Guanajuato or Sayulita?

This is Sayulita's whole reason for being, and Guanajuato has nothing to offer against it. Sayulita has a curved bay of warm Pacific water with rolling waves made for learning to surf, a sheltered cove at Playa de los Muertos, and San Pancho and the Punta de Mita beaches a short drive away.

Guanajuato lies high in central Mexico, far from either coast. Swimming there means a hotel pool or a trip out to a warm-water balneario in the countryside.

The two are about level, and both work best at their simplest, but they cook from different traditions. Guanajuato has the food of the highlands: enchiladas mineras from its mining past, the counters and sweet stalls of Mercado Hidalgo, cajeta and gorditas around the plazas.

Sayulita has the food of the coast: ceviche, aguachile, fish tacos and whole grilled fish on the sand, with a layer of smoothie bowls and international menus for the surf crowd. Neither will hold a serious food traveller for long, and Sayulita's better dining is an hour away in Puerto Vallarta.

Here the gap is as wide as it gets. Guanajuato is itself a World Heritage site: ochre and blue houses packed into a ravine, the baroque Valenciana church and the Alhóndiga, the granary stormed in the opening battle of the War of Independence in 1810. Add Rivera's birthplace and the famous mummies, and it takes two or three full days.

Sayulita has a small plaza, a modest church, a hillside cemetery and galleries selling Huichol beadwork. That fills a pleasant hour, but anyone who travels for sights will struggle to fill a day.

Guanajuato has the somewhat livelier evenings, thanks to its university. Terraces on the Jardín de la Unión and Plaza San Fernando lead on to mezcal bars and a few dance clubs set in old stone buildings, at their busiest from Thursday to Saturday.

Sayulita's scene is beach-driven and seasonal. Sunset drinks lead to a few blocks of cocktail bars and DJs for a young surf crowd in winter, but many summer nights end early. Neither town has real clubs.

Sayulita has the richer outdoor life, and most of it is on the water. There is surfing from the soft bay to the reef breaks at Punta de Mita, humpback whales calving in the Bay of Banderas from December to March, the Marietas Islands reserve, and jungle paths over the headlands.

Guanajuato's outdoors is dry hill country, good for climbing out of the ravine. You can walk up to the Pípila viewpoint or La Bufa, find oak forest in the Sierra de Santa Rosa, or take in the views from Cubilete. It suits walkers who like a view, not swimmers or surfers.

Guanajuato makes much the better base for outings. San Miguel de Allende, Dolores Hidalgo, Querétaro and the half-empty mining town of Mineral de Pozos make a run of colonial towns and heritage sites, with León for leather and small wineries for a gentler day.

Sayulita's day trips follow the coast. Puerto Vallarta has its malecón and old town, while San Pancho, Bucerías and Chacala are relaxed villages, and San Blas with its mangroves is the longest outing. These are pleasant beach towns rather than major heritage sites.

Sayulita has a slight edge for children, mostly because of the water. Surf schools take children out on gentle waves, Playa de los Muertos is calm enough for younger swimmers, and villas with pools give a family a base. Cobbled lanes without pavements and the summer heat are the drawbacks.

Guanajuato suits older children who like stories and walking. The funicular, the tunnels under the town and the singing callejoneadas go down well, but the stairways defeat pushchairs and the mummies upset many younger children.

Guanajuato is the easier place to be without a car. The sights cluster around the Jardín de la Unión, cheap buses and taxis run through the tunnels to outlying sights such as the Valenciana, and intercity buses link it to the region. The price is steep stairways at an altitude of about 2000m.

You can cross Sayulita on foot in ten minutes, but its dirt and cobbled lanes have no pavements and are shared with golf carts. To reach other beaches, most visitors end up taking taxis, renting a cart or hiring a car.

Neither town is a shopping destination, and they are evenly matched, but they sell quite different things. Guanajuato is a place for crafts and sweets: majolica-style ceramics, silver, wooden toys and leather in Mercado Hidalgo, with León nearby for shoes in bulk.

Sayulita's boutiques sell beach style: loose linen, embroidered dresses, swimwear and surf gear, along with Huichol beadwork and yarn paintings as the buy worth taking home.

Guanajuato is much the cheaper stay. Street food, market meals, local transport and museum entries cost little, and only the boutique hotels in colonial houses and the restaurants on the main plazas charge more. The one time to avoid on cost is the Cervantino festival in October.

Sayulita's rooms, villas and visitor restaurants are priced for a North American market, and surf lessons and boat trips add up. Taco stands, the regional bus and a summer visit soften the bill.

Guanajuato is far ahead. Every October the Cervantino brings theatre, orchestras and dance from around the world to the Teatro Juárez, the plazas and the university courtyards, and on most evenings the costumed estudiantinas lead their singing walks through the alleys.

In Sayulita, live music means a band in a bar in high season, buskers or the occasional mariachi. Any concert or play means a trip to Puerto Vallarta.

Sayulita is the place to unwind. It has hillside yoga shalas, week-long retreats, massage and temazcal sweat lodges, all set around a rhythm of morning surf and sunset on the beach. For real quiet, stay on the hillsides or towards San Pancho rather than in the crowded centre.

Guanajuato's wellness is mostly a hotel spa, or a half day at thermal balnearios such as Comanjilla near León. With students and street music late into the night, the town is not a quiet retreat.