Albufeira or Porto?

Albufeira is a beach resort above all. Golden sand and sandstone stacks run from Praia dos Pescadores below the old town east to Falésia, and west to coves such as São Rafael. The water is usually calm and clear, there are lifeguards in summer, and swimming is comfortable from June into early October.

Porto has beaches too: Foz, the broad sands of Matosinhos on the metro, and the quieter Gaia shore with its boardwalks. But the northern Atlantic stays cold, fog rolls in and the surf can be rough. In Porto a beach is somewhere to walk or take a quick dip between sights.

Albufeira's good cooking takes some finding. There are grilled sardines, cataplana stews and octopus in simple places near the fishermen's beach and in the old town lanes, but they sit behind a front line of full breakfasts, pizza and curry on the Strip. It makes for a fine fish lunch by the sea, and not much more.

Porto treats food as part of who it is. The francesinha and tripe dishes were born here, family tascas serve bacalhau and slow-cooked pork at lunch, and Matosinhos grills fish on the pavement. Add port tastings in the Gaia cellars and cheap Douro reds and vinho verde, and eating becomes one of the reasons to go.

Albufeira's whitewashed old town, its clock tower and a couple of small museums fill a morning. Anyone keen on history ends up driving to other towns.

Porto is in a different league. Its UNESCO-listed centre is stacked above the Ribeira, with the Sé, São Francisco's gilded interior, the Palácio da Bolsa and São Bento's azulejo hall, and Serralves and Casa da Música add modern architecture. It has few major museum collections, so two or three days cover the essentials.

Both cities go out late, but in very different moods. Albufeira's Strip in Montechoro is a neon run of karaoke, sports pubs, drinks offers and clubs open until dawn. It is full of young British and Irish groups and stag parties, and much of it shuts from November to March.

Porto's nights are informal street drinking among students outside the narrow bars behind Clérigos, with a few clubs later on and wine by the river in Ribeira. It is busiest at weekends rather than in one season, and it suits people who prefer a local crowd to promoters on the pavement.

Each has a fine coast, made of different rock. Around Albufeira it is golden limestone carved into arches, sinkholes and sea caves. The best ways to see it are the Seven Hanging Valleys trail and a boat or kayak trip to Benagil, with dolphin trips offshore and the Monchique hills inland.

Porto's drama is the granite Douro gorge, plus a flat riverside path that runs out to Foz and up the rocky shore to Matosinhos, which is ideal for cycling. Its bigger landscapes, the terraced Douro vineyards and the peaks and waterfalls of Peneda-Gerês, lie further out and are best reached by car.

From Albufeira, a pleasant string of Algarve towns lies within an hour: Moorish Silves, Loulé with its market hall, walled Faro, Lagos and Tavira. None of them is a major heritage site, and most are easier by car than by the slow buses.

Porto's choice is richer and easier to reach. Guimarães, Braga and Coimbra are each about an hour away by train, and Aveiro is closer still. The Douro valley around Pinhão, reached by a scenic railway, makes a classic day among the vineyards.

Albufeira is built for a family beach vacation. Zoomarine is just outside town, water parks are a short drive away, beaches such as Oura and Galé are calm and lifeguarded, and apartment complexes have kids' clubs and shallow pools. Families simply base themselves away from the Strip.

Porto welcomes children warmly, and the aquarium, river cruises, Gaia cable car and the peacocks in the Crystal Palace gardens all make good outings. Its steep cobbled streets, cold sea and adult-focused sights make it better for a few days than for a long family stay.

Albufeira spreads for kilometres through hotel zones such as Montechoro, Oura and Galé. Local buses are patchy and the railway station sits about 6km inland, so most visitors rely on taxis and a hire car.

Porto is much easier without wheels. The core from Aliados down to Ribeira is walkable if steep, and the light-rail metro runs from the airport to the centre, Matosinhos and Gaia. Trains from São Bento reach the day-trip towns, and a car is more hindrance than help.

Albufeira's lanes sell beachwear, football shirts and souvenirs. The better buys are painted pottery, cork and medronho, and for everyday needs people drive to the mall at Guia.

Porto offers more, though shopping is still a sideline rather than a draw. Rua de Santa Catarina covers the high street, and independent shops around Rua das Flores and Miguel Bombarda sell ceramics, linen and design pieces. There is tinned fish from the Bolhão, and port bought straight from the lodges.

Both are easy on the wallet by Western European standards, with cheap meals and local wine, but the costs fall in different places. In Albufeira, competition keeps eating out cheap, while summer sea-view rooms, taxis and car hire push the bill up. Out of season, the apartments are a bargain.

In Porto, everyday spending on lunch menus, coffee and the metro stays low, and you need no car. Accommodation is the main expense, especially central rooms in summer and on festival weekends.

Albufeira's live entertainment is resort fare: cover bands, hotel cabaret, fado dinner shows for visitors and free summer concerts on the square by the fishermen's beach.

Porto has a real season. It is anchored by Casa da Música and its symphony orchestra, with drama at the Teatro Nacional São João and dance and touring shows at the Rivoli and the Coliseu. Much of the theatre is in Portuguese, but the concerts need no translation.

Neither city has a spa tradition. In both, a spa means an upmarket hotel, and real thermal waters are a drive away, at Caldas de Monchique in the south or in northern spa towns such as Caldas do Gerês. What differs is the kind of rest: in Albufeira it comes from a quiet cliff-top resort or a mild, sunny winter stay, and in Porto from long lunches, wine above the Douro and the gardens of Serralves.