Panama City or San Juan?

Panama City looks out on the Pacific, but nobody swims along the Cinta Costera. The nearest real beach is the small one on Isla Taboga, a ferry ride away. The wide sands around Coronado and the clearer Caribbean water near Portobelo are an hour or two away by road and are usually done as an overnight trip.

In San Juan, the beach is part of the city itself. Isla Verde has a long stretch of sand sheltered by a reef, Escambrón has calm water near the old town that suits children and snorkellers, and Luquillo's palm-lined bay is under an hour away. The one caution is the rough water off parts of Condado and Piñones, where it is better to swim at the lifeguarded balnearios.

Panama City's cooking is plainer: cups of ceviche and fried whole fish at the Mercado de Mariscos, sancocho and rice with pigeon peas in the neighbourhood fondas, and an international spread in Obarrio and El Cangrejo for business visitors. Its standout is the highland Geisha coffee.

San Juan's food has more punch and is more of a reason to come. There is mofongo, slow-roasted pork, alcapurrias from the seaside kiosks at Piñones, evenings around La Placita, and weekend drives up to the pork stalls of Guavate. Santurce adds chef-led cooking, and the rum and piña coladas come with the territory.

The two cities are about even for sights, and both have UNESCO-listed colonial quarters, but they offer different things. Panama City's history is split between restored Casco Viejo and the ruins of Panamá Viejo, which Henry Morgan sacked. Its biggest draw is a working landmark: ships rising through the Miraflores Locks, with Gehry's Biomuseo on the causeway explaining how the isthmus formed.

San Juan keeps its heritage in one walled old town. The forts of El Morro and San Cristóbal, the blue cobbles and the cathedral holding Ponce de León's tomb can all be seen on foot in a single day. Santurce adds the island's art museum and its streets of murals.

Panama City's nights are dressier and more spread out. You might start with rooftop and cocktail bars in Casco Viejo, then take a taxi to the clubs around Calle Uruguay and Marbella. The crowd includes many expats and business visitors.

San Juan has more of a street party. On weekend nights La Placita in Santurce fills with people drinking outdoors between small bars, and Calle San Sebastián mixes dive bars with salsa and reggaeton dance floors. Condado and Isla Verde offer a calmer night of lounges and casinos.

The two are equally strong outdoors, but the experiences differ. Panama City has rainforest within its limits at Parque Natural Metropolitano, Pipeline Road in Soberanía is famous among birdwatchers, and boats on Gatún Lake pass monkeys with container ships in the background.

San Juan's nature centres on the water and needs a drive. There are trails and waterfalls in El Yunque, which is often in cloud, night kayaking on Fajardo's glowing lagoon, snorkelling off the offshore cays and real winter surf on the north coast.

Panama City's best days out are about forts and the Canal. The ruined Spanish strongholds at Portobelo and San Lorenzo on the Caribbean coast are the strongest outing, and a partial Canal transit or a dugout canoe trip to an Emberá village are good alternatives. Its finest islands, the San Blas archipelago, are just out of day-trip range.

From San Juan, the trips are about towns and Afro-Puerto Rican culture. Ponce has its plaza, its red and black firehouse and a fine art museum, the ferry crosses to the rum distillery at Cataño, and Loíza is the place to hear bomba. Culebra and Vieques, like San Blas, really need a night.

San Juan is the easier city with children. There are tunnels and cannons at El Morro, kites on the lawn outside, calm water at Escambrón and Luquillo, and English, pharmacies and US standards everywhere. It lacks a big zoo or theme park, but resort pools fill the gap.

Panama City has some great moments for children, such as ships in the locks, the rescued animals at Summit Nature Park and boat trips to see monkeys. The heat, broken pavements and wet-season downpours mean most of the day is spent in taxis or air-conditioned malls.

Both are taxi cities with a walkable old town, and each has a rail line that misses most of the places visitors go. Panama City's metro runs along a long strip of towers and highways. The Cinta Costera path links Casco Viejo with the banking district for anyone willing to walk in the heat.

San Juan's districts are closer together. Condado, Ocean Park and Isla Verde are a short ride from the old town, though its streets are steep and cobbled. In both cities, a hired car or a tour is the practical way to reach the rainforest and the coast.

Neither city is a shopping destination, and both rely on large malls, Panama City's near Albrook and Punta Pacífica and San Juan's Plaza Las Américas. The difference is in the crafts. Panama City's prize is the Guna mola textile, along with Emberá baskets and tagua carvings.

San Juan offers carved santos, vejigante masks, guayaberas and cigars, plus a short run of boutiques on Ashford Avenue. Old San Juan at least has streets for browsing, even if many of the shops sell souvenirs to cruise passengers.

Panama City is the cheaper of the two. Fonda plates, ceviche at the fish market, the metro and taxis all cost little. Only the Casco Viejo hotels, rooftop bars and guided trips reach Western prices.

San Juan is priced like a mid-sized city on the US mainland, with tips and taxes added at sit-down restaurants and expensive beachfront rooms in winter. Kiosks and roadside stalls help, but hiring a car to see the island adds up fast.

Music fills San Juan's ordinary nights. Salsa bands play to packed dance floors, and there are open bomba sessions where visitors can join the drumming and dancing. For formal culture, the Centro de Bellas Artes hosts the symphony orchestra, and the Casals Festival brings classical music every year.

Panama City has less to plan around. The ornate Teatro Nacional has a short season, and the Panama Jazz Festival in January is the one big date of the year. The rest of the time, live salsa and típico music turn up in bars without much notice.

Neither city has a spa or bathing tradition of its own, but San Juan is far easier to slow down in. Resort spas, yoga and massage around Condado and Isla Verde come with a beach and a pool, so a lazy day takes no planning.

Panama City offers hotel spas in Punta Pacífica and little else. Rest there means early mornings in Casco Viejo or forest trails, and real calm usually means a few days away in the cooler highland valleys.