saen, the Golden Triangle on the Mekong, the border market at Mae Sai and the Yunnanese tea village of Doi Mae Salong.

From Phuket you mostly go by boat, to Phi Phi or the quieter Koh Yao islands, or by road to Krabi and Khao Lak. That gives you more beaches and islands, but almost no historic towns.

Phuket suits families much better, provided you pick one resort and stay put. Kids' clubs, big pools, gentle shallows at Kata and Nai Harn in the dry season, water parks and the aquarium at Cape Panwa will keep children busy. Monsoon rip currents and Patong after dark are the things to avoid.

Chiang Rai is friendly to children but has little made for them. Singha Park, with its lakes, tea fields and bike paths, is the main family day out, and getting to most sights means long stretches in a vehicle.

You need transport in both, but Chiang Rai is easier. Its centre around the clock tower and the night bazaar is small and flat enough to walk, a local bus runs to the White Temple, and regional buses reach Chiang Saen and Mae Sai. For the hills you still need a driver or a tour.

Phuket is large and hilly, with its beaches strung along a winding coast road. The west-coast bus is infrequent and stops early in the evening, the songthaews don't link one beach to another, taxis are expensive, and renting a scooter on the steep roads is a real risk.

There is not much to choose between them on shopping, and neither is a reason to go. Chiang Rai is all markets: hill-tribe textiles, silver and carved wood at the night bazaar and on the Saturday walking street, with Doi Mae Salong oolong as the best thing to take home.

Phuket adds air-conditioned malls with international brands, tailors and pearl shops. Its most interesting browsing is the galleries, batik shops and Sunday market in Phuket Town's old quarter.

Chiang Rai is clearly cheaper. Guesthouses, market meals and temple entry all cost very little, and the only real expense is a driver or tours to reach the hills.

Phuket is good value by Western standards but costs noticeably more. Beachfront rooms, imported drinks and taxi rides push daily costs up, and room rates at the main beaches climb sharply from December to February. Staying in Phuket Town or travelling in the monsoon brings costs down.

Neither has a theatre or concert season, so this shouldn't decide your trip. In Chiang Rai, performances are rooted in local tradition: Lanna dance on the night bazaar stage, khantoke dinners, and processions at temple festivals and Loy Krathong.

Phuket's evening shows are made for visitors: ladyboy cabaret revues, staged cultural shows for tour groups, and cover bands in beach bars. Muay Thai fights in Patong are the most lively night out.

Phuket is the place for a proper wellness stay. It has resort spas with treatment pavilions in the jungle, dedicated detox and yoga retreats, and the Muay Thai and fitness camps in Chalong where people train for weeks. Nai Harn, Mai Khao and the east coast are calm places to base yourself.

Chiang Rai relaxes you mainly through its slow pace, with massage shops on every street and a few riverside spas. It does have the one thing Phuket lacks, natural hot springs at Pong Phrabat and Mae Kachan, but the smoky season takes away much of the calm.