Fort Collins or Tucson?

Neither city is a place to swim, and they are about level here. What differs is the kind of water. Fort Collins has real open water at Horsetooth Reservoir, with a swim beach and paddleboarding coves in July and August. In Tucson, cooling off means a hotel or resort pool, and the nearest sea is a four-hour drive into Mexico.

Tucson is the better place to eat. It has a cuisine of its own, Sonoran Mexican cooking, which you'll find in family-run kitchens along South 12th Avenue and in the southern barrios. Highlights include mesquite-grilled carne asada, paper-thin flour tortillas and the bacon-wrapped Sonoran hot dog, with desert ingredients like tepary beans and prickly pear adding local character.

Fort Collins is stronger on drinking than eating. Its long-established breweries and dense spread of taprooms make it a serious stop for beer lovers. Its food, though, is mostly gastropubs, burgers and tacos, and diners after something special usually drive to Denver.

Tucson has much more to see. Mission San Xavier del Bac, with its painted and gilded interior, is a sight of national standing. Barrio Viejo and El Presidio preserve the Spanish and Mexican past, and the Arizona State Museum and the huge aircraft collection at Pima Air & Space fill another day or two.

In Fort Collins, the main attraction is simply strolling through Old Town's red-brick and sandstone blocks. Add the Museum of Discovery and the Avery House, and one day is enough.

The two are evenly matched: casual, student-driven scenes that are busiest on term-time weekends and quieter in summer. Fort Collins packs its pubs, rooftop patios and busy taprooms around one Old Town square. Tucson has two strips within walking distance of each other, Fourth Avenue for dive bars and cheap drinks and Congress Street for cocktails and a few dance floors. Its warm nights also make patio drinking a larger part of the evening.

Both cities are excellent outdoor bases, but the landscapes and seasons differ. Fort Collins sits where the plains meet the foothills. It has rafting and fly fishing in the protected Cache la Poudre canyon, the alpine lakes and elk of Rocky Mountain National Park, and golden aspens in autumn.

Tucson has Sonoran Desert all around, with saguaro forests on both sides of the city and canyon trails at Sabino. The road up Mount Lemmon climbs from cactus to pine, and serious road cyclists and birdwatchers come for the sky island ranges. Its outdoor season runs from autumn to spring, whereas Fort Collins is at its best in summer.

Tucson's outings have more character. The best are frontier and mining towns: Tombstone with its Wild West past, and Bisbee with its steep streets and mine tours. Tubac's artists' village, the Tumacácori mission ruins and the Sonoita wineries are closer to hand, and Biosphere 2 lies to the north.

From Fort Collins, the obvious trips are Boulder under the Flatirons, Denver's big museums, Estes Park and Cheyenne just across the Wyoming line. They are pleasant rather than memorable. From either city, you need a car for almost every one of these trips.

Tucson has more to keep children busy, at least from October to April. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum combines a zoo and gardens, and Reid Park Zoo, a planetarium, giant aircraft and a western film set with stunt shows add plenty more. Summer heat and long drives between sights are the drawbacks.

Fort Collins is gentler and easier to manage, with flat riverside cycle paths, a city farm, the Museum of Discovery and summer days at the reservoir. For a zoo or theme park, though, families have to drive to Denver.

Fort Collins is the easier city to get around without a car. Old Town is compact and flat, a rapid-bus line runs north to south, and protected lanes, bike-share and off-street trails make cycling the natural way to move between breweries and parks.

Tucson's Sun Link streetcar covers only downtown, Fourth Avenue and the university. The national park, the Desert Museum, the mission and Mount Lemmon all lie beyond it, so a hire car is close to essential.

Tucson gives shoppers more to look for. Native American jewellery, Tohono O'odham baskets, pottery and Mexican folk art fill galleries in the old town and Tubac. Each winter, the gem and mineral show draws collectors from around the world.

Fort Collins offers pleasant browsing in Old Town's independent boutiques, bookshops, outdoor gear shops and vintage stores. Beyond that, it is mostly highway chain stores.

Tucson is the cheaper of the two. Mid-range hotels cost less than in other Southwest cities, and taquerías and hot dog stands make it easy to eat cheaply. Summer, when the heat drives prices down, brings real bargains, though rates peak in winter and especially during the gem show.

Fort Collins is mid-priced for the country, and hotels jump sharply on graduation and football weekends. In both cities, a hire car and tipped sit-down meals add up, although Fort Collins's trails and river paths cost nothing.

Tucson has the fuller programme. Its symphony orchestra, Arizona Opera and the Arizona Theatre Company all perform locally, and the Fox Theatre and the Rialto host concerts downtown. Mariachi runs deep in the city's culture, though most of the season falls between autumn and spring.

Fort Collins has touring Broadway shows and the local symphony at the Lincoln Center, plus university productions and bluegrass and indie bands in Old Town bars. Its strongest season is summer, when free outdoor concerts run through the evenings.

Tucson is far better for unwinding. Its long-established destination spas in the Catalina foothills and out towards Oracle offer fitness, massage and meditation programmes, and many resort pools face the mountains. Winter days there are sunny and quiet.

Fort Collins has only the day spas and yoga studios of any university town, and the nearest mineral-spring soak is well beyond Denver. Neither city has any public bathing tradition.