Johannesburg or Livingstone?

Neither city is near the coast, so neither works for a beach vacation, and in both you will swim mainly in a hotel or lodge pool. The difference is in the odd extras. In Johannesburg, locals drive out to the dams around Hartbeespoort. In Livingstone, when the river runs low, guided groups swim in Devil's Pool on the very edge of the falls. It is a short thrill rather than a day by the water.

Johannesburg eats far better. Its food draws on the many communities that have settled there: shisa nyama grills and kotas in the townships, Indian food in Fordsburg, peri-peri from Portuguese and Mozambican kitchens, and steak with Cape wines in Rosebank and Greenside.

In Livingstone you will mostly eat in lodges or along the main road. Try nshima with relishes and whole grilled Zambezi bream. The meals you remember will be about the river view from a deck at dusk rather than the cooking.

Johannesburg gives you several days of sightseeing with real weight. The Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill, the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Vilakazi Street follow South Africa's twentieth century in the places where it happened. The Origins Centre and the Art Deco inner city add more.

Livingstone's town sights fill an afternoon. They are the Livingstone Museum with the explorer's letters, the steam locomotives of the railway museum, the veranda-fronted colonial buildings and the Victoria Falls Bridge. They are pleasant extras on a trip planned around the falls.

Johannesburg is a city for going out. Weekend shisa nyama sessions in Soweto run into the night, Melville's 7th Street has bar after bar, and South African house and amapiano fill Sandton's clubs until late. The places are spread out, though, so plan your rides there and back.

In Livingstone, evenings usually mean a sundowner cruise, dinner and an early night before rafting or a game drive. A couple of backpacker bars are the liveliest it gets.

This is where Livingstone has a real advantage. The falls, more than 1.7km wide, are about 10km from town. Below them the Batoka Gorge offers serious rafting, bungee and hikes down to the Boiling Pot. Above them, canoes pass hippos and elephants. There are rhino walks in Mosi-oa-Tunya, and Chobe's elephant herds are a day trip away.

Johannesburg has good nature, but you have to drive to reach most of it. The botanical garden with its black eagles and the Klipriviersberg reserve are close by. The Magaliesberg hills and the crater reserve of Pilanesberg need an hour or more on the road.

Johannesburg has more variety close by. Pretoria's Union Buildings and Voortrekker Monument are a Gautrain ride away. The fossil caves of the Cradle of Humankind, the diamond mine at Cullinan and Sun City are further options.

From Livingstone, the main outing is across the bridge to Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls town, for which you will need a visa. You could also visit Mukuni village with a guide or go to Kasane as the starting point for a Chobe safari. These are good days out, but there are few of them, and most are about wildlife rather than towns.

Johannesburg is easier with children of any age. Gold Reef City, the zoo, Sci-Bono and the lion parks on the edge of town let younger children see big animals without a long safari. The catch is that you will be driving everywhere and the streets are not for pushchairs.

Livingstone is better for teenagers than toddlers. Rhino walks and river cruises are unforgettable at that age, but many activities have minimum ages. Malaria is present all year and October can be punishing, which puts off many parents of small children.

Neither is a place to go on foot, but Livingstone causes fewer problems. Activity operators include transfers, taxis are plentiful and the distances are short, though elephants on the park edges mean you should not walk the roads out of town.

Johannesburg's trouble is its size. The Gautrain links the airport, Sandton, Rosebank and Pretoria well, but otherwise you depend on ride-hailing or a hired car. Walking is limited to daylight in compact areas such as Melville or Braamfontein.

Johannesburg is the big shopping city of the continent. Its offer runs from the international luxury brands around Nelson Mandela Square to the beadwork and wire art at Rosebank's Sunday market and the local design studios in Parkhurst and the inner city.

Livingstone's shopping is souvenirs. You will find carvings, baskets and copper at the curio markets, where bargaining is expected, plus chitenge cloth from the fabric shops. There is no fashion or design to browse.

Johannesburg gives more for your money. Meals, wine and comfortable northern-suburb guesthouses cost well below European levels, and the main extras are rides and guided tours.

Livingstone can be cheap if you stay in town and keep to the falls walkways. But the reasons most people go, including riverside lodges, park entry, rafting, helicopter flights and Chobe safaris, are priced for international visitors and add up quickly.

Johannesburg has a real stage and music life. The Market Theatre has a history of protest drama, the Soweto Theatre brings plays and music to the township, and Joburg Theatre stages musicals and ballet. Jazz goes back to Sophiatown and lives on in its clubs and the Joy of Jazz festival.

Livingstone has no theatre or concert hall. What you can see is traditional drumming and dance at cultural centres and lodge dinners, sometimes including the masked Makishi dancers.

Livingstone is the better place to slow down, provided you pick a quiet lodge on the upper river rather than one at the centre of the adrenaline scene. There are hours on a deck over the water between a dawn game walk and an evening cruise, and the larger lodges have spas.

Johannesburg is fast and business-minded. Its spas in the northern suburbs are good for a reasonably priced massage, but for real rest locals head out to the Magaliesberg or the bush lodges.