Algarve or Mallorca?

These are two of the best beach coasts in Europe, but the sea is different. The Algarve faces the Atlantic. Its central coast is a run of sandy coves under ochre cliffs and sea stacks, often reached by long stairways, and east of Faro the Ria Formosa islands have long, empty strands with gentler water. The sea stays cool, though, and the west is for surfing rather than swimming.

Mallorca's calas are narrow inlets of white sand and turquoise water among the pines, with Es Trenc's undeveloped dunes in the south and the long, shallow bays of Alcúdia and Pollença in the north. The Mediterranean here is several degrees warmer in summer and calmer too, and the pebble coves of the northwest suit snorkellers.

At the table the gap is small. Both destinations reward a visitor who skips the resort strips, but they cook from different larders. The Algarve's best food comes from the sea: sardines and bream grilled over charcoal, clams in a copper cataplana and goose barnacles from the western rocks. The places to eat them are Olhão's market halls and the old fishing quarters of Tavira and Portimão.

Mallorca's cooking comes from the land, with sobrassada, pa amb oli, tumbet and an ensaïmada for breakfast. Palma's tapas bars in Santa Catalina and the old town give it a little more range. The vaulted cellers of Inca and Sineu, with wine from Binissalem, add a country side to a trip.

Mallorca has far more to see, and most of it is in Palma. The Gothic cathedral stands over the sea wall, with the Almudaina palace beside it and Arab baths and courtyard mansions behind. Add round Bellver Castle, two modern art collections, the Valldemossa charterhouse and Bronze Age Talaiotic villages, and you have a full itinerary of sightseeing.

The Algarve's heritage is a string of attractive towns rather than great monuments. It includes Silves's red Moorish castle, Faro's walled old town and bone chapel, Tavira's spires, and the headland fortress at Sagres. Fit them around beach days.

Mallorca has the stronger nightlife because it has a real city. Palma's wine and cocktail bars in the old town and Santa Catalina stay busy all year, the Paseo Marítimo clubs run until dawn in summer, and Magaluf and Playa de Palma cater to big party crowds.

The Algarve's scene is a summer resort affair. It ranges from neon bars and clubs on Albufeira's Strip to backpacker bars in Lagos and the dressier marina at Vilamoura, and most of it winds down after September.

The real difference is a coast of cliffs and lagoons against a mountain range that drops into the sea. The Algarve's best outdoors lies along the shore. You can walk the Seven Hanging Valleys cliff path, paddle a kayak into the Benagil grottoes, follow the Rota Vicentina along the wild west coast, or watch flamingos on the Ria Formosa saltpans. Inland, the wooded Monchique hills are lower and gentler.

For serious walking and riding, Mallorca goes further. The Serra de Tramuntana climbs to about 1,400m straight out of the water, and the GR221 crosses it from village to village. The Torrent de Pareis gorge makes a hard day walk, and road cyclists come for the passes every spring and autumn.

Mallorca gives you more for a fortnight. Almost every town is within easy reach, and the outings have real variety: the wooden train to Sóller, the stone villages of Deià and Fornalutx, walled Alcúdia, the markets at Sineu and Santanyí, boats to Cabrera, and a ferry to Menorca.

The Algarve's trump card is Seville, about two hours over the Spanish border, along with Mértola on its river and the car-free islands of Culatra and Armona. After those and the region's own towns, the options thin out within a week.

Both are easy family destinations, with gently shelving beaches, water parks, and restaurants that welcome children late into the evening. On the Algarve, the shallow water of the Ria Formosa islands, Alvor and Armação de Pêra suits small children best, and Zoomarine adds dolphin shows. Avoid the cliff coves, which come with stairs and tides.

Mallorca's equivalents are the long, calm bays of Alcúdia, Pollença and Cala Millor, plus an aquarium and a boat ride through the Caves of Drach. Its warmer sea makes long sessions in the water more comfortable for children.

Mallorca is easier without a car. Palma is a walkable city with good buses, and regional buses and a few rail lines reach the main towns and resorts, which is enough for a stay in one resort with a few outings. To explore the coves and mountain villages, you will still want a car.

On the Algarve, a hire car is close to essential. The A22 motorway makes the length of the coast about an hour, but the railway is slow, with stations often well outside town, and buses rarely reach the beaches.

Mallorca is much the better place to shop, thanks to Palma. The Passeig des Born and Avinguda Jaume III have the fashion names, and the old-town lanes have boutiques, espadrille makers and delicatessens. Beyond the city you can buy leather goods from Inca and pearls from Manacor.

The Algarve's best buys are local produce and crafts. Look for cork, copper cataplanas and figs at Loulé's market, painted ceramics near Porches, and flor de sal from Castro Marim. Otherwise it is mostly malls and beachwear.

The Algarve is the cheaper trip. Grilled fish and house wine cost little, and staying in Tavira or Olhão keeps rooms moderate, though villas and the golf enclaves around Almancil climb steeply in July and August.

Mallorca costs more than mainland Spain in summer, especially for Palma's boutique hotels, Tramuntana estates and hotels near the best coves. Package resorts in the north and east and the inland cellers are the way to rein it in.

Neither is a destination for the arts, but Mallorca has a real if modest offer. It includes a short opera season at Palma's nineteenth-century Teatre Principal, the Balearic Symphony Orchestra through the winter, and summer concerts in Bellver Castle's courtyard and the Chopin festival in Valldemossa.

The Algarve has municipal theatres in Faro and Loulé, a few summer festivals, and fado staged mainly for tourists in restaurants.

The two are evenly matched. Each has an old spring used since Roman times and plenty of resort spas, but the details differ. Caldas de Monchique is a whole spa village in a wooded valley, while Mallorca's Font Santa is a single hotel spa near Es Trenc.

For quiet, the Algarve's answer is Tavira or the surf and yoga retreats around Aljezur. Mallorca's is a country estate among the almond and olive groves of the Tramuntana or the central plain.