Jodhpur or Rishikesh?

Neither city is a place to swim, but Rishikesh at least has water to sit beside. Its white sand banks along the Ganges and the camp beaches upstream near Shivpuri are good places to spend an afternoon. The cold, fast river limits you to a ritual dip at the ghats, holding the chains.

Jodhpur is desert, hundreds of kilometres from any coast, and lakes such as Kaylana are reservoirs to look at. In both cities a real swim means a hotel pool, and Jodhpur's heritage courtyard pools are very welcome in its heat.

Jodhpur has the more rewarding table. Marwari cooking gives it a distinct identity: mirchi vada and pyaaz kachori at the Clock Tower stalls, ker sangri on a thali, makhaniya lassi, and laal maas from the royal kitchens, a meat dish you cannot get in Rishikesh.

Rishikesh is vegetarian by rule. Beyond honest dhaba thalis and chai by the bridges, its terrace cafés in Tapovan serve the same smoothie bowls, pizza and Tibetan plates from one café to the next. They are pleasant places to linger over the river, but the menus feel narrow after a few days.

Jodhpur has much the grander sights. Mehrangarh rises out of its sandstone ridge with one of Rajasthan's best museums inside. Around it are the white marble of Jaswant Thada, the blue old city, the carved stepwell and the Art Deco Umaid Bhawan.

Rishikesh offers atmosphere rather than monuments: the Ram Jhula footbridge to the painted ashrams of Swarg Ashram, the tiered Tera Manzil temple, the nightly Ganga aarti at Triveni Ghat and the overgrown ashram where the Beatles stayed. With no museums of note, it is a place for watching rather than sightseeing.

Neither is a place for a night out, but Jodhpur at least lets you have a drink. A rooftop dinner facing the floodlit fort and a nightcap in a heritage hotel bar make a gentle evening. Rishikesh sells no alcohol at all, so evenings mean the aarti, a café dinner and bed before dawn yoga.

Rishikesh is far stronger here. The Ganges leaves the mountains at the edge of town, between forested Shivalik ridges. That gives you rafting through serious rapids, walks to the Neer Garh waterfall, sunrise over snow peaks from Kunjapuri, and elephants and deer in Rajaji National Park next door.

Jodhpur's outdoors is rocky desert scrub. You see it best in the Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park below the fort, on ziplines over the ramparts, or on jeep drives for blackbuck in Bishnoi country. From April to September the heat makes most of this hard work.

Rishikesh has more within easy reach. Haridwar, with its huge aarti at Har Ki Pauri, is under an hour away and Dehradun about an hour. Mussoorie's Himalayan views and the river confluence at Devprayag make longer days out.

From Jodhpur the nearer outings are Osian's carved sandstone temples, about an hour and a half north, and the Bishnoi and Salawas craft villages. Ranakpur, Kumbhalgarh and Jaisalmer are better treated as stops on a longer Rajasthan route than as day trips.

Neither city is easy with small children, and both work better for older ones. Jodhpur's big draw is the fort, with its cannons, armour and howdahs, plus ziplines and camel rides, and families should come in winter. Rishikesh suits teenagers old enough for rafting and a Rajaji safari, but its fast river, steep hills and food-snatching macaques make it harder going with toddlers.

Rishikesh is somewhat easier to manage. Its riverside quarters are joined by footbridges, paths and ferries, and shared vikrams run cheaply along the main road. The walking is often uphill and the bridges are crowded.

Jodhpur's core of Clock Tower, old city and stepwell is compact, but pavements are rare, the climb to Mehrangarh is steep and the heat makes walking hard after mid-morning. Anything further means agreeing auto-rickshaw fares or hiring a car and driver.

Jodhpur is the better place to shop. Sardar Market around the Clock Tower sells spices, silver and bangles. The lanes around it deal in bandhani and leheriya textiles and mojari slippers, and the warehouses on the outskirts will ship carved doors and antique furniture home.

Rishikesh sticks to one theme around its two bridges: yoga clothes, malas, singing bowls, incense and philosophy books. Bargain in both cities, and in Jodhpur ignore the touts who steer you to particular shops.

Both are very cheap, so the difference is in where the money goes. In Rishikesh, ashram rooms, shared autos and drop-in yoga cost almost nothing, and the bigger costs are rafting and multi-week teacher trainings. Jodhpur's guesthouses, thalis and rickshaws are just as kind to a budget, but its converted palace hotels can cost as much as fine hotels anywhere, so it is the easier place to spend heavily.

Jodhpur has the stronger tradition. Hereditary Manganiyar and Langa musicians play kamaicha and khartal in the fort's courtyards and on hotel terraces, often with Kalbeliya dancers. The autumn folk festival at Mehrangarh is worth planning a visit around.

Rishikesh's music is devotional, and visitors join in: singing at the aarti, kirtan with harmonium and tabla in the ashrams, and the occasional sitar recital. Neither city has theatre or a concert hall.

Wellness is what Rishikesh is for. Dozens of ashrams run daily yoga, silent meditation and teacher trainings, Ayurvedic clinics offer multi-day treatments, and the International Yoga Festival comes each spring. The whole day runs to a rhythm of dawn practice and early nights.

Jodhpur offers massage centres in the old town and spas in its palace hotels, with calm in shaded courtyards and gardens. It is a pleasant break from sightseeing rather than a reason to come.