Johannesburg or Stellenbosch?

Neither is a beach destination, but only Stellenbosch has the sea within a day's reach. Strand and Gordon's Bay on False Bay are about half an hour away, and Muizenberg's surf beach is a little further, so a swim is an easy afternoon out in summer.

Johannesburg is high on the inland plateau, and the coast means a flight. Swimming there is limited to a hotel pool or a trip to the dams at Hartbeespoort.

Stellenbosch is the better place to eat and drink, because the food comes with the wine. Long tasting menus and farm lunches on the estates of Helshoogte and the Simonsberg slopes, with cellar-door Chenin and Pinotage, are the point of the trip. The town itself is more casual and quickly runs out of variety.

Johannesburg's strength is variety rather than setting. It has shisa nyama grills in Soweto, bunny chow and kotas on the street, and Indian cooking in Fordsburg. Polished steakhouses in Parkhurst and Rosebank add a more formal option, but much of it is spread across suburbs you need a car to reach.

Johannesburg has the more powerful sights. The Apartheid Museum, the prison-turned-court at Constitution Hill and Vilakazi Street in Soweto deal with history on a national scale. The catch is that they are scattered and often best seen with a guide.

Stellenbosch is the prettier place to walk. Its whitewashed gables, Dorp Street and the Braak form the best-kept old streetscape in the Cape, and the Village Museum is worth an hour. Still, a day or two covers it.

Johannesburg goes out far harder. Its nights run from Braamfontein rooftops and Melville's 7th Street bars to Sandton clubs and Soweto afternoon sessions that carry on past dark, with local house and amapiano on the decks. The one constraint is planning a ride between areas.

In Stellenbosch, evenings mostly mean a long dinner with estate wine. The student pubs around Bird Street are lively only in term time, and anyone after clubs drives to Cape Town.

Stellenbosch is the clear winner for the outdoors. Jagged sandstone peaks ring the town, and Jonkershoek's waterfall trails start on its edge. The valley is a major mountain-biking centre, and Table Mountain and the Kogelberg's fynbos are about an hour away.

Johannesburg offers something different, which is wildlife. Pilanesberg's lions, elephants and rhino are a day trip away, and the Magaliesberg suits hiking and ballooning. Closer in, though, it is mostly the botanical garden and grassland reserves.

Stellenbosch has much more within a day's drive. Cape Town is under an hour away, Franschhoek is just over the Helshoogte Pass, and Paarl, Hermanus and Tulbagh make easy outings. That is enough for a week of different days out.

From Johannesburg, Pretoria by Gautrain and the Cradle of Humankind's fossil caves are both very good. After those and Cullinan, though, the list runs out, and most other trips head into the bush.

The two are much the same for children, but in different ways. Johannesburg has more built for children: Gold Reef City, the zoo, Sci-Bono and lion parks on the city's edge. The city itself is spread out and hard to stroll with a pushchair.

Stellenbosch is calmer, with wine estates that have lawns, playgrounds and farm animals, plus forest walks for older children. It has few dedicated attractions, though, and families usually add Cape Town's aquarium and beaches.

Both need a car or ride-hailing, but Stellenbosch is slightly easier. Its old centre is small, flat and shaded, so you can walk between cafés and museums, and hop-on hop-off wine tours mean nobody has to drive after tastings.

Johannesburg is a much bigger metropolis where walking between districts isn't advised. The Gautrain linking the airport, Sandton, Rosebank and Pretoria is the one simple option. Otherwise you'll rely on apps, a guide or a hired car.

Johannesburg is the shopping city of the two by a wide margin. Sandton has the international luxury labels, large malls ring the northern suburbs, Rosebank's Sunday rooftop market sells beadwork and wire art, and Parkhurst has local fashion and design.

Stellenbosch is about taking the region home: wine shipped from the estates, plus galleries and ceramics around the Braak. For anything more, people go to Cape Town.

Both are good value for visitors from Europe or North America, and Johannesburg is slightly cheaper overall. Meals, wine and comfortable guesthouses cost little there, though ride-hailing and guided tours add up.

In Stellenbosch, cellar-door wine and estate lunches cost far less than in other famous wine regions. However, it is one of the pricier towns in the country, its celebrated tasting menus and estate hotels charge international rates, and you'll need a hire car or tours.

Johannesburg has much more on stage. The Market Theatre, known for its protest drama under apartheid, still presents new South African plays, the Soweto Theatre and Joburg Theatre add more, and the city's jazz history runs from Sophiatown to the Joy of Jazz festival.

Stellenbosch's programme comes from the university conservatorium's recitals, summer concerts in a wine-estate amphitheatre and its Afrikaans arts festival in autumn. Outside those, there is little on.

Johannesburg is fast and business-minded. Its northern suburbs have plenty of reasonably priced day spas, but for real calm people leave town for the Magaliesberg or a bush lodge.

Stellenbosch is far better for rest, because the quiet is part of the place itself. You can sit on a shaded guesthouse veranda or stroll the oak-lined streets of the old centre without planning anything. The proper spas at the larger estates and country hotels are a short drive into the valleys, where you can spend an unhurried day of treatments and pools.