Andorra la Vella or Madrid?

Neither city works for a beach trip. Andorra la Vella is deep in a Pyrenean valley about three hours from the Mediterranean, and Madrid sits on the central plateau even further from any coast. The difference is in how people cool off. In Andorra it means the warm lagoons of the thermal complex, since the mountain lakes are too cold to swim in. In Madrid it means the big open-air municipal pools or the reservoirs under the Guadarrama.

Andorra la Vella eats well after a day outdoors, without being a reason to travel. The best meals are in the bordas, old stone barns in the side valleys where lamb and sausages are grilled over wood, with escudella and trinxat on the menu. In town, food along the shopping avenues is mostly practical.

Madrid is a food destination in its own right. Its tapas counters on Cava Baja and around Santa Ana, cocido and late-night churros sit alongside Galician seafood, Basque grills and serious tasting menus. Market halls such as San Miguel add more choice than the whole principality.

Andorra la Vella's heritage takes about a day. In town there is the Barri Antic with the fortified Casa de la Vall and the church of Sant Esteve. Out in the valleys there are Romanesque chapels such as Santa Coloma with its round bell tower.

Madrid works on a different scale. The Prado's Velázquez and Goya, Guernica at the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen are all close together on one avenue. Around them are the Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor and the Goya frescoes of San Antonio de la Florida. Art lovers can spend several days here and still not see everything.

Evenings in Andorra la Vella mean a pub or wine bar in the centre or in Escaldes-Engordany, and most visitors are in bed early after skiing. The livelier après-ski happens up in the resort villages, not in the capital.

Madrid is one of Europe's latest-running cities. Bars fill after midnight, and the clubs around Gran Vía and Sol run past dawn. Each district has its own scene: Malasaña for indie, Chueca for gay nightlife, and La Latina for terraces.

This is where Andorra la Vella leads. The whole country is high mountain land, with peaks near 3,000m, ski areas a short bus ride away, and the UNESCO-listed Madriu-Perafita-Claror valley starting at the edge of town. In summer it offers hiking, mountain biking and long road-cycling climbs.

Madrid has good city parks in the Retiro, Casa de Campo and Madrid Río. Its real outdoors is the Sierra de Guadarrama, about an hour north, with the granite boulders of La Pedriza and modest skiing. It is worth a day, but it is not a landscape you stay in.

From Andorra la Vella the outings are pleasant but few. You can go down to La Seu d'Urgell's cathedral and market, across to Puigcerdà and the enclave of Llívia, or over the pass to Ax-les-Thermes and Foix castle. All of them mean winding mountain roads.

Madrid is one of Spain's best bases for day trips. High-speed trains reach Toledo and Segovia in about half an hour, and Salamanca and Cuenca are not much further. El Escorial, Aranjuez and Alcalá de Henares are closer still, so a week can include a different historic city most days.

Andorra la Vella suits families who come for the mountains. There are ski schools and gentle beginner slopes in winter, and in summer there are toboggan runs, rope courses and a wildlife park. Away from those, the busy shopping street with heavy traffic leaves older children restless.

Madrid offers more beyond one activity. There are rowing boats and puppet shows in the Retiro, a zoo, an aquarium and a funfair in Casa de Campo, and theme parks further out, and children out late in plazas are normal. The main drawback is July and August heat.

Andorra la Vella's centre is small and walkable, and it runs straight on into Escaldes-Engordany. Buses climb the valleys, but there is no train in the country, arrival means a long drive from airports in Spain or France, and a car helps for trailheads.

Madrid is far easier. The flat centre runs from the Royal Palace to the Prado on foot, a large air-conditioned metro goes straight to the airport, and Atocha and Chamartín link into the high-speed network. You won't need a car at all.

Andorra la Vella's shopping is one long low-tax strip running into Escaldes-Engordany. It is good for stocking up on ski gear, perfume, electronics and spirits, but there are few independent shops and almost no local crafts.

Madrid offers more variety and more style. Calle Serrano in Salamanca has luxury labels, Gran Vía and Preciados have the flagships, and Malasaña and Conde Duque have independents and vintage. The Sunday Rastro and the old craft shops by Plaza Mayor sell guitars, fans and espadrilles.

Costs are broadly similar in both, but they add up in different ways. In Andorra la Vella, rooms are good value outside the peak ski weeks and low taxes make spirits and gear cheaper, while ski passes, equipment hire and the spa cost much what they do in other mountain resorts. In Madrid, hotels cost what a major capital charges, but the midday menú, cheap tapas, an inexpensive metro and free museum hours keep the days themselves modest.

In Andorra la Vella, live performance is mostly a summer affair, with the jazz festival in Escaldes-Engordany, classical music in Ordino and open-air shows. For much of the year there is little on in the evenings.

Madrid has a full stage calendar. There is opera at the Teatro Real, orchestras at the Auditorio Nacional, zarzuela, and musicals along Gran Vía. Above all there is flamenco every night in the old-centre tablaos, plus jazz clubs and indie venues in Malasaña.

Andorra la Vella has the better answer here, although it comes down to one place. Caldea's thermal lagoons, saunas and adults-only area in Escaldes-Engordany make a natural end to a day on the slopes. For real quiet, there are the villages in the side valleys.

Madrid has no hot springs and no bathing tradition. There are a few Arab-style bathhouses under brick vaults and hotel spas. Otherwise, rest in Madrid means a long lunch, an afternoon in the Retiro or the shade of the Botanical Garden, in a city that is built for staying up late rather than winding down.