Punta del Este or Rio de Janeiro?

Both cities face the Atlantic, but swimming feels very different in each. Punta del Este offers a choice between the calm, shallow estuary water of Playa Mansa and the surf and currents of Playa Brava, with long sandy beaches running east past La Barra to José Ignacio. Its sea is refreshing at best, and warm enough only in a short summer season.

Rio makes the beach the centre of city life. Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon are a short walk from the main hotels, the water is comfortable for swimming much of the year, and the wilder sands of Prainha and Grumari add space and surf. Swim from the ocean beaches rather than those facing the bay.

Punta del Este eats the Uruguayan way: beef and lamb from the parrilla, chivito sandwiches and fish from the port stalls, plus polished beachfront dining in La Barra and José Ignacio in summer. The range is narrow and much of it closes after the season, though a winery lunch among the Albariño and Tannat vines near Garzón is a real pleasure.

Rio offers more variety and keeps it going all year. Botecos serve ice-cold chopp with shared plates of pastéis and bolinhos de bacalhau, Saturday brings feijoada, and juice bars sit on almost every Zona Sul corner. Leblon and Botafogo have the more interesting modern kitchens.

This category is no contest. Punta del Este is a 20th-century resort, and its sights fit into a single day: Casapueblo on the cliffs at Punta Ballena, the hand on Playa Brava and the lighthouse.

Rio has Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf, plus the São Bento monastery, the Paço Imperial and the Theatro Municipal in the old centre. Add the Museu do Amanhã by the port and Santa Teresa's mansions above the Selarón steps, and its sights fill several full days even though the museums are modest.

Punta del Este goes out hard but only briefly. From Christmas to late January the clubs of La Barra stay open past sunrise and beach clubs throw afternoon parties for a young, dressed-up crowd. By March the town has gone quiet.

Rio's nightlife lasts all year and happens on the street. At weekends Lapa fills up under the aqueduct arches, Botafogo's pavement bars spill from one corner to the next, Leblon is smarter, and before Carnival the blocos take over whole districts. After dark, take taxis between neighbourhoods.

Punta del Este's outdoors is gentle and coastal: dunes, pine woods and the lagoons around José Ignacio for kitesurfing and birdwatching. There are boat trips to the sea lions of Isla de Lobos, and whales pass offshore in spring. Hikes are modest and the wind rarely lets up.

Rio is in another league. Tijuca National Park covers the mountains in the middle of the city, and Dois Irmãos and Pedra da Gávea are short, steep climbs above the beaches. Hang-gliders land on the sand at São Conrado, and the Serra dos Órgãos inland has serious multi-day hiking. In summer, start early to beat the heat.

Neither city has a long list of outings within easy reach, and the best trips from both work better with a night away. From Punta del Este the outings are short and coastal or rural: Piriápolis is under an hour away, José Ignacio is along the shore, Garzón has wineries and a restored village, and Montevideo is two hours west.

Rio's outings lean towards history and hills. There is imperial Petrópolis with its museum and cool air, the ferry to Niterói for the Niemeyer museum, and the coffee towns of the Paraíba valley. Paraty, Búzios and Ilha Grande are superb but each is three hours or more away.

Both cities suit a family trip built around the beach, and neither has much made for children. Punta del Este is the calmer, easier option. The Mansa side has shallow water, the neighbourhoods are safe and green, and plenty of Uruguayan and Argentine families visit, with sea lion boat trips and the arboretum for a change of scene.

Rio has more to do, with the Sugarloaf cable car, the Corcovado train, AquaRio and the BioParque zoo. It asks more of parents, though, through heat, heavy traffic, uneven pavements and the need to watch belongings.

Punta del Este is easy on foot only on the peninsula itself. The resort stretches a long way along the shore, and the places that make a stay here, from La Barra's beach clubs to José Ignacio, really call for a car or taxis, with a slow coast road in high summer.

Rio is the easier of the two without a car. Its metro runs straight through the districts visitors use most, from the centre to Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, and the promenade makes those beachfront stretches a pleasure to walk. Taxis or ride-hailing cover the hills, the forest and the western beaches.

Punta del Este shops to the rhythm of its season. Designer boutiques and small linen and homeware shops in La Barra and José Ignacio open in summer for second-home owners, and much of it closes when they leave. Leather goods and mate gourds from the craft market make the most local souvenirs.

Rio has the edge because its shopping runs all year and suits every budget. Brazilian swimwear and resort fashion from Ipanema and Leblon are the things to buy, while the Sunday fair in Ipanema and the crowded downtown market streets add crafts, cheap fabric and Carnival costumes. Big international luxury names are scarce and expensive.

This is the sharpest practical difference between the two. Punta del Este is priced for wealthy Argentines, Brazilians and Uruguayans, and in January its rooms, rentals and beach-club loungers are very expensive. Groceries, buses and a simple parrilla are the only relief, and the cheaper shoulder months come with fewer places open.

Rio is far kinder to a foreign wallet. Kilo lunches, boteco snacks, juices, the metro and the beaches cost little. Only seafront hotels, smart Leblon restaurants and the weeks around Carnival and New Year push costs up sharply.

Punta del Este's performances are mostly in January: a long-established jazz festival on a country estate, chamber concerts around José Ignacio and casino shows. There is little for the rest of the year.

Rio has live samba most nights, from choro bands in Lapa's old houses and rodas gathered around a table of musicians to samba school rehearsals before Carnival. Bossa nova still has small venues of its own, and the Theatro Municipal stages opera and ballet.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, and in both the spa offer comes down to the larger hotels and some yoga. The real difference is the pace. Outside the January crush, Punta del Este is quiet, with pine-shaded streets and the slow lagoon country beyond José Ignacio.

In Rio you relax on the sand or with an evening walk along the promenade or the lagoon. The city itself is loud, hot and demanding, though, and real calm means heading up to Santa Teresa or out to the mountain towns.