Doha or Riyadh?

Doha has a real sea. The Gulf here is warm, shallow and calm, and the hotel and resort beaches in West Bay and on The Pearl have groomed sand and shade. There are also public stretches at Katara and further south at Al Wakrah and Simaisma. It works well for an afternoon between museums rather than a whole beach vacation, and the dunes running into the water at Sealine are an hour's drive away.

Riyadh is on the central plateau, some 400km from the coast, so there is no sea or lake to swim in. A hotel pool, a resort day pass or a water park is the limit, and anyone who wants salt water has to plan a separate stay on the coast.

The two are close for food, but what you eat is different. In Doha you mostly eat the cooking of the people who live there: South Indian and Pakistani grills, biryani and parotta, karak tea, Levantine and Iranian kitchens, and fresh Gulf seafood. Qatari machboos is easiest to find around Souq Waqif. The hotel restaurants of West Bay and Lusail add big international names and the city's only wine.

Riyadh's food is more rooted in the region. Najdi kabsa, mandi and jareesh come on shared platters, often with floor seating, and Arabic coffee with dates is offered almost everywhere. There are specialty coffee shops along Olaya and date markets worth a wander. There is no alcohol anywhere, and street food is limited.

Doha has the stronger museums. I. M. Pei's Museum of Islamic Art holds a world-class collection, and Jean Nouvel's National Museum, shaped like a desert rose, is a sight in itself. Mathaf adds modern Arab art. Very little of the old town survives, though, and Souq Waqif is a reconstruction.

Riyadh has less to show in its galleries but more genuine old building. At-Turaif in Diriyah, the UNESCO-listed mud-brick citadel above Wadi Hanifah, plus Masmak Fort and the Murabba Palace, show real Najdi architecture. The National Museum next door covers Arabian history clearly. Either city takes two or three days to see.

If you want a drink, Doha has more on offer, though it is a small, smart scene. Licensed hotel bars, rooftop lounges looking over West Bay and a few hotel clubs with visiting DJs are all there is, and there is no bar street to wander.

In Riyadh there is no alcohol at all, so going out means coffee shops, dessert cafés and open-air entertainment zones, plus the odd big festival or alcohol-free club night. In both cities the real evening life is sober and runs past midnight in winter: shisha and dinner around Souq Waqif and the Corniche in Doha, and cafés and malls in Riyadh.

Riyadh has much more landscape to explore. The Edge of the World, a sheer limestone escarpment on the Tuwaiq range, is about two hours away by four-wheel drive and looks out over an ancient seabed. Closer in, the red dunes east of the city are used for quad biking and overnight camps, and Wadi Hanifah gives you a long green corridor for walking and cycling.

Doha sits on a flat gravel peninsula with a built-up shore. Its best outings are the dune drive to Khor Al Adaid, the Inland Sea on the Saudi border, and kayaking among the mangroves at Al Thakira. Otherwise you are limited to the Corniche and Aspire Park.

From Riyadh you can reach real old settlements. Ushaiger, a restored mud-brick village with palm gardens about two hours north-west, pairs well with the traditional Najdi houses in Shaqra's old quarter. Most other excursions head into the desert.

Qatar is so small that Doha has little to visit beyond it. The ruined pearling town of Al Zubarah and its fort, about an hour and a half away, is the one heritage site. Al Wakrah's rebuilt souq and the empty fishing village of Al Jumail don't fill a day, and most visitors cover the rest of the country in a single desert tour.

Doha is the easier city with children. The big malls and Doha Oasis have indoor rides and roller coasters, there are large water parks and hands-on galleries at the sports museum, and the hotel beaches are calm and shallow enough for toddlers. It is very safe, and the metro takes some of the strain off getting around.

Riyadh welcomes children just as warmly, with mall amusement parks, ice rinks, a zoo and the parks along Wadi Hanifah. However, the few pavements and long car journeys wear on small children, and the desert camps with camel rides suit older ones best. In both cities summer keeps everyone indoors, so come in winter.

Doha's three driverless metro lines reach most of what a visitor wants, including Souq Waqif, Msheireb, the National Museum, West Bay, Katara and Lusail. You can see a fair amount without a car, though the Museum of Islamic Art is a short walk from the nearest station.

Riyadh also has a metro, along Olaya, King Abdullah Road and out to the airport, but the sights are spread so far apart that the last stretch usually means a taxi or a ride-hailing car. In both cities walking is limited to a few compact areas in the cooler months: the souq and Corniche in Doha, and the area around Masmak Fort and Diriyah in Riyadh.

Shopping is much alike, with a souq for tradition and giant malls for brands, but the specialities differ. Doha's Souq Waqif is a maze of spices, frankincense, oud and falconry gear beside a Gold Souq where jewellery is sold by weight. Its themed malls and designer flagships cluster in Lusail and on The Pearl.

Riyadh's luxury floors are in the Kingdom Centre and Al Faisaliah, and its local specialities are abayas and perfume from dedicated perfume houses. Souq Al Zal is the place for carpets, antiques and daggers, and it is busiest in the evening. In both cities independent boutiques are scarce.

Overall costs are much the same, with hotel rooms making up most of the bill in both. Doha's international hotels in West Bay and The Pearl are priced like the wealthy Gulf, and alcohol in hotel bars costs far more than in Europe. The souq canteens, karak tea and the metro are very cheap, though.

Riyadh's hotels are priced for business travel, especially around Olaya, and its mid-range restaurants and entertainment zones aren't cheap either. What helps is that the main museums and heritage sites are free or modest, and there is no bar bill to run up. The South Asian eateries are as cheap as Doha's.

Neither city has a steady stage scene, but Doha has a resident orchestra. The Qatar Philharmonic plays in the opera house at Katara, whose amphitheatre also hosts winter concerts, and the convention centre brings in touring musicals and comedy.

Riyadh has no orchestra or opera of its own. Its live performance comes in winter bursts, with big Arab and international concerts and outdoor festivals in arenas and temporary venues. In both cities the ardah sword dance belongs to national celebrations rather than a nightly programme.

Doha is the more restful place. The daytime pace is calm, and in winter it is easy to combine a beach, a pool and a hotel spa with hammam rooms and scrubs. A wellness resort based on Arabic and Islamic healing practices on the north coast offers a longer retreat.

Riyadh's hotel spas offer massages and Moroccan-style hammam treatments, usually with separate facilities for men and women. The city around them is hot, sprawling and heavy with traffic, so the best chances to unwind are a night at a desert camp or a winter evening in the palm groves around Diriyah.