Punta del Este or Vina del Mar?

Punta del Este has the better beaches, and the water is the reason. The estuary and Atlantic are refreshing rather than warm, but in high summer you can swim for real. The peninsula also gives you a choice: shallow, calm Playa Mansa on one side, and the surf and giant hand sculpture of Playa Brava on the other.

Viña del Mar has plenty of sand and real summer atmosphere, from the busy beach at Reñaca where young Santiago goes to be seen, to sheltered Las Salinas. But the Humboldt Current keeps the Pacific several degrees colder, and rough surf closes stretches of shore to swimmers. Most people sunbathe and take quick dips.

The two are evenly matched, but they eat very differently. Punta del Este is about meat cooked over wood embers, chivitos and fish from the port stalls, with long winery lunches among the Tannat and Albariño vineyards around Garzón. Much of its best dining closes when the season ends.

Viña del Mar looks to the Pacific instead: congrio, machas and locos in caldillo soup or as ceviche, the shellfish empanadas along the road to Concón, and Sauvignon Blanc from the Casablanca Valley. Its own centre is fairly ordinary, and the more interesting cooking is in Valparaíso's hills.

Neither is a place to come for culture, but Viña del Mar has a bit more to see. It has Belle Époque palaces, the fine arts museum in Palacio Vergara, and the Fonck Museum with its original Easter Island moai and Rapa Nui collections. Valparaíso's historic hills are close by too.

Punta del Este is a 20th-century resort with very little history. Casapueblo, Carlos Páez Vilaró's white house-studio on the cliffs at Punta Ballena, is the one sight not to miss, best seen at sunset. The hand sculpture and the lighthouse fill out a single day.

Punta del Este has the bigger party. From Christmas to the end of January, the clubs in La Barra and along the coast road go on until after sunrise. Afternoon parties at the beach clubs draw a young, wealthy, dressed-up crowd from across the Río de la Plata.

Viña del Mar's summer nights are just as late but more relaxed. Students from Santiago fill the clubs in Reñaca, there are pubs and cocktail bars around Avenida San Martín, and the Art Deco Casino Municipal adds some old-fashioned glamour. Both towns go quiet out of season, but in Viña you can still head to Valparaíso's bohemian bars.

The two are fairly even, but the landscapes differ. Punta del Este is flat, gentle and windy, best enjoyed on the water. There is kitesurfing and birdwatching on the lagoons near José Ignacio, boat trips to the sea lion colony on Isla de Lobos, and southern right whales close to shore in spring.

Viña del Mar suits walkers better. There are the high Concón dunes, coastal paths with pelicans and sea lions on the rocks, and, about an hour inland, La Campana's palm forest leading up the peak Darwin climbed. Surfers will find waves in both places, but in Viña you need a wetsuit.

Viña del Mar is much better for day trips. Valparaíso, with its funiculars, painted houses and Neruda's La Sebastiana, is only about fifteen minutes away by metro, and the Casablanca Valley wine route is under an hour inland. Isla Negra and Santiago are each about an hour and a half away.

From Punta del Este, the main outing is Montevideo, about two hours each way. Closer trips are smaller in scale: old-fashioned Piriápolis, the restored village of Pueblo Garzón, and the colonial core of Maldonado. Colonia del Sacramento and Cabo Polonio are better as overnight trips.

Punta del Este is the easier choice with young children. The shallow, calm water on the Mansa side and the warmer sea mean real swimming, the green residential neighbourhoods are safe, and the boat trip to see the sea lions is a highlight.

Viña del Mar welcomes children just as warmly, with calm Las Salinas, space to run in the Quinta Vergara park, the moai at the Fonck Museum and horse-drawn carriage rides. The cold sea means paddling rather than swimming, though. Neither town has a zoo, theme park or other big attraction built for children.

Viña del Mar is easier to manage without a car. The centre is flat and laid out on a grid, and the Merval coastal metro runs straight to Valparaíso. You only need buses, taxis or a tour once you head north to Reñaca or inland to the wine valley.

In Punta del Este, only the compact peninsula is easy on foot. The resort spreads for many kilometres along the shore, and most visitors staying in La Barra or heading to José Ignacio and the wineries end up hiring a car or taking taxis. In summer, both towns have a single coast road that gets very slow.

Punta del Este has a little more style, though only in season. Designer boutiques open along Avenida Gorlero for the summer, La Barra and José Ignacio sell linen and homeware to second-home owners, and the Plaza Artigas market has leather, wool and mate gourds.

Viña del Mar's shopping is more practical, mostly malls and the Avenida Valparaíso high street. The craft stalls are worth a look for lapis lazuli jewellery and copper. For antiques and independent design, Valparaíso's hills are the better place.

Viña del Mar costs a great deal less. Prices are mid-range, and the set lunches, empanadas and metro keep everyday costs reasonable. Sea-view rooms only become expensive in January, February and on long weekends.

Punta del Este is priced for wealthy Argentines and Brazilians, in a country that is already expensive for the region, and in January hotel rooms and beach-club loungers cost a lot. Groceries, buses and a simple parrilla on the peninsula are more manageable, and the shoulder months bring much lower room rates.

Viña del Mar is better for performances, mainly thanks to its International Song Festival. Each February, big Latin pop stars and a famously demanding audience fill the open-air amphitheatre in the Quinta Vergara. The Teatro Municipal adds concerts, ballet and theatre during the rest of the year.

Punta del Este's highlight is its long-established jazz festival in January, held on a country estate outside town, along with summer chamber concerts around José Ignacio and casino shows. For most of the year, anyone wanting a performance should head to Montevideo.

Neither town has a bathing culture, and in both, wellness mostly means the spas in the larger hotels. The kind of calm differs. Punta del Este offers pine-shaded neighbourhoods and the slow lagoon country beyond José Ignacio, while Viña del Mar is about long promenade walks, quiet gardens and sunsets over the Pacific. Both are at their most peaceful once the summer crowds have gone.