Colorado Springs or Tucson?

Neither city has a beach, so the difference is in what you do with water instead. In Colorado Springs that means a chilly reservoir or city lake, or a rafting day on the Arkansas River. In Tucson it means the resort pool, which is where most of the hot season is spent, plus the shallow pools that sometimes form in Sabino Canyon after rain. The nearest sea is a four-hour drive into Mexico.

Tucson is the clear winner for anyone who travels to eat. Its own cuisine is Sonoran Mexican, with carne asada grilled over mesquite, paper-thin flour tortillas and bacon-wrapped hot dogs from street stands. Family kitchens along South 12th Avenue and in the barrios have been cooking it for decades, and desert ingredients such as tepary beans and prickly pear turn up on menus.

Colorado Springs eats like most mid-sized American towns, with green chile, barbecue and burgers, and craft breweries with food trucks outside. The beer is the best of it. The Broadmoor dining rooms are at the top end, but there is little in between.

Tucson has more history to look at. Mission San Xavier del Bac, with its painted and gilded interior, is a better sight than anything in Colorado Springs. The adobe streets of Barrio Viejo, the Native American collections of the Arizona State Museum and the hundreds of aircraft at Pima Air & Space fill another two days.

Colorado Springs has fewer, more scattered sights: the aluminium spires of the Air Force Academy's Cadet Chapel, the Olympic and Paralympic Museum and the Gold Rush story in the old courthouse. Most visitors there spend their time outdoors.

Neither city is somewhere to go for a big night out, but Tucson has more going on. Fourth Avenue's dive bars and patios and Congress Street's cocktail bars and rooftops are within walking distance of each other, and drinking outside on warm nights is a big part of it. Colorado Springs centres on a few blocks of Tejon Street, plus brewery taprooms that often close before midnight. It suits a pint after a day of hiking. Tucson goes noticeably quiet in summer, when the students leave.

Colorado Springs is the better base for serious time outdoors. Pikes Peak rises above 4,300m right at the edge of town. Garden of the Gods and Red Rock Canyon offer both easy paths and real climbing, the mountain biking is excellent, and ski resorts are about two hours away. The dry, sunny climate keeps the trails open for much of the year, though the altitude takes a day to get used to.

Tucson's setting is just as striking in its own way: saguaro forests on both sides of the city, Sabino Canyon, and the drive up Mount Lemmon from cactus to pine. It is also known for road cycling and birdwatching. The catch is the summer, when heat above 40°C pushes outings to dawn or up into the mountains.

Both cities have a good spread of day trips, and both need a car, but the trips are different in kind. From Colorado Springs you can spend a full day in a big city, with Denver and its museums about an hour away. Mountain roads lead to the gold-mining towns of Cripple Creek and Victor, and the Royal Gorge is about an hour south-west.

Tucson's trips go into frontier and border country: Wild West Tombstone, the copper town of Bisbee on its steep hillsides, the artists' village of Tubac with the Tumacácori mission ruins nearby, wine tasting around Sonoita, and the Biosphere 2 dome to the north.

Colorado Springs is the easier city with children, mainly because it works in summer when school is out. Children can hand-feed giraffes at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and the cog railway, Cave of the Winds and the Manitou Cliff Dwellings each make a short outing. The strong sun and the altitude need some care.

Tucson has excellent things for children, including the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the giant aircraft and a western film set with stunt shows. But for small children it really only works from October to April. In summer, families end up at the pool or up on Mount Lemmon. In both cities you will spend a lot of time in the car.

Plan on hiring a car in either city. Tucson is slightly easier without one, because the Sun Link streetcar connects downtown, Fourth Avenue and the university, and that central area is pleasant to walk outside summer. Colorado Springs has no comparable link. Downtown, Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs are each walkable, but they are separate places, buses are infrequent and the zoo is up a mountain road. In both cities the main outdoor sights are on the edge of town or beyond it.

Tucson has more worth buying, and what it has comes from the region. Look for Native American jewellery, Tohono O'odham baskets and Mexican folk art in galleries in the old town and in Tubac. Its winter gem and mineral show draws collectors from around the world.

Colorado Springs is more modest. The old storefronts of Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs sell Western wear, rocks and gems, outdoor gear and local crafts. Beyond those, it is mostly highway malls and outlets.

Tucson is a little easier on the budget. Taquerías and hot dog stands make eating cheaply easy, and hotel rates drop sharply in the summer heat. The trade-off is that winter, its best season, is also when it costs most, especially during the gem show.

Colorado Springs has reasonably priced motels along the interstate and free entry to Garden of the Gods and most trails. On the other hand, sit-down meals cost the usual American amount. In both cities, car hire is an extra you can't really avoid.

Tucson has more on stage, though neither city is worth choosing for it. Tucson has a symphony and opera from Arizona Opera, which divides its productions with Phoenix. Touring Broadway shows play Centennial Hall, and the restored Fox Theatre hosts concerts. Mariachi runs deep in the city's culture, and most of the programme falls between autumn and spring.

Colorado Springs has its Philharmonic at the Pikes Peak Center and plays and musicals at the Fine Arts Center. Its busiest time is summer, when touring bands play the outdoor amphitheatre.

Tucson is the more restful place to stay. It was one of the original homes of the American destination spa, and resorts in the Catalina foothills and out towards Oracle offer fitness, massage and meditation programmes, with pools facing the mountains and quiet desert evenings.

Colorado Springs has a different kind of spa history. Manitou Springs grew up as a health resort, and you can still drink the naturally fizzy water from public fountains or soak in a small outdoor spa. The Broadmoor has the most complete spa. Neither city has a public bathhouse culture.