Los Cabos or Mexico City?

This is Los Cabos's strongest suit and Mexico City has nothing to set against it. On the Sea of Cortez side, Medano Beach and the snorkelling coves at Chileno Bay and Santa Maria Bay give calm, warm water. The Pacific side is for looking at, not swimming, because of its surf and undertow.

Mexico City is about 2,240m up on its plateau, and Acapulco is several hours' drive away. Swimming there means a hotel pool, so anyone who wants sand needs to add a separate stay on the coast.

Mexico City is one of the great places to eat in the Americas. Al pastor stands serve late into the night, and markets such as Medellín and La Merced lay out every chile and mole. Roma, Condesa and Polanco add cantinas, pulquerías and serious tasting menus.

Los Cabos eats well within a narrower range: fish tacos, ceviche and aguachile from the local catch, and farm restaurants in the hills above San José del Cabo. The marina and resort dining around them are more forgettable.

The gap here is wide. Mexico City stacks the Zócalo, the cathedral, the National Palace murals and the excavated Templo Mayor into one historic centre. Then it adds the anthropology museum in Chapultepec, Coyoacán's Kahlo house and the Xochimilco canals, and a week barely covers it all.

In Los Cabos the cultural side comes down to San José del Cabo's mission church, its plaza and the gallery district's evening art walk. Its best-known landmark, the arch at Land's End, is a rock formation.

Both cities stay out late, but in different ways. Mexico City's nights are more varied: cocktail bars and mezcalerías you walk between in Roma and Condesa, old cantinas in the Centro, salsa halls, electronic clubs that run until morning and a large LGBTQ scene in the Zona Rosa.

Los Cabos does one thing loudly. The bars and dance clubs behind the Cabo San Lucas marina and the day-drinking beach bars on Medano make a classic party-resort night out. Away from there, San José and the corridor are quiet by late evening.

Los Cabos's outdoors is mostly at sea. Humpback and grey whales pass in winter, the deep water draws marlin fishing, and there are sea lions at Land's End and live coral at Cabo Pulmo. The Sierra de la Laguna adds forest hiking above the desert.

Mexico City's nature means Chapultepec, the chinampas of Xochimilco and volcano country about two hours out, around Iztaccíhuatl and Nevado de Toluca. Getting there through traffic takes a large part of the day.

Mexico City is the better base for outings. Teotihuacan's pyramids are about an hour away, Puebla and the great pyramid at Cholula about two, and Cuernavaca, Tepoztlán and silver-town Taxco lie to the south. Starting early beats the traffic.

From Los Cabos the choice is shorter: adobe-built Todos Santos, La Paz on its bay and a loop by car through El Triunfo and Miraflores. Beyond those there is mostly open desert.

Both work for children, in opposite ways. Los Cabos is a resort-pool vacation with calm coves for first snorkels and whale-watching boats, but it has no zoo, aquarium or theme park, and the Pacific surf needs watching.

Mexico City has far more to do: the zoo and Papalote museum in Chapultepec, an aquarium, a theme park, trajineras at Xochimilco and lucha libre. The cost is long rides through traffic and an altitude that tires small legs for the first day or two.

Neither is effortless, but Mexico City is easier without a car. Roma, Condesa, the Centro and Coyoacán are good on foot, and they are linked by a cheap metro, Metrobús lanes and plentiful ride-hailing, though rush-hour trains are crowded.

Los Cabos is two walkable town centres with a 30km resort highway between them. Most hotels are strung along that highway, so taxis, shuttles or a hire car end up doing most of the work.

Mexico City is a real shopping destination, especially for crafts. La Ciudadela brings together textiles, alebrijes and Oaxacan pottery from across the country, and there is a Saturday bazaar in San Ángel and the Lagunilla flea market. Masaryk and the Mexican designers of Roma and Condesa cover fashion.

Los Cabos offers marina malls with duty-free brands and souvenir silver aimed at cruise passengers. San José del Cabo's galleries and folk-art shops are its most rewarding browse.

Mexico City is much the cheaper trip. Street food, market counters, the metro and ride-hailing all cost little, and only the boutique hotels and cocktail bars of Roma, Condesa and Polanco push prices up towards those of a European capital.

Los Cabos ranks among the most expensive places to visit in Mexico, with corridor resorts and marina restaurants priced like a beach resort in the United States. San José's taco stands and the local buses are the main ways to soften the bill.

Mexico City has a full performing calendar. The national opera, the symphony and the Ballet Folklórico perform at Bellas Artes, there are concerts at Sala Nezahualcóyotl, mariachis play in Plaza Garibaldi and lucha libre fills Arena México.

Los Cabos offers cover bands, restaurant mariachi and resort dinner shows. It has no theatre or concert season.

Los Cabos is the more restful choice, as long as you stay on the corridor or in San José rather than in noisy Cabo San Lucas. The luxury hotels compete on their sea-facing spas, beach yoga and temazcal ceremonies.

Mexico City offers the same pre-Hispanic steam bath and good spas in Polanco and Condesa, but the noise and traffic work against unwinding. For quiet, people find a shaded plaza in Coyoacán or head south to Tepoztlán.