San Antonio or Santa Fe?

Neither city has a coast, but San Antonio gives you more to swim in. The spring-fed Comal and San Marcos rivers are under an hour away and stay cool and clear for tubing. Canyon Lake and the Hill Country swimming holes add more options on a hot afternoon.

In Santa Fe, swimming means a drive to Abiquiu Lake or a float on the Rio Grande, and otherwise a hotel pool. Water is a side outing in either place, but in San Antonio it is an outing worth planning a summer day around.

Both cities are worth a trip for food, but each for its own regional cooking rather than variety. San Antonio is the home of Tex-Mex. Think breakfast tacos, barbacoa and enchiladas in family places on the West and South Sides, plus slow-smoked brisket. The cooking is casual, filling and cheap.

Santa Fe cooks New Mexican food: red or green chile, blue corn, posole and sopaipillas, served in old adobe dining rooms. It also has a more polished fine-dining tier than San Antonio. Both cities have a strong farmers' market, at the Pearl in San Antonio and in the Railyard in Santa Fe.

Both grew out of Spanish colonial rule, and two or three days covers either. San Antonio's strength is its chain of missions. The Alamo stands downtown, with San José and Espada further south along the river, and all of them belong to a World Heritage Site. The King William mansions and two good art museums round out the visit.

Santa Fe has the slight edge because the whole town is the sight. It is older, dating from 1610, and the adobe centre around the Plaza and the Palace of the Governors has kept its look. The folk art and Native American museums on Museum Hill and the O'Keeffe collection are stronger than you would expect from a town this small.

San Antonio is the livelier of the two, though neither is a party city. Locals skip the River Walk's tourist patios for the icehouses and beer gardens of Southtown and the St. Mary's Strip. There are Tejano dance halls too, and bars stay open until 2am.

In Santa Fe, an evening out usually means a long dinner and then a sunset margarita on a rooftop. The streets are quiet well before midnight, and anyone wanting more drives to Albuquerque.

This is where Santa Fe pulls far ahead. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains start at the edge of town and climb through aspen forest to the Pecos Wilderness, with peaks above 3,600m. Skiing is less than an hour from the Plaza. Further out are desert mesas, the elk meadows of Valles Caldera and rafting in the Rio Grande Gorge.

San Antonio's outdoors is gentler: limestone hills, caverns, kayaking on the Guadalupe and bluebonnets in spring. Government Canyon is good for an easy hike or ride. There are no mountains, though, and the long summer limits hiking to the cooler months.

Santa Fe has the richer surroundings. The High Road to Taos passes through Chimayo and ends at Taos Pueblo, which has been lived in for about a thousand years. Bandelier's cliff dwellings, Ghost Ranch and the mining villages along the Turquoise Trail make the region feel layered and ancient.

From San Antonio the drives are pleasant rather than memorable. You can visit German Fredericksburg and its wineries, the old dance hall at Gruene, Alsatian Castroville or the museums and music of Austin. Both cities need a car for almost every trip out, though Santa Fe has a train to Albuquerque.

San Antonio is much the easier place with children. SeaWorld and Six Flags Fiesta Texas sit on the edge of the city, and Morgan's Wonderland is designed for children with disabilities. The zoo and the Witte's dinosaurs share Brackenridge Park, and the river boats and the Alamo story keep small children interested.

Santa Fe has a children's museum, the ladders up to the Bandelier cliff dwellings and a small ski school. Otherwise the town revolves around galleries and long dinners, and the 2,100m altitude can tire young children at first. It works best with older children who like hiking.

You will want a car in both cities once you leave the centre, but Santa Fe's walkable core covers more of what you came for. The Plaza, Canyon Road, the downtown museums and the Railyard are all within about twenty minutes of each other on foot, though uphill stretches feel steeper at altitude. The Rail Runner also links the Railyard to Albuquerque.

San Antonio's downtown is pleasant on foot along the shaded River Walk, and cycling the river path to the missions is one of the best ways to see them. Beyond that, the theme parks, the north side and the Hill Country are spread out along highways. With no metro or light rail and slow buses, most visitors end up driving or using ride-hailing.

Santa Fe is the better place to shop, as long as you are after art and craft. Native American artists sell silver, turquoise and pottery under the Palace of the Governors' portal, and galleries line Canyon Road. The summer Indian, Spanish and Folk Art markets draw serious collectors, and gallery prices match.

San Antonio's most distinctive shopping is El Mercado on Market Square, full of Mexican crafts, embroidered dresses and piñatas. Beyond that it offers malls and outlets, which are practical but not a reason to come. Both cities are good for cowboy boots and Western wear.

San Antonio is noticeably easier on the wallet. Convention-sized hotel stock keeps rooms moderate away from the river, tacos and barbecue are cheap, and the missions cost nothing. Theme parks and a hire car are where a family's budget goes.

Santa Fe charges resort rates for a small town. They are steepest around the Plaza during the summer markets, the opera season and at Christmas, and restaurants are priced for a well-off clientele. Cerrillos Road is cheaper for beds, and the trails are free, but it remains the dearer stay.

Santa Fe edges ahead, mainly because of its summer. The opera plays in an open-sided theatre on a hill as the sun sets over the desert, alongside a chamber music festival and a long flamenco tradition. Out of season, the programme shrinks to the Lensic and concerts in the churches.

San Antonio's offer is steadier through the year. It has symphony, opera and ballet at the Tobin Center and touring shows at the Majestic. Its real character is Tejano and conjunto accordion music in the dance halls, with mariachi bands playing around Market Square.

Santa Fe is the far better place to unwind. Outdoor soaking tubs sit among the pines on the road to the ski area, and the historic mineral pools of Ojo Caliente are about an hour north. The town is also full of yoga studios and massage therapists, and its early evenings and clear light slow you down.

In San Antonio, rest mostly means a resort spa on the north side or a quiet morning in the Japanese Tea Garden. The summer heat makes long lazy days outdoors hard work.