Jodhpur or Mumbai?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Mumbai at least has a shore. Jodhpur is a desert city hundreds of kilometres from the sea, and lakes such as Kaylana are scenery rather than places to swim, so a swim means a heritage hotel's courtyard pool.

Mumbai has the wide sands of Juhu and Girgaum Chowpatty for sunset walks, kites and snacks, though the water is murky and swimming is banned in the monsoon. For a proper swim, people take the ferry to the cleaner Alibaug coast, which takes most of a day.

Jodhpur's cooking is distinctive and worth seeking out, from mirchi vada and pyaaz kachori near the Clock Tower to ker sangri and the fiery laal maas of the royal kitchens. Beyond the thali and the saffron lassi, though, the choice narrows to rooftop tourist menus, and alcohol plays little part.

Mumbai has far more breadth. There is vada pav from carts at the stations, bun maska in the Irani cafés of Fort and Colaba, crab and pomfret in coconut and kokum curries, Parsi and Gujarati cooking, and serious modern restaurants in Bandra and Lower Parel. A food-led trip could fill weeks here, where Jodhpur offers a handful of memorable meals.

The two are evenly matched, but they could hardly be more different. Jodhpur's sights are Rajput and close together: Mehrangarh on its ridge with a first-rate museum of howdahs, arms and miniatures, then Jaswant Thada, the indigo lanes and the Toorji ka Jhalra stepwell, all seen comfortably in two days.

Mumbai's heritage is that of the British port city, from the Gothic extravagance of the Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to the Art Deco front of Marine Drive across the Oval Maidan. Add the sculpture in the former Prince of Wales Museum and the galleries of Kala Ghoda. These sights are scattered across a huge city, so each one takes more time to reach.

Jodhpur has almost no nightlife. A drink in a heritage hotel bar after a rooftop dinner is about as far as it goes, and the old city is asleep early.

Mumbai has a proper going-out scene of cocktail bars, gastropubs and a few clubs in Bandra, Khar and the mill compounds of Lower Parel, plus the older Colaba bar strip. Places close around 1am and drinks are heavily taxed, but of the two, only Mumbai offers a real night out.

Jodhpur's outdoors is all desert. There is the rock park under the fort walls, ziplines over the ramparts, jeep drives through Bishnoi fields for blackbuck and chinkara, and camel rides in the Thar, all best on clear winter mornings.

Mumbai has more variety than you would expect from a city of its size. Sanjay Gandhi National Park brings forest, leopards and the Kanheri caves into the northern suburbs, and flamingos feed on the Thane Creek mudflats in winter and spring. The Western Ghats around Lonavala and Matheran offer monsoon hikes to hill forts among waterfalls.

From Jodhpur the main outing is Osian, about an hour and a half north, with its sandstone temples and dunes. Closer in are half-day trips to Bishnoi and Salawas craft villages. Ranakpur and Kumbhalgarh are better visited on the way to Udaipur than as day trips.

Mumbai's essential trip outclasses these: an hour by boat from the Gateway of India to Elephanta, where great carvings of Shiva are cut into the rock. The Buddhist caves at Karla and Bhaja and the sea forts of Alibaug add further options, though slow roads limit most visitors to one or two outings.

Neither city is easy with children, and both work best with a car and driver and a hotel pool to come back to. Jodhpur's appeal rests on the fort's cannons, armour and howdahs, plus ziplines, camels and blackbuck safaris, which suit older children. Mumbai offers more ordinary outings, such as the Nehru Science Centre, the Byculla zoo and the Gateway ferries, but its traffic and monsoon are heavier to deal with.

Jodhpur's main sights cluster around the Clock Tower and the fort, but there is no metro and the buses are no use to visitors. Anything further means agreeing fares with auto-rickshaw drivers or hiring a driver, on lanes shared with motorbikes and cows.

Mumbai is the easier city to cover despite its length. The suburban railway and the metro lines move north faster than the roads, and ride-hailing apps spare you the haggling. The Fort, Kala Ghoda and Colaba area is pleasant on foot, but road traffic can stretch a short hop to an hour.

Jodhpur is a craft and antiques town. Sardar Market sells spices, silver and bangles, and the lanes around it sell bandhani textiles, embroidered mojaris and lacquerwork. Warehouses on the outskirts are full of carved doors and chests and will ship them home, and you can still have jodhpurs tailored, though touts push particular shops.

Mumbai covers much more ground. It has Crawford Market's Victorian hall, the gold of Zaveri Bazaar, the antiques and film posters of Chor Bazaar, and street stalls on Colaba Causeway and Linking Road. Above these are the designer and handloom boutiques of Kala Ghoda and Bandra, and the malls where the luxury brands sit.

Both are cheap for everyday things, but Jodhpur stretches money further, above all on rooms. Family-run guesthouses in the blue city cost very little and a car with a driver is good value. Only the palace and haveli hotels are priced like fine hotels anywhere.

In Mumbai, street food, trains and taxis are just as cheap, but comfortable rooms cost far more than elsewhere in India and decent budget options are scarce. Taxed cocktails push a night out towards Western prices.

Jodhpur's music is Rajasthani folk, played by Manganiyar and Langa musicians on kamaicha and khartal in the fort courtyards and on hotel terraces. The autumn folk festival at Mehrangarh is the high point of the year, but beyond that there is no theatre or concert life.

Mumbai has a real stage culture. The National Centre for the Performing Arts at Nariman Point is home to the Symphony Orchestra of India and puts on Hindustani classical music, dance and jazz. The small Prithvi Theatre in Juhu and the Marathi playhouses of Dadar add drama, though much of it is aimed at residents.

Neither is a place to unwind in the streets, and in both cities relaxation means hotel spas and Ayurvedic massage. Jodhpur has a slight edge because calm is close at hand: shaded haveli courtyards, palace gardens and rooftop terraces at dusk are all inside the old city.

In Mumbai the calm comes in short, free moments, such as an early walk on Marine Drive or Bandstand or a seat by the Banganga Tank, along with the yoga studios of Bandra. For a real retreat, people leave the city for Lonavala.