Dar es Salaam or Mombasa?

The main difference is how far you have to go for a swim. In Dar es Salaam the city's own shore, Coco Beach included, is a place for an evening stroll rather than a swim. The clean water is at the islands of Bongoyo and Mbudya, half an hour away by boat, or on the quieter Kigamboni coast across the harbour.

In Mombasa the beach starts at the hotel. Nyali, Bamburi and Shanzu form one reef-protected strip of coral sand, and Diani to the south is the finest beach on either coast. Both cities have big tides, so time your swims around low water in either place.

The two cities share Swahili coastal cooking and an Indian thread, but Mombasa gives more reason to go out and eat. Its Old Town is the home of Kenya's Swahili kitchen: fish in coconut and tamarind, mahamri with spiced tea, viazi karai from the roadside fryers.

Dar es Salaam's food is more social than refined. The evening meal to seek out is nyama choma with a cold beer, chipsi mayai is the street staple, and the morning auction at the Kivukoni fish market is an outing in itself. Upanga adds biryani and sweet shops. Upmarket dining is unremarkable in both cities.

Mombasa has the better history on its doorstep. Fort Jesus, fought over by Portuguese, Omanis and the British, stands at the harbour mouth beside an Old Town of carved doors and old mosques, and both are best seen on foot with a guide.

Dar es Salaam has museums rather than a historic quarter. The National Museum's fossils from Olduvai Gorge and the traditional houses at the Village Museum are its highlights, along with a short walk past the German-era churches by the harbour. Its deep coastal history lies on Zanzibar and in Bagamoyo, not in the city itself.

The two are much alike: weekend-driven, informal, and reached by taxi rather than on foot. What differs is where the night happens. Dar es Salaam splits between the expatriate lounges of Masaki and Oyster Bay and the open-air beer gardens and clubs of Sinza and Mwenge, spread across the city.

Mombasa's nights move up the north coast, from the beach bars of Nyali to Mtwapa, a strip of bars and clubs that stays open until dawn. Many resort guests never go beyond a sundowner.

On both coasts the best of the outdoors is in the sea, but how deep it goes differs. In Dar es Salaam it means a snorkelling trip to the reserve islands off the north shore, a dhow under sail past the mangroves, or kitesurfing on the trade winds. On land the city spreads flat into suburbs, birdwatching in the Pugu Hills is the main walk, and a safari is a separate journey by air or a long road.

Mombasa's reef is a reason to come in itself. Divers travel here for reef walls and turtles, glass-bottom boats show the coral to those who would rather not swim, and the mangrove creeks can be paddled by kayak as well as sailed. Big wildlife starts about an hour inland rather than a flight away, though the heat makes hiking on the coast itself hard going.

Both have a handful of good outings, but of different kinds. From Dar es Salaam the two big trips are living historic towns: Stone Town on Zanzibar by fast ferry, and Bagamoyo with its caravan-route past and the Kaole ruins nearby.

Mombasa's outings lead to the ruins of medieval Swahili towns along the north coast, from Jumba la Mtwana close by to Gede in its forest near Watamu, plus a dhow day to Wasini. Lamu, the Kenyan coast's equivalent of Stone Town, needs a flight, whereas Dar's needs only a boat.

Mombasa is far easier with children. The big resorts in Nyali, Bamburi and Diani have kids' clubs and calm lagoons. Rock-pooling, glass-bottom boats and the giraffes and hippos at Haller Park fill the days, and older children can do a safari in Tsavo.

Dar es Salaam works better as a stop on the way somewhere else. A boat to the islands, a resort pool on the Kigamboni coast and the water park cover most of it. In both cities the heat, traffic and lack of pavements make getting around town tiring, and malaria precautions are needed.

Getting around is hard work in both, and most visitors end up using ride-hailing. Dar es Salaam has dedicated bus rapid transit lanes, but they serve commuters more than the places visitors go, and the city's sprawl and traffic make every journey slow.

Mombasa's problem is geography. The town sits on an island, the beaches are spread along the coast, and the Nyali bridge and Likoni ferry can turn short trips into long ones. Tuk-tuks fill the gap, and day trips need a driver.

Neither has fashion or luxury shopping, and both are good for cloth and carvings. Dar es Salaam has the more striking markets: Kariakoo, one of the great trading markets of East Africa, the Makonde ebony carvers at Mwenge, and Tingatinga painting, a style born in the city.

Mombasa's shopping is quieter and more traditional, with kangas and kikois on Biashara Street, carved Swahili chests and brass in the Old Town, Akamba woodcarvings and spices at Marikiti. Expect to bargain.

The costs work the same way in both. Street food, minibuses and simple guesthouses cost very little, while beach resorts, imported drinks and organised outings are priced closer to Western levels. Your budget depends on how you travel more than on which city you pick.

In Dar es Salaam the extra costs come from Masaki restaurants and boat trips to the islands. In Mombasa they come from staying in a beach resort, safari tours and the park fees charged to foreigners.

Neither city has a theatre or concert scene you could plan a trip around, but Dar es Salaam has a little more. It is the home of bongo flava and has a long tradition of dance bands and taarab, and its cultural centres put on traditional dance and small theatre productions. Bagamoyo's arts college is close by.

In Mombasa, taarab is mostly heard at weddings. Live music means weekend bands playing benga and reggae in north-coast bars, and the resorts put on acrobat shows.

Mombasa is the better place to slow down. Its resort spas often give treatments in open-air pavilions facing the sea, yoga is easy to find around Diani, and the unhurried coastal pace makes long lunches and afternoon naps feel natural.

Dar es Salaam offers hotel spa massages in Masaki and a quiet resort stay on the Kigamboni coast, but most visitors who want real rest go on to Zanzibar.