Denver or Sedona?

Neither place suits a swimming vacation, but Sedona's water makes more of an outing. Oak Creek runs past town. Riding the sandstone chute at Slide Rock or swimming in the pools below the cliffs at Red Rock Crossing is a cooling end to a hike in the warm months.

Denver's options are more ordinary: sandy beaches on the Cherry Creek and Chatfield reservoirs at the city's edge, outdoor public pools and hotel pools. In both places the natural water stays cold even in high summer.

Denver gives you far more to eat and drink. Its brewing culture fills the RiNo warehouses and the streets around Coors Field. The green chile, breakfast burritos and Vietnamese and Mexican cooking along Federal Boulevard reward a few days of exploring.

Sedona's choice is narrower: Southwestern resort menus, places for health-minded diners and terraces where the sunset matters as much as the plate. Its pleasant extra is the Verde Valley wine country nearby, a gentler kind of drinking than Denver's taprooms.

Denver has a real city's worth of sights, if a young one. Around Civic Center Park are the Denver Art Museum, the Clyfford Still Museum, the gold-domed Capitol and History Colorado. The brick warehouses of LoDo add the old commercial city, and together they fill two or three days well.

Sedona has far less indoors. The Chapel of the Holy Cross, built into a red butte, is the highlight, with the Heritage Museum and plenty of galleries besides. Its most striking history lies outside town at the Sinagua cliff dwellings of Palatki and Honanki, older than anything Denver can show.

Of the two, only Denver offers a real night out. There are breweries and cocktail bars in RiNo, game-night crowds in LoDo and the dive bars of East Colfax, though clubs are few.

Sedona goes to bed early. A handful of brewpubs, wine bars and resort lounges serve a drink after dinner. Its real evening draw is the dark sky, clear enough for serious stargazing.

Both are superb for the outdoors, and Sedona has the edge because the scenery starts where the town ends. Trails to Cathedral Rock, Devil's Bridge and Boynton Canyon, the slickrock bike routes and Oak Creek Canyon are minutes away, and the Grand Canyon's South Rim is about two hours' drive.

Denver's mountains are bigger but further off. Red Rocks and the Golden foothills are close, while the high peaks, Rocky Mountain National Park and the ski resorts take an hour or two by car. In return Denver offers what Sedona cannot: a proper ski season and alpine tundra on summits over 4,000m.

The two are evenly matched for outings, but the destinations differ in kind. From Denver they are Western towns: Boulder under the Flatirons, Georgetown with its narrow-gauge railway, Manitou Springs and the ski town of Breckenridge, nearly all needing a car.

Sedona's strength is ancient sites, with Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot within half an hour and Wupatki beyond Flagstaff. The mining town of Jerome and the Verde Canyon Railroad add variety. Its places are smaller and a few days cover them, while Denver's are spread over a wider area.

Denver is far easier with children. City Park pairs the zoo with the Museum of Nature & Science and its dinosaurs. The Children's Museum, an aquarium and an amusement park sit together by the South Platte, so tired or rainy days are covered.

Sedona suits active families for a short stay. Slide Rock, the gentle paths around Bell Rock and jeep tours go down well, but little beyond that is built for children, and the summer heat and exposed trails need care. Many families fold it into a Grand Canyon trip.

Denver is the easier place to manage on foot, at least in the centre. Its flat downtown puts LoDo, Union Station and the Civic Center museums within walking distance. A free shuttle runs along the 16th Street Mall, and a train links the airport with the centre.

In Sedona only Uptown is walkable. Trailheads, the chapel and the Verde Valley towns all mean driving, the shuttle reaches only some trailheads and parking fills early. Most visitors arrive by road from Phoenix, about two hours south.

Denver has the broader range. Cherry Creek has a large upscale mall and blocks of boutiques, and South Broadway has vintage clothes and records. Its flagship outdoor-gear stores and Western wear, from boots to hats, are the real draw.

Sedona is narrower but more particular. The courtyards of Tlaquepaque and the galleries along the main road sell Western art and Native American jewellery, pottery and rugs. The crystal and metaphysical shops are part of the town's character, but for clothes or department stores visitors drive to Phoenix.

Denver is the lighter of the two on a budget. Rooms along the light rail, taqueria and brewery meals and free parks and trails keep costs in hand, though the hired car adds up.

Sedona is mostly resorts and boutique lodges with resort-town restaurants. Extras such as jeep tours, balloon flights and spa treatments add up quickly. Budget travellers often sleep in Cottonwood or Flagstaff and drive in, leaning on trails that need only a parking pass.

Denver is far ahead here. Red Rocks Amphitheatre puts summer concerts between giant sandstone monoliths. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts spreads over several blocks, with theatre, touring musicals, the Colorado Symphony, opera and ballet, and Five Points keeps its jazz rooms.

Sedona has occasional events rather than a season: chamber concerts, local theatre and the long-running film festival in late winter. Some resorts and bars host acoustic sets and Native American flute players. There is no concert hall, so anyone wanting a show drives to Flagstaff or Phoenix.

In Denver, wellness is something you add to a city stay rather than the reason for coming: a hotel spa or a yoga class, and sunny parks for an idle afternoon. Its real asset is natural hot water, which Sedona lacks. The historic mineral pools and steam caves of Idaho Springs are under an hour west, and larger hot-spring resorts deeper in the mountains make a restful overnight.

Sedona offers a different kind of wellness, centred on treatments rather than bathing. Breathwork, alternative therapies and resort spa programmes are joined by a spiritual side, with the vortexes drawing visitors who believe the rocks carry special energy. It is calmer and more absorbing than anything in Denver, but most of it is booked and paid for at resort prices.