Luang Prabang or Sapa?

Neither town has a beach, but Luang Prabang does at least offer a proper swim. The turquoise limestone pools below Kuang Si, about 45 minutes away, and the smaller Tad Sae falls make a memorable half-day in warm water.

Sapa offers nothing comparable. Its mountain streams and waterfalls are cold and shallow, so anyone wanting the sea has to plan a separate coastal leg.

Luang Prabang eats better and more distinctively. It has its own dishes, such as peppery or lam stew, smoky jeow bong and crisp kaipen river weed, plus a morning market and a French legacy of baguettes, bakeries and strong highland coffee.

Sapa's best food comes from the cold climate: hotpots of stream-farmed salmon and sturgeon, skewers and bamboo-tube rice off the grills by the lake, and Hmong dishes such as thang co. The centre is mostly traveller cafés of uneven quality, and in both places the menus start to repeat after a few days.

There is a big difference here. In Luang Prabang the town itself is the attraction: a UNESCO-listed peninsula of monasteries, wooden houses and colonial shophouses, with Wat Xieng Thong's mosaic Tree of Life, the palace museum and the stupa on Mount Phousi all within walking distance, and saffron-robed novices part of daily life.

Sapa has a stone church from its hill-station years and a small ethnographic museum, and little else in town. Its culture is in the Black Hmong, Red Dao, Tay and Giay villages along the trails, which are rewarding if you walk past the staged ones closest to town.

Both towns go to bed early, and neither has a club. Luang Prabang's evenings mean Beerlao in garden bars and on riverside terraces until the midnight curfew empties the streets. Sapa's backpacker bars are noisier, with pool tables and music, and the lakeside grill stalls stay busy after dark, but most people are by a fire and in bed before the next day's trek.

Sapa is the stronger choice for landscape. It sits at around 1,500m with the Muong Hoa terraces stepping down for kilometres below, trails lead straight out of town, and Fansipan, the Tram Ton Pass and the Silver Waterfall are all close by.

Luang Prabang's green hills and the Mekong are lovely, but they are scenery to enjoy on outings rather than terrain to cross. Those outings are Kuang Si and its bear sanctuary, slow boats past limestone cliffs, kayaking on the Nam Khan and short treks to hill villages, plus the sunset view from Mount Phousi.

The two are broadly level, with short lists of excursions. Luang Prabang's are by river and rail: a boat up the Mekong to the Buddha-filled Pak Ou caves, the silk and paper villages nearby, and fast trains to Vang Vieng or Vientiane.

Sapa's best outings follow the weekly markets, above all Bac Ha's Sunday gathering of Flower Hmong traders, with quieter markets at Can Cau and Coc Ly. Beyond those, the trips are into the mountains themselves.

Luang Prabang is somewhat easier with children. Kuang Si has both bears and swimming pools, long-tail boats are fun, and the flat, quiet streets suit cycling together, although heat and limited medical care point towards older children.

Sapa also suits older children who can walk, with buffalo in the paddies, the Fansipan cable car and a night in a homestay. With toddlers it is harder, because of the steep uneven streets, cold damp winters and persistent vendors. Neither town has attractions built for children.

Luang Prabang is easier to get around. Its old town is a flat peninsula with little traffic, so walking or a rented bicycle covers almost everything, and tuk-tuks and boats reach the rest. The railway also makes it simple to arrive and leave.

Sapa's centre is small but steep, with rough pavements, and apart from the short tram down to the cable car you rely on trails, hired drivers or motorbike taxis. Getting there takes most of a day by road from Hanoi, or an overnight train followed by a drive up the mountain.

Both are places to buy crafts, not fashion, but Luang Prabang offers more choice. Its long evening night market sells silk, Hmong embroidery, paper lanterns and silver, and the weaving studios and villages such as Ban Phanom sell finer textiles where you can watch the natural dyeing.

In Sapa, the indigo cloth, batik and brocade come straight from Hmong and Dao sellers on the streets and in the villages. Some of it is fine handwork, but copies are common and the selling can be pushy, so Bac Ha's market is a better place to buy.

Both are cheap, and Sapa is the cheaper. Homestays, street grills, hotpot and trekking with a local guide cost very little, and the Fansipan cable car is the one real splurge.

Luang Prabang is also inexpensive at guesthouse level, with cheap market meals, bicycle hire and massages. It is the dearest town in Laos, though, and its restored boutique hotels and riverside wine lists can push a budget up quickly.

Luang Prabang has the one show worth setting an evening aside for. The Phralak Phralam, the Lao telling of the Ramayana, is a classical dance drama: masked performers and a traditional orchestra on a real stage beside the old royal palace. Add an occasional folk evening and temple drums at sunset, and that is everything on offer. Do not come expecting concerts.

Sapa has no stage at all. On weekend evenings Hmong and Dao performers play pipe music and dance in their festival dress in the town square, and a few villages put on similar shows for visitors. These are casual and short, something to stop and watch on the way to dinner rather than something to plan around.

Luang Prabang is the more restful place to stay. The whole town moves slowly, with no high-rise buildings and little traffic. Gentle Lao massage is everywhere, the herbal saunas are scented with lemongrass, and boutique hotels offer garden spas and riverside yoga.

Sapa's treat is the Red Dao herbal bath, a hot soak of forest plants in a wooden tub, at its best after a long walk. Real calm here means staying out in a valley homestay, since the town has traffic, building work and constant selling.