Arles or Girona?

Neither town has a beach of its own, and both make the sea a day out, roughly the same distance away. The difference is in the kind of shore. From Arles you cross the Camargue to flat, wild strands at Saintes-Maries, Piémanson and Beauduc, with dunes, plenty of space, little shade and mosquitoes from the marshes.

From Girona the Costa Brava offers pine-backed rocky coves around Begur and sandy bays at Tossa and Platja d'Aro. The water there is clearer and slightly warmer, but the best-known coves are crowded in high summer.

Girona is the better place to eat. Its Catalan home cooking, mar i muntanya dishes and xuixos pastries sit alongside an international fine-dining reputation. The Empordà vineyards supply the wine lists, and the neighbourhood places across the Onyar reward exploring.

Arles has a narrower table. Gardiane bull stew, Camargue rice and tellines are good reasons to stay for lunch, and the Saturday market on the Boulevard des Lices is a highlight in its own right. Beyond that, the choice of chef-led restaurants is small, and many places shut in winter.

Arles holds more. Its arena, antique theatre, cryptoporticus and Alyscamps make up one of the richest Roman ensembles outside Italy. Add Saint-Trophime's cloister, the Roman barge in the Museum of Ancient Arles, the Luma tower and the Rencontres photography festival, and two days feel well filled.

Girona's appeal is the medieval setting more than individual monuments. The cathedral's vast Gothic nave, the Jewish Call, the Arab Baths and the walk along the walls make a fine day of wandering. Its museums are modest by comparison.

Neither is a night-out town, but Girona has a little more life after dinner. In term time, students keep the bars around Plaça de la Independència busy, a few music bars and small clubs open late at weekends, and the late Spanish timetable keeps the terraces full in summer.

Arles closes earlier, with café tables on the Place du Forum and then quiet streets. The exception is the Easter and September ferias, when bodegas fill the streets. For a real night out, Girona has Barcelona a short train ride away, while from Arles it means a drive to Montpellier or Marseille.

Girona gives more to do outdoors, and more variety. Road cyclists base themselves there for Rocacorba and Els Àngels, greenways run to Olot and the coast, and the Gavarres hills start at the edge of town. Within reach are the Garrotxa's volcanoes and beech woods, the cliff paths of the Costa Brava and the Pyrenees.

Arles offers one great landscape rather than many. The Camargue's lagoons, flamingos, white horses and migrating birds are best seen on horseback or by bike along the dykes. The Alpilles add proper hiking among olive groves, but summer brings heat, mosquitoes and the mistral.

Both are outstanding bases, and the choice comes down to what lies around them. Arles reaches Avignon and Nîmes in well under an hour by train. The Pont du Gard, Les Baux, Saint-Rémy and Aigues-Mortes make it a hub for Roman Provence and its villages.

From Girona the pull is Barcelona by fast train, Dalí's Figueres, Púbol and Cadaqués, and medieval villages such as Besalú and Pals. France is close as well. In both regions a car opens up the villages.

Neither town is built around children, and both work best as a calm, safe base for families with older children, with cobbles and steps that make pushchairs hard work. The outings differ. Around Arles, children can ride ponies at Camargue ranches, watch flamingos and paddle in shallow delta water, though the summer heat and mosquitoes can be tiring.

Girona offers the Devesa park's shade and play areas, the city walls to explore and the Costa Brava's sandy bays, with restaurants that welcome children late into the evening.

On foot both centres are easy, and the stations are close to the old towns. Arles is flat and compact, with a free shuttle bus looping the centre. Girona's Barri Vell is steep and full of stairs, but its fast trains to Barcelona and Figueres are quicker than anything from Arles.

Beyond town the story is the same in both: infrequent buses, and the coast and villages are much easier by car. In Girona, a bike also works for local trips.

Both are small-scale, and serious shoppers head to a bigger city. Arles leans towards Provençal crafts: printed cottons, santons, gardian shirts, Camargue salt and its well-stocked bookshops and photography books.

Girona has more everyday independent fashion and shoe shops along the Rambla, plus Empordà cheeses and wine from the Mercat del Lleó and plenty of cycling kit.

Girona is a little easier on the budget. Its weekday set lunches and everyday taverns are good value, and almost everything is in walking distance. Arles costs about what a provincial French town does, and it is cheaper than the smart villages of the Luberon. A combined pass helps with the sights, but most visitors also need a hire car.

In both towns rooms are the pinch point. They are scarce and dearer during the ferias and photography festival in Arles, and in summer, at flower-festival time and in the cycling season in Girona.

Both have thin stage programmes and no resident opera, so timing matters more than the choice of town. Arles comes alive in summer, with concerts in the Roman theatre and arena, the Les Suds world music week and the course camarguaise.

Girona's peak is in autumn, with Temporada Alta's international theatre and dance, and the Auditori hosts touring orchestras and jazz. Many of its plays are in Catalan.

Girona offers more ways to unwind. Caldes de Malavella, a short drive south, has thermal-spring hotels with pools and treatments, which Arles has no equivalent of.

Arles relaxes you through its pace instead: siestas through the heat, shaded squares, evenings by the Rhône and converted farmhouses with pools out in the Camargue and the Alpilles. Spas there are limited to a few hotels.