Rishikesh or Ubud?

Neither town has a beach of its own, but Ubud is much closer to proper swimming. In Rishikesh the water is the Ganges: pale sand banks to sit on, a cold, fast current and a dip at the ghats holding the chains. Its "beaches" are for looking at, not for swimming.

From Ubud, the calm reef-sheltered water at Sanur is about an hour's drive away and warm all year. Back in town, a villa pool over the paddies covers the daily swim.

Ubud is the better place to eat. Babi guling at lunchtime counters, duck slow-cooked in spice paste and nasi campur in family warungs give it a real local cuisine, and a few ambitious restaurants build on Balinese produce.

Rishikesh eats well in a narrower way. Everything is vegetarian, with no meat or alcohol sold. Thalis at dhabas and chai by the bridges are excellent, but the Tapovan café menus soon start to look alike.

Ubud has more to see. The royal palace and the lotus pond at Pura Taman Saraswati sit at its centre, the Neka, ARMA and Puri Lukisan museums trace a century of Balinese painting, and the Elephant Cave lies on the edge of town. Daily offerings and temple processions make the culture part of ordinary life.

Rishikesh's appeal is ritual rather than buildings. It has the fire-lit aarti at Triveni Ghat, the painted ashrams of Swarg Ashram, the tiered Tera Manzil and the overgrown Beatles ashram. With no museums of note, it is moving but soon covered.

Both towns sleep early, but Ubud at least has an evening. Garden bars serve drinks, and a few music bars put on bands before the town goes quiet. Rishikesh sells no alcohol at all, so nights mean a terrace dinner and a chant session, and anyone wanting a drink has to leave town. For a proper night out from Ubud, Seminyak and Canggu are a long drive away.

The two are equally strong outdoors, in very different landscapes. Rishikesh is a river-and-mountain place. Powerful rapids run from the Shivpuri camps, forested Shivalik ridges rise on both banks, jeep safaris in Rajaji may turn up elephants or a tiger, and winter dawns at Kunjapuri look out to snow peaks.

Ubud is tropical and farmed. You walk the rice terraces along Campuhan Ridge or at Tegallalang, swim under jungle waterfalls and climb Mount Batur in the dark for a crater-lake sunrise.

Ubud makes the better base. Within reach are the holy spring of Tirta Empul, the cliff-cut tombs of Gunung Kawi, Besakih on the slopes of Agung, the Jatiluwih terraces and sea temples on the coast. The only limit is how far a hired driver can get on slow roads.

From Rishikesh the shortlist is shorter. Haridwar's huge aarti is under an hour away and Dehradun about an hour, while Mussoorie and Devprayag make long days on mountain roads. Beyond those, the interesting places are several days off.

Ubud handles children better. Pool villas make hot afternoons easy, the dance shows and a nearby safari park hold their attention, and Balinese hosts make a fuss of them. Narrow pavements and grabbing monkeys still make it better with older children than with toddlers.

Rishikesh has the monkeys too, plus a cold, fast river, steep lanes full of motorbikes and nothing designed for young visitors. Teenagers old enough for rafting and ziplines will enjoy it. Small children mostly will not.

Rishikesh is the easier place to get about. Its quarters line up along the river and are linked by footbridges, riverside paths and ferries, with cheap shared vikrams on the main road. You need a taxi only for waterfalls and rafting put-ins.

Ubud has no public transport worth relying on. Its sights are spread across steep river valleys, so most days are planned around a hired driver, ride-hailing or a scooter. Stay central if you want to walk to dinner.

In Rishikesh almost everything on sale serves the spiritual stay. The lanes by Ram Jhula and Lakshman Jhula sell cotton yoga clothes, rudraksha malas, brass singing bowls, incense and shelves of philosophy books. Some of it is good, but the same stock repeats from stall to stall, and there is little else to buy.

Ubud has far more to buy because its crafts are made in the villages around it. Mas carves wood, Celuk works silver and gold, Batuan paints its crowded canvases, and furniture workshops line the road to Tegallalang. Back in town, the Art Market and the linen and jewellery boutiques on Jalan Hanoman fill an afternoon, though neither town is a place for fashion.

Rishikesh is the cheaper of two cheap places. Ashram rooms, thalis and vikram rides cost almost nothing, and rafting and teacher trainings are the main costs.

Ubud can be just as frugal in a homestay eating at warungs. But its luxury jungle resorts, visitor-priced cafés and heavily taxed wine make it easy to overspend. Relying on a driver every day adds to the cost too.

Ubud has the stronger stage. Every night, Legong, Barong or Kecak is performed to live gamelan in the palace courtyard or at the lotus-pond temple, danced by village troupes with long traditions. If you come across a temple festival, you will see the same dances in their original setting.

Music in Rishikesh is devotional and informal: drums and singing at the aarti, kirtan in ashrams and the odd sitar recital. There is nothing you would buy a ticket for.

Both towns exist largely for this, and Ubud gives the fuller wellness trip. Yoga in open pavilions comes alongside spas of every level, from street massage rooms to riverside sanctuaries above the Ayung. Flower baths, traditional healers and villas facing silent paddies complete it.

Rishikesh is the more austere and study-minded choice. It has ashrams with residential courses, long teacher trainings, Ayurvedic detox and a daily rhythm without alcohol. The noise of the bridges is the price, and the calm is found in the ashram gardens.