Albufeira or Lagos, Portugal?

The two are about equally good for a beach trip, but their beaches are different. Albufeira's coast is a run of larger beaches between ochre headlands. Pescadores and Peneco lie right below the old town. Oura, Santa Eulália, Maria Luísa and Falésia follow one after another towards Vilamoura, most of them with lifeguards and sunbeds in summer. Quieter coves such as São Rafael and Coelha are to the west.\n\nIn Lagos the best swimming is in small coves such as Camilo and Dona Ana. They sit under honey-coloured stacks and you reach them by long wooden stairs. They're lovely but fill up quickly in August. When they do, the 4km of open sand at Meia Praia across the river has room to spare.

The food is much the same in both: charcoal-grilled sardines and bream, octopus and cataplana, with a municipal market showing the day's catch. Both also have plenty of tourist menus written for passing trade.

What differs is the size of that tourist layer. Albufeira's is bigger, with full breakfasts and curry houses around the Strip, so you need to look harder for the plain fish places near the fishermen's beach. In Lagos, a street or two back from the main lanes, or the harbour road towards Meia Praia, usually does the trick, and the pastelarias are a bonus.

Albufeira's history comes down to an hour or two in the old town on the cliff: whitewashed lanes and steps, a few fragments of Moorish wall and the clock tower with its iron bell cage. Its two museums, one of archaeology and one of sacred art in a former chapel, are small, so anyone curious about the past soon heads for the older towns nearby.

Lagos gives a curious visitor more to see without leaving town. Instead of Albufeira's modest collections, it has the slave market museum, which faces the town's part in the early Atlantic slave trade head on, and the Church of Santo António, whose plain front hides one of the richest gilded interiors on the coast. Old walls and a harbour fort still frame the centre and recall its years as a launch point for Portuguese exploration. Even so, it fills a morning rather than a whole day.

Albufeira is the bigger and louder night out. The Strip in Montechoro is packed with neon bars, karaoke and clubs running until dawn, and it draws a lot of stag and hen groups.

Lagos is more of a bar town. Backpackers, surfers and pub crawls move through the old town's narrow streets, and only a few small clubs stay open late. Both go very quiet from November to March.

The scenery is the same golden limestone in both, but Lagos is better placed. Ponta da Piedade is a short walk away, and the Costa Vicentina's wild cliffs, Fishermen's Trail and surf breaks are just to the west.

From Albufeira, the Seven Hanging Valleys walk and the Benagil caves are about half an hour away, and boats leave from the marina. Ria Formosa birdwatching and golf are also close. For serious surf or rugged walking, though, you have to drive west.

Albufeira has a slight edge because it sits in the middle of the coast. Silves, Loulé's market hall, Faro and Tavira are all fairly easy to reach, and Lagos itself makes a good day out.

From the western end, Lagos is nearer to Sagres and Cape St Vincent, but Faro and Tavira mean long days. In both towns a car makes these trips much easier.

Albufeira is the more child-centred resort. It has family hotels with kids' clubs, and Zoomarine and the water parks are close by. Galé and Oura have wide, calm sand. Just stay well away from the Strip.

Lagos is relaxed and works well for a beach-based trip, especially at gently shelving Meia Praia. But the big attractions are a drive away, and the prettiest coves mean steep stairs with small children.

Lagos is much easier on foot. The old town, the marina and the nearest coves are all within about half an hour's walk, and a footbridge takes you to Meia Praia.

Albufeira stretches for kilometres through separate hotel zones with patchy buses between them. Its railway station is about 6km inland, so many visitors end up using taxis. Both towns need a car for exploring further afield.

Shopping is limited in both towns: ceramics, cork, medronho and beachwear. Lagos adds surf shops and the riverside market's honey and figs. Albufeira has the big regional mall at Guia for everyday fashion, and Loulé's market is nearby.

Albufeira is slightly cheaper. It has a huge supply of apartments and package hotels, and competition between restaurants keeps set menus and drinks cheap.

Lagos costs a bit more on its main streets in high season. In both, rooms are far cheaper from October to May, which makes either a good base for a long winter stay.

There's little live performance in either town. Albufeira has tribute acts, hotel cabaret and free summer concerts by the fishermen's beach. Lagos adds a modest programme of concerts, theatre and dance at its municipal cultural centre. For real fado or classical music, both send you towards Lisbon.

Lagos is a little better for rest. Its quieter edges towards Luz draw yoga teachers and surf-and-wellness retreats, and outside summer the town slows down to long lunches and sunset walks along the cliffs.

Albufeira's version of wellness is mostly resort-hotel spas, and calm depends on staying near Galé or Falésia rather than the Strip. Both share the same nearest thermal springs, at Caldas de Monchique, about an hour inland.