Phoenix or Sedona?

Neither city has a coast, and swimming in Phoenix mostly means a resort pool with a lazy river. The Salt River reservoirs, Saguaro Lake and Canyon Lake, and summer tubing on the river add some natural water, but all of them are a drive out of the city.

Sedona's swimming is better, because Oak Creek runs right past town. You can ride the natural sandstone chute at Slide Rock or swim in the deeper holes at Grasshopper Point below the red cliffs. The water is cold and the spots fill up on hot weekends, but it is a far more memorable swim than a hotel pool.

Phoenix eats much better. Its own food comes from the Sonoran borderlands: carne asada, machaca, paper-thin flour tortillas and bacon-wrapped hot dogs from evening carts. On top of that it has a strong name for wood-fired pizza and bread, and enough independent places in central Phoenix to keep a week interesting, as long as you don't mind driving to them.

Sedona's dining is built around the view. It means terraces facing the red rocks, Southwestern menus and plenty of vegetarian cooking, and the choice runs out after a few good meals. Its strength is drink, with Verde Valley tasting rooms just down the road.

Phoenix has the stronger sights, although they are museums rather than streets. The Heard Museum's Native American collection and the Musical Instrument Museum are each worth half a day, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West is a real draw for anyone interested in architecture.

In Sedona the main sight is the Chapel of the Holy Cross, built into a butte, along with the town's many galleries. The Sinagua cliff dwellings at Palatki and Honanki give it an older layer that Phoenix's Pueblo Grande cannot really match, but altogether they fill a day rather than a week.

Phoenix has a real night out, split across districts that each feel different. Old Town Scottsdale has clubs and rooftop bars for groups, Tempe's Mill Avenue is cheap and full of students, and Roosevelt Row has craft beer and cocktails with a more local crowd. Bars close at 2am, and you'll usually need a ride-hail home.

Sedona has a brewpub or a wine bar for one drink after dinner, and then bed, because most visitors are on the trail at dawn. What it offers after dark is the sky: dark enough for proper stargazing.

Phoenix has good desert walking for a big city. You can scramble up Camelback Mountain or Piestewa Peak, walk the trails of South Mountain, or go through saguaro forest in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Those giant cacti are a landscape Sedona's juniper country doesn't have. Summer heat, though, rules out hiking after mid-morning.

Sedona is in another league. Red sandstone buttes and spires rise around the town, trails lead to Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock and Devil's Bridge, and West Fork climbs into the pine forest of Oak Creek Canyon. Its mountain biking and jeep routes are widely known, and its cooler summers leave longer hours for being outside.

The two have about the same range of outings, and some of them are shared. Jerome and Montezuma Castle are well under an hour from Sedona but close to two hours from Phoenix, so Sedona makes the easier base for that part of Arizona.

Phoenix looks south instead, to Tucson's adobe barrios and the white Mission San Xavier del Bac, and to cowboy Wickenburg. From Sedona you can reach the Verde Canyon Railroad, Tuzigoot, Flagstaff and the pueblos of Walnut Canyon and Wupatki, but these places are small and a few days covers them.

Phoenix is much better set up for children. It has a zoo, an aquarium, a science centre, a children's museum and several water parks, plus resorts with slides and spring training baseball in March. The cost is a lot of time in the car, and in summer the heat keeps young children indoors.

Sedona works mainly for active families. Children enjoy Slide Rock, jeep rides over the slickrock and the lower paths around Bell Rock, but there is little else made for them, and many hotels are aimed at couples. It works best as a stop of a couple of nights on a wider Grand Canyon trip.

You'll need a car in both, but for different reasons. Phoenix is huge, a flat grid of arterial roads stretching for dozens of kilometres, and light rail is useful only along a limited corridor linking the airport, downtown and Tempe. On the other hand, roads and parking are easy.

Sedona is small, and you can walk around Uptown, but a trailhead shuttle is about all the public transport there is. The real problems there are weekend traffic at the Y and trailhead car parks that fill early.

Phoenix has the broader shopping. A luxury mall in Scottsdale and an open-air one near the Biltmore carry the international brands, and Old Town Scottsdale adds Western wear and galleries. It is also the safer place to buy Navajo and Zuni silver or Hopi katsinas, from museum shops such as the Heard's.

Sedona's shopping is narrower but has more character. There is the courtyard arts village of Tlaquepaque, galleries along the main road and a cluster of crystal and metaphysical shops you won't find in the valley. For clothes or department stores, though, people from Sedona drive down to Phoenix.

Phoenix is the cheaper place to stay. Chain hotels along the freeways are reasonable all year, resorts drop their rates sharply in summer, and Sonoran Mexican food costs little. The main extra is a rental car.

Sedona is a resort town and prices match, from the lodges to the restaurants, with jeep tours, balloon flights and spa treatments adding more. Its hiking is nearly free, just as it is in Phoenix, but the cheapest beds are in Cottonwood or Flagstaff, a drive away.

Phoenix has a full arts calendar from autumn to spring. The Phoenix Symphony, Arizona Opera and Ballet Arizona all run regular seasons, touring Broadway shows play Frank Lloyd Wright's round ASU Gammage, and the Musical Instrument Museum has its own intimate concert hall.

Sedona has occasional events rather than seasons: chamber concerts, local theatre, the long-running film festival in late winter and Native American flute players in resort lounges. People in Sedona who want an orchestra or a touring band drive to Phoenix.

Phoenix is built for the classic resort rest. Large spa resorts with several pools and golf courses sit along the foot of Camelback, and a winter week in the dry warmth asks very little of you. Beyond the resort gates, though, it is a busy car city.

Sedona makes the whole stay about rest. It has spas with views of the canyons, plus yoga, meditation and breathwork across town, sunrise walks to the vortexes, clear air and silent nights. Neither place has hot springs or a bathing tradition, and the best of both comes at resort prices.