Mombasa or Nairobi?

There is no real contest here. Mombasa has a long strip of white coral sand north of the island and the wider, palm-backed beach at Diani to the south, with a warm sea kept calm by the reef. Low tide leaves little depth for swimming, though, and seaweed washes up in the middle of the year.

Nairobi is a highland city with no coast at all, so the only swimming is in a hotel or club pool. Anyone visiting both should save the beach days for the Mombasa part of the trip.

Mombasa has the more distinctive kitchen. Its Swahili cooking is at home in the Old Town lanes, with coconut, tamarind and cardamom in the fish dishes and biryani, and mahamri doughnuts with spiced tea. In the evening, cassava and maize roast on charcoal at the roadside.

Nairobi eats heartier and leans towards meat, with long afternoons of nyama choma at the centre, plus strong Indian and Ethiopian cooking. Its one clear advantage is a large café scene serving Kenyan coffee grown just outside the city, which the coast largely lacks.

Mombasa has the history Nairobi lacks. Fort Jesus was built by the Portuguese in the 1590s and fought over for centuries, and the carved doors, merchant houses and old mosques of the Old Town carry centuries of trade, even if the quarter is weathered rather than restored.

Nairobi only began as a railway depot in 1899, so its culture lives in museums: the National Museum with its early human fossils, and the Karen Blixen farmhouse. Either city's sights fill a day or two, but Mombasa's have more atmosphere.

Nairobi has the bigger and more assured night out. It centres on the rooftop bars and clubs of Westlands, with quieter cocktail bars in Kilimani and local pubs full of football crowds. The scene belongs to the city itself rather than to visitors.

In Mombasa, going out is a coastal affair: beach bars in Nyali and Bamburi, and the loud, rough-edged late strip at Mtwapa. Many resort guests stop at sundowners. In both cities, getting between venues after dark means a taxi or a ride-hailing car.

Both are strong, but in different settings. Mombasa's best nature is under water: the coral gardens of its marine park, the dolphins of Kisite-Mpunguti and the mangrove creeks. On land, Shimba Hills and Tsavo East are within reach.

Nairobi comes out ahead because its wildlife starts at the city limits, with lions and rhinos in the national park, and the gorges, lakes and volcano rims of the Rift Valley are close by. Its cool altitude also makes walking a pleasure, whereas on the coast the heat holds it back.

Outings from Mombasa follow the coast to the ruins of medieval Swahili towns: Jumba la Mtwana under its baobabs close to the city, Mnarani by the creek at Kilifi, and Gede in its forest near Watamu. A dhow day out to Wasini island adds a small fishing village. The roads are slow, though, and Lamu needs a flight.

Nairobi's choice is thinner: a half-day among the Limuru tea estates and the prehistoric hand axes at Olorgesailie in the Rift Valley. The nearby towns are working places rather than sights, so most excursions from the capital head for parks and lakes instead.

Nairobi gives children the more memorable encounters. They can feed giraffes at the Giraffe Centre, watch orphaned elephants being bottle-fed at the Sheldrick Trust and go on a safari morning without a long drive. Staying in Karen or Langata keeps all of this close.

Mombasa works best as a resort stay, with pools, kids' clubs, calm lagoons, rock-pooling and the giraffes and hippos of Haller Park. Outside the hotels, both cities are tiring with small children, and the coast adds strong heat and malaria precautions.

Neither city is easy, but Mombasa is the less draining. The Old Town and Fort Jesus can be explored on foot, and although the beaches are spread along the coast, most trips are a tuk-tuk or ride-hailing car away. The main delays are on the Nyali bridge and in the Likoni ferry queues.

Nairobi's sights are scattered across distant suburbs, linked by some of Africa's most congested roads. An hour in traffic is common, and walking after dark is not advised. In both cities the matatu minibuses are hard for a newcomer to work out, so visitors rely on taxis or a driver.

Nairobi has the edge, for crafts and for practical shopping. The Maasai Market moves between sites around the city and sells beadwork, soapstone carvings and kiondo baskets. In the workshops of Karen you can watch glass and ceramic beads being made, and Kenyan coffee and tea make easy gifts.

Mombasa's buys are coastal: kangas and kikois from the cloth merchants of Biashara Street, carved Swahili chests and brass in the Old Town, and spices at Marikiti market. You bargain in both cities, and neither has luxury shopping.

Mombasa is the cheaper stay, especially if you eat Swahili street food, sleep in a guesthouse in town and ride tuk-tuks. Costs climb mainly inside the beach resorts and on safari tours.

In Nairobi, most visitors stay in secure international-standard hotels in Westlands, Upper Hill or Karen. Wildlife outings add park fees for foreigners and the cost of a vehicle and driver. A careful traveller can keep spending moderate, but Nairobi is harder to do cheaply than the coast.

Taarab, the coast's sung Swahili poetry over oud and violin, is heard mostly at weddings in Mombasa rather than on any regular stage. That leaves weekend bar bands on the north coast and the acrobat and dance shows put on by the resorts.

In Nairobi, live music and theatre are part of an ordinary weekend. Clubs and garden venues host benga, rumba, Afro-fusion and jazz, Bomas of Kenya presents the traditional dances of the country's many communities, and the Kenya National Theatre stages plays in English and Swahili.

Mombasa is the better place to slow down. Resort spas with open-air pavilions facing the sea, yoga on the Diani side and the coast's pole pole pace all make rest easy, as long as you stay on the beach strips rather than on the hot, noisy island.

In Nairobi, calm is limited to hotel spas and the garden hotels of Karen and Langata, where cool highland mornings and breakfasts on the veranda help. Many visitors save their rest for a safari lodge or for days on the coast.