Barcelona or Biarritz?

Barcelona has the better beach life for most visitors. Its sandy strip from Barceloneta to Mar Bella is a few minutes from the old town, the Mediterranean is warmer and usually calm, and the swimming season lasts from June into late September. The downside is that the beaches are man-made and very crowded in high summer, so many people take the train to Sitges or Castelldefels for more space.

Biarritz's beaches are natural and more striking: the Grande Plage below the casino, the Côte des Basques under its cliffs, and the long sands of Anglet. But this is the open Atlantic. The water is cooler, the waves are often big and the currents strong, so swimming means staying between the flags or going to the sheltered Port Vieux cove.

Both cities cook a real regional cuisine, Catalan in Barcelona and Basque in Biarritz, and in both the covered market is the heart of it. Barcelona simply offers far more. Beyond the Boqueria there are counters to eat at in Santa Caterina and Sant Antoni, the late-morning vermouth habit, seafood rice by the sea, calçots in late winter, cheap workers' set lunches and some of Europe's most ambitious tasting menus, spread across whole districts such as Poble Sec, Gràcia and the Eixample.

Biarritz eats well, but within the limits of a small resort town. The best of it is pintxos and local wine at the bars around Les Halles, with Bayonne ham, mountain sheep's cheese and fish from the Bay of Biscay, then gâteau basque and chocolate to finish. Beyond that come a handful of good bistros and seafood terraces, and little cooking from outside the Basque and French traditions.

This is where the two cities differ most. Barcelona has Gaudí's Modernista buildings, which no other city has, from the Sagrada Família to La Pedrera and Park Güell. Beneath them sits a Gothic Quarter with Roman walls, Santa Maria del Mar in the Born, and museums from Picasso to Romanesque frescoes. A week goes by without repeats.

Biarritz's heritage is the resort itself: Empress Eugénie's villa, the Art Deco casino, Belle Époque villas and the Rocher de la Vierge out in the surf. It is charming, but the aquarium and the ocean science centre are about the extent of the museums. Visitors who want more take the train to Bayonne or San Sebastián.

Barcelona's nights last until dawn all year. There are cocktail bars in medieval cellars in the Born, scruffy bars in the Raval, outdoor drinking in the squares of Gràcia, the pintxos bars of Blai street in Poble Sec, and serious electronic club nights. Students and visitors keep it busy even midweek.

Biarritz's evenings depend on the season. In summer there are pintxos and wine around Les Halles until late, and sundowners above the Côte des Basques. The rest of the year most nights end after dinner, and anyone wanting more goes to Bayonne or across the border to San Sebastián.

The two are broadly level, but the outdoors means different things in each. Barcelona's nature lies just beyond the city. Collserola's wooded trails start from the upper districts, and the Carretera de les Aigües gives runners and cyclists views over the city. Montserrat's pinnacles are an hour out, and the Costa Brava's coves are within two hours. Summer heat limits hiking to spring and autumn.

Biarritz's outdoors is shaped by the ocean: surf breaks for every level, kayaking and paddling when the swell drops, and a cliff path along the Basque Corniche towards Spain. The green Pyrenean foothills begin within half an hour, with La Rhune and the walking and cycling country around Sare.

Both are excellent bases, with different styles of day out. From Barcelona, fast trains reach the walled old town of Girona in under forty minutes, Dalí's museum in Figueres and Roman Tarragona, with Montserrat, Sitges and the cava cellars of the Penedès closer still. It is a Catalan circuit that works well without a car.

From Biarritz you get two countries: San Sebastián and walled Hondarribia in Spain, and Bayonne, Saint-Jean-de-Luz and the Basque villages of Espelette and Ainhoa in France. Bilbao's Guggenheim is a full day out. The inland villages are much easier to reach with a hire car.

Barcelona keeps children busier. There is the aquarium, the hands-on CosmoCaixa, the funfair on Tibidabo reached by funicular, and Gaudí's picture-book buildings. A calm sea is a metro ride away and PortAventura an hour south. Children are welcome in restaurants late into the evening, though the crowded old town is tiring with a pushchair.

Biarritz is smaller, safer and easier going, with surf lessons for older children and a good aquarium for rainy days. But the main beaches often have big waves, so the youngest end up at the Port Vieux cove, and little else in town is built for children.

Barcelona is easier to move around. The centre is flat, the Eixample grid is easy to follow, and a clean metro, buses, trams and bike lanes cover what walking does not. Only Park Güell, Montjuïc and Tibidabo involve a climb.

Biarritz is small enough to walk, but the walk is hilly, with steep streets and steps between the town and the seafront. Buses and coastal trains link it to Bayonne and the border. The airport on the edge of town is a real convenience, but most visitors hire a car for the villages and the mountains.

Barcelona is the shopping destination of the two. It has Spanish fashion and luxury houses along the Passeig de Gràcia, independent designers in the Born, small craft shops in Gràcia, vintage in the Raval, and the Els Encants flea market.

Biarritz offers the browsing of a smart resort: boutiques and surf shops near the Place Clemenceau, striped Basque linen, chocolatiers and gâteau basque. There are no department stores, so it suits a relaxed afternoon better than a shopping trip.

Neither is cheap, but Barcelona goes further. Hotels near the old town are expensive and the Gaudí entry fees add up, but weekday set lunches, neighbourhood tapas and good-value transport passes keep daily costs reasonable.

Biarritz charges resort prices, especially for rooms and seafront restaurants in July and August, and rooms book up early. Pintxos at the market bars, a stay in Anglet or Bayonne, or a trip outside summer all bring the cost down noticeably.

Barcelona has a full big-city programme. Opera and ballet play at the historic Liceu, concerts at the Palau de la Música, and the symphony orchestra at L'Auditori. Add jazz cellars, flamenco and a June festival season with Sónar and Primavera Sound, plus Grec theatre on Montjuïc.

Biarritz's strength is narrower but real: dance. Its national choreographic centre and ballet company perform at the Gare du Midi, and an autumn dance festival fills the stages. Otherwise it is touring shows and summer events, with no opera house.

Biarritz is the place to rest. It is one of the homes of French thalassotherapy, with large seafront spas offering heated seawater pools, algae wraps and cure programmes that people book as the main point of a stay. Outside July and August the whole town slows down.

Barcelona has no bathing tradition beyond a few Arab-style bath houses and hotel spas. The old town is loud late into the night. Calm there means a long lunch in a Gràcia square or an evening walk in the Montjuïc gardens.