Santa Fe or Telluride?

Neither town has a coast, so leave a beach out of your plans for either one. Santa Fe's summers are hotter, though, and the water outings feel warmer: a swim at Abiquiu Lake or a lazy float on the Rio Grande.

In Telluride the closest swimming is a small area at the reservoir near Ridgway, where the water stays cold even in midsummer. Water here usually means rafting, paddling or fishing rather than swimming.

Santa Fe has something Telluride lacks: a cuisine of its own. You can try red and green chile, posole, carne adovada and sopaipillas in old adobe dining rooms, and there is a long-running farmers' market at the Railyard and a fine-dining tier that is unusual for so small a town.

Telluride eats well for a ski town, with modern American cooking using Colorado lamb, elk and trout, plus good beer and wine. It has no local dishes or market to explore, though, and over a week the same few places come round again.

The difference is large. Santa Fe has four centuries of Spanish colonial history around its Plaza, churches such as the Loretto Chapel, and a set of museums from folk art to O'Keeffe that would fill two or three days by themselves.

Telluride's appeal is its intact mining-boom main street, protected as a whole district, plus a small history museum, the Sheridan Opera House and mill ruins on the canyon walls. It makes a pleasant interlude between hikes, but it is not a reason to choose the town.

Both towns are quiet after dark and neither has clubs. In Santa Fe the evening is a long dinner followed by a mezcal on a rooftop at sunset, and anyone who wants a late night has to drive to Albuquerque. Telluride runs more on après-ski in old wooden saloons, and its main street can stay busy late in peak ski weeks and on festival weekends, then empties completely in the off-season.

Telluride has the more dramatic setting. Peaks above 4,000m, Bridal Veil Falls and wildflower basins all lie within walking distance of the main street. Summer adds a via ferrata, high mining roads and fly fishing, and winter brings steep, scenic skiing right above town.

Santa Fe is still excellent outdoors, but it is a different kind of landscape. Foothill trails lead up to aspen forest and the Pecos Wilderness, and the desert side has mesas, Valles Caldera and the red cliffs of Abiquiu. It offers more variety of terrain, though less raw mountain drama.

Santa Fe is a far better base for excursions. The High Road leads through Chimayo and Truchas to Taos Pueblo. Bandelier's cliff dwellings, Los Alamos, Pecos and the Turquoise Trail villages are all comfortable day trips, and the Rail Runner train even reaches Albuquerque.

From Telluride the options are a few mountain towns, Ridgway, Ouray and Silverton, along winding passes. Mesa Verde is the one major heritage site, and it is a long round trip. Winter weather can close the routes.

Neither town is designed around children, and both sit high enough that small ones may struggle for the first night or two. The difference is in the kind of family each suits. Santa Fe works for older children who enjoy history, with ladders to climb into Bandelier's cliff dwellings, a children's museum and the folk art toys.

Telluride suits sporty families better. There is a well-regarded ski school with gentle slopes, a free gondola that children love, and easy waterfall walks in summer. On a rainy day, though, there is very little to do indoors.

Telluride is the easier place to stay without a car. The historic grid takes a quarter of an hour to cross on foot, and a free gondola and buses link it to Mountain Village and the ski slopes. Getting there is harder: the local airport is affected by weather, and the larger airports are a long drive away.

Santa Fe's historic centre is just as walkable, but Museum Hill, the ski area and the trailheads are beyond it, and the buses are infrequent. Most visitors end up hiring a car for the pueblos and back roads.

Santa Fe is one of the most interesting places in the country to buy Native American and Southwestern art. There is jewellery and pottery sold by the makers under the Palace portal, gallery streets on Canyon Road and the Railyard, and rug and boot dealers downtown, and in summer the Indian Market and the Spanish Market draw collectors from far away.

Telluride has a few blocks of boutiques, galleries, bookshops and ski gear shops, enough for an hour's browsing and no more.

Neither is cheap, but Santa Fe is easier on the budget. Cheaper rooms along Cerrillos Road, free hiking and gallery browsing help, although you will probably pay for a hire car.

Telluride sits at the very top of the North American market. Scarce lodging, lift tickets and meals are all priced for wealthy visitors, and festival weekends and the Christmas weeks push costs higher. Staying down in Ridgway saves money but means driving in every day.

Summer is the season in both towns, but Santa Fe has the deeper programme. Its open-air opera, known for rare and new works, performs as the sun goes down, with a chamber music festival, flamenco and the Lensic theatre alongside.

Telluride's strengths are festivals rather than institutions: the long-running Bluegrass Festival in Town Park, jazz and blues weekends, and the Labor Day film festival. Outside those dates there is little beyond a few shows at the Sheridan Opera House.

Santa Fe makes slowing down part of the stay. Onsen-style soaking tubs sit in the pines just above town, the old mineral pools at Ojo Caliente are an hour north, and there are more spas, yoga studios and healers than you would expect in a town this size.

Telluride's options are the hotel spas in Mountain Village and the hot springs at Ouray and near Ridgway, both an hour's drive away. They are good after a day of skiing, but they are separate outings rather than part of the town.