Albufeira or Malaga?

Both have good swimming from June to October, but the beaches are different in kind. Albufeira has the edge for pure beach days: golden sand broken by ochre cliffs and stacks, with Praia dos Pescadores right below the old town, long stretches such as Falésia to the east and small coves like São Rafael and Coelha to the west.

Malaga's La Malagueta and the fishing-quarter beaches of Pedregalejo and El Palo are grey-brown city sand, a few minutes' walk from the cathedral. For coves and clear water you go to Nerja and Maro, about an hour away. Malaga's sea is a little warmer in late summer, though.

Both grill sardines by the sea, but Malaga is clearly the better place to eat. It has a real tapas culture in the lanes around Calle Larios and Plaza de la Merced, plates of pescaito frito in El Palo, the Atarazanas market with its eating counters, and sweet moscatel poured from the barrel at old bodegas.

In Albufeira you have to look past the full breakfasts, pizza and curry of the Strip. The cataplana stews and charcoal-grilled bream are found in simple places near the fishermen's beach and in inland villages. It is good for a fish lunch, not a food trip.

There is a big gap here. Albufeira's whitewashed old town, clock tower and two small museums make a pleasant morning, and anyone keen on history drives to Silves or Faro.

Malaga has a layered historic core worth two full days. The Roman theatre sits below the Moorish Alcazaba, Gibralfaro castle overlooks it all, and the unfinished cathedral stands in the centre. On top of that come the Picasso Museum and his birthplace, the Carmen Thyssen collection and the Museo de Malaga in the Aduana palace.

The two are about level for a night out, but the nights are completely different. Albufeira's Strip in Montechoro is neon bars, karaoke, sports pubs and clubs until dawn, with a young, largely British crowd and plenty of stag and hen groups. Much of it closes from November to March.

Malaga runs on Spanish time: dinner at ten, then moving between terraces and small bars around Plaza de la Merced and Calle Granada, with a crowd mixed in age. Serious clubbing means taking the train to Torremolinos.

Both are strong outdoors, Malaga slightly more so, and the landscapes differ. Albufeira's is the sea-carved limestone coast, with kayak and boat trips into the Benagil grotto and the Seven Hanging Valleys cliff walk about half an hour away.

Malaga looks to the mountains. The pine-covered Montes de Malaga start at the city's edge, the Caminito del Rey gorge walk and El Torcal's limestone plateau are about an hour inland, and the Sierra Nevada adds skiing in winter.

Malaga is far the better base. Fast trains reach Cordoba's Mezquita in about an hour, Granada and the Alhambra are close behind, and Ronda's gorge, Antequera's UNESCO dolmens and Seville are all within reach.

From Albufeira the outings are pleasant rather than outstanding. Moorish Silves, Loulé's market hall, Faro's walled town and Tavira's Roman bridge are all within an hour, but none is a major heritage site, and most are easiest by car.

Both work well with children, in different ways. Albufeira is the classic resort option: family hotels with kids' clubs, Zoomarine and water parks close by, and wide calm beaches such as Oura and Galé. Its steep old town is hard work with a pushchair, though.

Malaga treats children as part of city life. They are welcome in tapas bars, the flat centre suits pushchairs and the Alcazaba ramparts appeal to older children. The Bioparc and the Sea Life aquarium are a train ride along the coast.

Malaga is much easier. Its flat, pedestrianised centre puts the cathedral, museums, port and beach a short walk apart, and the suburban train links the airport and the coast resorts.

Albufeira spreads for kilometres through hotel zones such as Montechoro, Oura and Galé, with patchy local buses and a railway station 6km inland. Evenings mean taxis, and exploring means hiring a car.

Malaga is clearly the better place to shop. It is a working city with a real high street, while Albufeira is a resort whose shops mostly sell to people on their way to the beach. In Albufeira that means beachwear, souvenirs and football shirts, and anything ordinary needs a drive to the mall outside town. Painted pottery, cork and a bottle of medronho are about all that is worth packing.

In Malaga you can walk from your hotel to Calle Larios and the lanes around it for Spanish fashion chains and a department store, then pick up olive oil, almonds and sweet wine at the Atarazanas market. The choice is pleasant rather than deep, though, and real luxury shopping means a trip to Marbella.

Overall costs are much the same, but the savings come in different places. In Albufeira, competition keeps set menus, beer and local wine cheap, and off-season apartments are a bargain for long winter stays. Taxis and car hire, though, add up.

In Malaga, tapas, coffee and the trains are fairly priced and you won't need a car. Rooms are the expensive part, especially in the old town from spring to autumn.

Malaga has a real stage. The Teatro Cervantes hosts the Malaga Philharmonic, drama and dance, flamenco can be heard in local peñas as well as in tablaos, and Semana Santa fills the streets with brass bands.

Albufeira offers resort entertainment: tribute acts, hotel cabaret and fado dinner shows for visitors, plus free summer concerts on the square by the fishermen's beach.

Malaga is a little ahead, mainly thanks to its Arab-style bathhouse in the old town, with warm pools and steam under brick arches, and the slow rhythm of siesta and evening walks along the Paseo Maritimo. In Albufeira, wellness means resort hotel spas. The calm is found in the cliff-top resorts west of town, away from the Strip, and real thermal waters are an hour inland at Caldas de Monchique.