Rishikesh or Udaipur?

Neither is a place to swim, but Rishikesh at least puts you beside moving water. The white sand banks along the Ganges and the camp beaches upstream at Shivpuri are good for sitting, and a ritual dip at the ghats, holding the chains, is part of a visit. The river is too cold and fast for a proper swim.

Udaipur's lakes are only for boating and looking at, so a swim means a hotel pool, ideally at one of the heritage hotels above Lake Pichola.

Both are cheap and easy for vegetarians, and neither is worth planning a trip around for the food. Rishikesh is strictly vegetarian and dry. You eat thalis at dhabas, puri and jalebi for breakfast and chai by the bridges, then visit terrace cafés in Tapovan where the menus of smoothie bowls, Tibetan and Israeli dishes repeat from place to place.

Udaipur has a little more range. There is Mewari cooking such as dal baati churma and gatte ki sabzi, laal maas for meat eaters, ghewar from the sweet shops, and a drink with dinner if you want one. Its lakefront rooftops are better for the view than the cooking.

Rishikesh's sights are devotional rather than architectural. You cross the Ram Jhula footbridge to the painted ashrams of Swarg Ashram, see the tiered Tera Manzil temple and the evening aarti at Triveni Ghat, and find the overgrown Beatles ashram in the forest. It is about atmosphere more than monuments.

Udaipur has far more to see. The City Palace rises from Lake Pichola, the Lake Palace and Jag Mandir sit on the water, and the havelis around the Jagdish Temple form a coherent royal ensemble, with Bagore ki Haveli and the Monsoon Palace beyond. Both can be covered in two or three days, but Udaipur's days are much fuller.

Rishikesh is dry by rule. Alcohol is not sold in the holy town, so after the aarti on the ghats the evening means a long dinner on a café terrace or a candlelit chant, and most people are asleep early, ready for dawn yoga.

Udaipur has a little more to offer after dark. You can have a sunset drink on a rooftop above Lake Pichola, go to a hotel bar, or find one of the few lounges with music at weekends. There are still no clubs and the old city goes quiet early, so it is a place for a slow evening rather than a night out.

Rishikesh is the far stronger outdoor base. The Ganges offers serious whitewater rafting from the Shivpuri camps, and the forested Shivalik ridges begin at the edge of town, with walks to Neer Garh falls. Rajaji National Park has jeep safaris with elephants and a chance of tigers, and there are ziplines, bungee jumping and sunrise over snow peaks from Kunjapuri.

Udaipur's outdoors is gentler. There are boat rides on the lakes, sunset viewpoints, the Sajjangarh sanctuary and cycling in the low Aravalli hills, with jungle walks at Kumbhalgarh further out. It is scenery to enjoy rather than adventure, and only in the cooler months.

Rishikesh has one essential outing: Haridwar's huge aarti at Har Ki Pauri, under an hour away. Dehradun, the hill station of Mussoorie and the river confluence at Devprayag are also within a day, but most other places of interest lie several days into the mountains.

Udaipur offers more within a day's drive, almost all of it Mewar heritage. There are the temples of Eklingji and Nagda and the pilgrimage town of Nathdwara. The walls of Kumbhalgarh pair well with the marble Jain temple at Ranakpur, and the great fortress of Chittorgarh lies to the east. Expect long road days with a driver.

Neither is easy with small children, and both suit older ones better. Rishikesh works for teenagers who want rafting, ziplines and safaris in Rajaji, but the cold, fast river, steep lanes and food-snatching macaques make it hard going with toddlers.

Udaipur works for a slightly wider range of ages. Boat rides, palaces, puppet shows and the cable car to the viewpoints appeal to younger children, and lakeside hotels with pools make a comfortable base. Visit in winter, as the heat from April onwards is punishing.

Rishikesh is easier to manage without a driver. Footbridges and riverside paths link Tapovan, Lakshman Jhula, Ram Jhula and Triveni, shared vikrams run along the main road and ferries cross near Ram Jhula, though many walks are uphill.

Udaipur's old city is compact enough to walk, but its lanes are steep, narrow and full of motorbikes, and there is no public transport a visitor would use. Beyond the centre you depend on autorickshaws or ride-hailing. In both towns, outings into the hills need a hired car.

Rishikesh's shops follow one theme. Around the two jhulas you find yoga clothes, malas, singing bowls, incense, Ayurvedic oils and philosophy books, and much of it repeats from stall to stall.

Udaipur is the better place to shop because it has real crafts. Miniature paintings come from workshops near the City Palace, alongside bandhani and block-printed textiles, silver jewellery and puppets, and the bazaars around Hathi Pol and the clock tower serve locals as well as visitors. Expect pushy selling near the palace, and no fashion shopping in either town.

Both are very cheap from day to day, with thalis, autos and most sights costing little. Rishikesh stays cheaper over a whole stay because the usual bed is a simple guesthouse or ashram room, and even the extras, such as rafting or a teacher training, are modest.

In Udaipur, what makes the town famous is also what costs most. A lake palace or a heritage haveli with a view is priced as international luxury, though mid-range lakeside rooms sit comfortably in between.

In Rishikesh, music is devotional and something you join in with. There are drums and singing at the aarti, kirtan sessions in ashrams and cafés, and the occasional sitar or bansuri recital. Udaipur has more to sit and watch: the evening folk dance show at Bagore ki Haveli, puppetry kept alive by Lok Kala Mandal and folk musicians at the Shilpgram fair in December. Neither has theatre or a concert season.

Wellness is Rishikesh's great strength. Dozens of ashrams run daily yoga, silent meditation and residential teacher trainings, Ayurvedic clinics offer detox treatments lasting several days, and Tapovan is full of breathwork and sound healing. The International Yoga Festival adds to this each spring. The bridges and main road are noisy, but the ashram gardens and the quieter stretches upriver are calm.

Udaipur is a pleasant place to unwind rather than a place to practise. It has Ayurvedic massage in the old city, easy yoga classes and elaborate spas in the palace hotels, and the most restful moment is sunset over the lake from a terrace. How much calm you find depends largely on your hotel.