Oaxaca or Mexico City?

Neither city works for a beach trip. Both sit in the highlands, Mexico City at about 2,240m and Oaxaca lower in its valley, and the Pacific is hours away from either. What differs is the coast you would add on. From Mexico City it is Acapulco, a long drive away. From Oaxaca it is the smaller beaches of Puerto Escondido, Mazunte and Huatulco, reached by a mountain road or a short flight.

Both are among Mexico's great eating cities, and Mexico City has the edge for sheer range. It has late-night al pastor stands and markets such as Medellín and La Merced, then cantinas, seafood counters and tasting menus across Roma, Condesa and Polanco, plus pulquerías and a strong coffee scene. The catch is distance, because the best places are spread across a huge city.

Oaxaca is narrower but goes deeper into one regional cooking. Come for mole in its many colours, tlayudas off the charcoal, chapulines and the grill aisle of the Mercado 20 de Noviembre, with village mezcal at night and hot chocolate in the morning. Most of it is close to the zócalo.

Mexico City has far more to see. Around the Zócalo alone are the cathedral, the National Palace with Rivera's murals and the excavated Templo Mayor. The National Museum of Anthropology is one of the world's great archaeological collections. Add the Frida Kahlo house in Coyoacán and the Xochimilco canals, and a week is not too long.

Oaxaca's UNESCO-listed centre is smaller and more of a piece, built of green stone around Santo Domingo and its monastery museum with the Tomb 7 gold. Monte Albán is twenty minutes away, and the city's printmaking and textile traditions give it a strong art side. Still, two or three days cover the centre.

This is where the two cities differ most. Mexico City runs late, with cocktail bars and mezcalerías in Roma and Condesa, old cantinas in the Centro and dressier clubs in Polanco. There are also salsa and cumbia halls, electronic clubs that go on until morning and a large LGBTQ scene in the Zona Rosa.

Oaxaca's evenings centre on mezcal tasting bars, rooftop terraces over Santo Domingo and a stroll along the Macedonio Alcalá, with salsa or a DJ at weekends. It is pleasant after a long dinner, but anyone who wants to go clubbing will soon run out of options.

Oaxaca has the better outdoors within reach. The Sierra Norte, about an hour and a half away, has village-run trails and cabins through pine-oak and cloud forest, where you can walk for several days. Hierve el Agua's mineral cliffs make a half-day out, and mountain biking among the agave fields starts close to town.

Mexico City has Chapultepec, the Xochimilco wetlands and hiking at altitude in Desierto de los Leones and on Ajusco, and the volcanoes at Paso de Cortés are about two hours away. But traffic on the way out and poor air in the dry season make each outing harder work.

Mexico City has the better day trips, with bigger names among them. Teotihuacan's pyramids are about an hour away, and Puebla's tiled colonial centre and the vast pyramid at Cholula are about two. To the south lie Cuernavaca, Tepoztlán and the silver town of Taxco. Because of the traffic, early starts pay off.

Oaxaca's outings are smaller and closer, mostly within an hour in the Central Valleys. On the road east are the Tule cypress, the weaving village of Teotitlán, the stone fretwork of Mitla and the mezcal distilleries, and colectivos make it easy to link two or three in a day. Oaxaca has no second colonial city to set beside Puebla, but the remote Mixteca monasteries make a fine long day.

Mexico City gives children more to do. Chapultepec has the zoo, boating lakes and the Papalote museum, and there is also an aquarium in Polanco, a theme park, the Xochimilco boats and lucha libre. Plan by neighbourhood, though, because long rides, packed trains and the altitude wear out young children.

Oaxaca is calmer, and its zócalo is a friendly place for families in the evening. Older children may enjoy painting alebrijes or a chocolate-making session. There is no zoo or aquarium, however, the ruins have little shade and the cobbles are hard going with a pushchair.

Neither city is effortless to get around, but the problems differ. Mexico City has a large, cheap metro and the Metrobús. The trains are crowded at rush hour and distances are long, so most visitors also use ride-hailing cars. Oaxaca has no metro at all, but almost everything in the centre is within a twenty-minute walk of the zócalo. For the valley villages you rely on taxis, colectivos or a hired driver.

Mexico City covers more ground. La Ciudadela gathers crafts from across the country, Oaxacan pottery included, and La Lagunilla and the San Ángel bazaar add antiques and art. For fashion and luxury there are Masaryk in Polanco and the grand department stores.

Oaxaca is narrower but more personal for crafts. You can buy rugs in Teotitlán and black pottery in San Bartolo Coyotepec, and browse the weekly markets at Tlacolula and Ocotlán. Fashion brands and department stores are missing entirely.

Both are cheap for everyday spending, and in both the money goes on boutique hotels and tasting menus. What differs is what pushes the bill up. In Mexico City it is staying in Roma, Condesa or Polanco, where prices come close to those of a European capital. In Oaxaca it is timing, because rooms book up and cost much more during the Guelaguetza and the Day of the Dead.

Mexico City has performances all year round. Bellas Artes has the opera, the national symphony and the Ballet Folklórico, the university orchestra plays at Sala Nezahualcóyotl and big concerts fill the Auditorio Nacional. Mariachis play at Plaza Garibaldi, and lucha libre at Arena México makes a loud night out.

Oaxaca's big moments are the Guelaguetza each July and the Day of the Dead processions. The rest of the year brings the state band and marimbas in the zócalo and the occasional concert at the Teatro Macedonio Alcalá. That makes a pleasant backdrop, but not a reason to travel.

Oaxaca is the easier place to slow down. The temazcal is still a living tradition here, with ceremonies led by traditional healers in the city and the valley villages. Slow mornings and the quiet gardens of Jalatlaco set the tone, except in festival weeks.

Mexico City offers temazcales and good spas in Polanco, Roma and Condesa, but noise, traffic and altitude work against rest. People who want a real retreat usually head south to Cuernavaca or Tepoztlán.