Luang Prabang or Vientiane?

Neither town has a beach or a river safe for swimming, but Luang Prabang has the one swim worth travelling for. The turquoise pools below Kuang Si, and the smaller ones at Tad Sae, make a memorable half-day dip in the forest.

Vientiane has nothing like that nearby. Cooling off there means a hotel pool or a public one, unless you take the train to the lagoons around Vang Vieng.

Both towns cook Lao food, but Vientiane has more of it. Its riverbank grill stalls, morning markets and baguette breakfasts give a fuller picture of the national kitchen, and Thai and Vietnamese cooking widen the choice.

Luang Prabang has dishes of its own, such as or lam stew, jeow bong chilli paste and kaipen river weed, and good bakeries. Its menus are narrower, though, and repeat after a few days, so a longer stay leans more on its riverside set menus.

Luang Prabang is in a different league. The whole peninsula is a World Heritage town where more than thirty monasteries stand among colonial shophouses, and the dawn alms round makes it feel like a living religious town rather than a monument.

Vientiane's sights are scattered and fewer: Pha That Luang, the Buddha-lined cloister of Wat Si Saket, the COPE centre and Buddha Park out of town. They are worth seeing, but they fill a day or two, not a week.

Vientiane at least offers a choice: riverside beer tables, expat and backpacker bars, and a few clubs where young Lao dance to local and Thai pop. It is still mostly asleep by midnight. Luang Prabang offers less. A few garden bars close at the curfew, and after that the town goes dark and silent.

Luang Prabang is ringed by steep green hills, and the outdoors begins at the end of the street. The tiered Kuang Si falls with their bear sanctuary, the sunset climb up Mount Phousi, kayaking and treks to Hmong and Khmu villages are all close at hand.

Vientiane's own setting is flat, and its riverside promenade is its main green space. For limestone peaks, caves and climbing you have to travel an hour north to Vang Vieng, or out to the forest trails of Phou Khao Khouay.

Vientiane is the better hub. The railway puts Vang Vieng an hour away and Luang Prabang about two, and the Friendship Bridge leads to Nong Khai's riverfront and the Sala Keoku sculpture garden in Thailand.

Luang Prabang's classic outing is slower and more local: the boat up the Mekong to the Pak Ou caves full of Buddha images, and the silk and paper villages nearby. Vang Vieng and Vientiane are reachable by train, but there is otherwise mostly countryside around it.

Kuang Si is the day children remember most, with rescued black bears to watch and turquoise pools to splash in, and the long-tail boats on the Mekong come a close second. Luang Prabang's quiet old town is also easy to walk and cycle together, though the heat, the temple-heavy sights and limited medical care suit older children better than toddlers.

Vientiane has less to fill a child's day: a small water park, riverside playgrounds and the giant concrete figures of Buddha Park. Broken pavements and tuk-tuk rides tire small legs quickly, so a hotel with a pool counts for more there.

Luang Prabang is easier on foot. The old town lies on a flat peninsula with light traffic, and a rented bicycle covers the rest. Boats reach the riverside caves and villages, and tuk-tuks or minivans go to the falls.

Vientiane's centre is also compact, but its pavements are broken and crowded with parked motorbikes. Pha That Luang and Buddha Park are too far to walk, so you will rely more on tuk-tuks, ride-hailing cars or a scooter.

The two are much alike: both are places to buy handwoven Lao silk and cotton rather than fashion. Luang Prabang's long night market of red-roofed stalls, with village workshops where you can watch natural dyeing, is the more atmospheric place to browse. Vientiane adds Talat Sao, where fabrics sit beside gold and everyday goods, and a few modest malls.

Both are very cheap, but Vientiane stretches a budget further. Comfortable mid-range hotels, noodle soup, massages and tuk-tuks all cost little there.

Luang Prabang is the most expensive stop in Laos. Simple guesthouses on the peninsula are still inexpensive, but restored colonial boutique hotels and riverside dining raise the bill quickly.

Neither town has a performance scene to plan a trip around, but the shows differ. Luang Prabang's signature is the masked Phralak Phralam, the Lao Ramayana, danced in the Royal Palace grounds. In Vientiane, evenings of khaen music and folk dance are staged for visitors, and a few bars have cover bands playing Lao pop.

Both towns share the Lao herbal sauna and gentle Lao massage, and both are very calm. Vientiane has the edge in places to go. Its temple-side steam rooms, such as the one at Wat Sok Pa Luang, followed by herbal tea, are a ritual in their own right, and massage shops fill the central streets.

Luang Prabang's appeal lies more in the rhythm of the day, from the alms round at dawn to sunset over the Mekong. There are also riverside yoga and garden spas in its boutique hotels.