Darjeeling or Rishikesh?

Neither town is for swimming. Rishikesh at least has the river, with white sand banks along the Ganges to sit on and camp beaches upstream at Shivpuri, though the current is dangerous and a dip holding the chains at the ghats is as far as most people go.

Darjeeling, high on its ridge, has nothing of the kind, and its valley rivers are not for bathing. In either place a swim means a hotel pool.

Darjeeling has the more interesting table. Its muscatel tea, tasted by flush in tea rooms or out on an estate, is a real reason to visit. Momos, thukpa and sel roti from the family kitchens near Chowk Bazaar and long colonial breakfasts add variety, and a beer or a meat dish is easy to find.

Rishikesh is strictly vegetarian and sells no alcohol. Thalis at dhabas and chai by the bridges are good and very cheap, but the riverside cafés of Tapovan repeat the same smoothie bowls and pizzas, and the range runs thin sooner.

The two are about level, but the heritage is different. Darjeeling's is Raj and Buddhist: the UNESCO-listed toy train looping round Batasia to the Ghoom monastery, St Andrew's Church, and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute's museum with its Everest and Tenzing Norgay links.

Rishikesh offers living Hindu ritual rather than buildings: Swarg Ashram's painted temples, the tiers of Tera Manzil, the nightly aarti at Triveni Ghat and the overgrown ashram where the Beatles stayed. Either town fills two or three days.

Both towns are quiet by ten. Darjeeling at least has a few old pubs and hotel bars for a drink by the fire. Rishikesh has no alcohol at all, so its evenings are the aarti, a slow dinner and perhaps a chanting session.

Both are outstanding, in different ways. Darjeeling is for views and walking: Kangchenjunga filling the sky, Tiger Hill at sunrise, paths through terraced tea and rhododendron forest, and the multi-day Singalila Ridge trek past red panda country to Sandakphu.

Rishikesh is for more active days. You can raft the Ganges rapids from Shivpuri, take a jeep safari for elephants in Rajaji, walk to the Neer Garh falls, or try bungee and ziplines. The snow peaks are distant here, seen only from Kunjapuri on clear winter mornings.

Rishikesh has the wider choice. Haridwar's huge aarti is under an hour away, there is colonial Dehradun with its Tibetan monastery and the hill station of Mussoorie, and Devprayag, where the Ganges is born, makes a longer day.

Darjeeling's outings to Kurseong, lakeside Mirik and Kalimpong are pleasant but feel much like Darjeeling itself, and the winding roads make them slow.

Darjeeling is the friendlier choice with children, especially older ones. The toy train, the zoo's snow leopards and Himalayan wolves, the ropeway and the cool air all appeal, though the steps, the car-sick drive up and the pre-dawn Tiger Hill trip make it hard with a buggy.

Rishikesh works mainly for teenagers, who can raft and ride the ziplines. Younger children face a fast river, food-snatching macaques and nothing designed for them.

Both are hard work in similar measure, but the layouts differ. Darjeeling is stacked on a ridge: the car-free Mall is pleasant, but everything else means steep steps or jammed shared jeeps, and it is over three hours from the plains.

Rishikesh is strung along the river. Footbridges, riverside paths, cheap shared vikrams and small ferries link its quarters, while rafting put-ins and hilltop temples need a taxi.

Darjeeling has more worth buying. Tasting estate teas before choosing loose leaf is a pleasure in itself, and the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre's carpets and thangkas are well made, even if the stalls on the Mall repeat themselves.

Rishikesh sticks to one theme, with cotton yoga clothes, malas, singing bowls, Ayurvedic oils and philosophy books, and much of it is the same from shop to shop.

Both are very cheap, and Rishikesh is cheaper still. Ashram rooms, thalis, shared autos and drop-in yoga cost almost nothing, and even rafting and the upmarket retreats are modest.

In Darjeeling, food and jeeps are just as kind to the wallet, but heritage hotels, tea-estate bungalows and private taxis to Tiger Hill add up, and rooms with a view fill in peak season.

Neither town has a theatre or a concert hall, but Rishikesh has music most nights. Drums and singing accompany the aarti, ashrams and cafés hold kirtan, and there are occasional sitar or bansuri recitals and plenty of lessons.

In Darjeeling, performance mostly means the masked cham dances at monastery festivals such as Losar, so it comes down to timing.

This is the widest gap between them. Rishikesh is built around yoga and meditation, with dozens of ashrams, residential courses, teacher trainings, Ayurvedic detox treatments and breathwork across Tapovan. The calm is in the ashram gardens rather than on the honking bridges.

Darjeeling restores you in a gentler, unplanned way: a tea-estate bungalow, misty walks and a quiet seat at Ghoom, with spa treatments only at a few upmarket hotels.