Barcelona or Cordoba?

This is the clearest difference between the two. Barcelona has several kilometres of sand running from Barceloneta to Mar Bella, warm enough for swimming from June to late September. They are man-made and crowded in July and August, but Castelldefels, Sitges and the Maresme are less than an hour away by coastal train.

Cordoba lies deep in the Guadalquivir valley, and nobody swims there except in pools or Sierra Morena reservoirs. The Costa del Sol can be done as a long day out by fast train. Anyone who wants regular swims should add nights on the coast.

Barcelona eats more widely. Catalan dishes such as suquet, botifarra with beans and calçots in late winter sit alongside vermouth at midday, seafood rice by the sea and one of Europe's leading tasting-menu scenes. Market counters in Santa Caterina and Sant Antoni add another layer.

Cordoba is narrower but very rooted. Its patio tabernas serve salmorejo, flamenquin, rabo de toro and fried aubergine with cane honey, with chilled Montilla-Moriles wine to drink. A tapas round in Santa Marina or San Agustin is the meal to have, but there is little fine dining or international food.

Both cities have a world-class set of sights, but they are different in kind. Barcelona's strength is its range: Gaudí's Modernista buildings across the Eixample, a Gothic Quarter on Roman foundations, and museums from Picasso to the MNAC's Romanesque frescoes, enough to fill a week.

Cordoba is built around a single overwhelming building. The Umayyad Mezquita, with a cathedral inside it, is surrounded by the Juderia, the Roman bridge, the Alcazar gardens and the ruins of Medina Azahara. Everything is close together and can be seen properly in two or three days.

Barcelona's nights are much longer and more varied. They move from cellar cocktail bars in the Born and outdoor drinking in Gràcia's squares to electronic club nights that end at dawn, and it stays busy midweek too.

Cordoba's evenings revolve around tables, with late tapas on the terraces around the Corredera, Las Tendillas and the river. The city only stays up all night in summer and during the May fair. The rest of the year the clubs are few and small.

Barcelona has wild country on its doorstep. The Collserola trails start at the edge of the city, and there is sailing and paddleboarding off the northern beaches. Montserrat's pinnacles and the Costa Brava cliff paths are within a couple of hours.

Cordoba's countryside is gentler and harder to reach. You will need a car for the Sierra Morena's oak woods, the birds of prey at Hornachuelos or the limestone gorges of the Subbeticas. With summers above 40°C, you can only walk there in spring and autumn.

Both cities make excellent bases, but Cordoba's reach is exceptional. Seville, Granada with the Alhambra and Malaga are all within about an hour and a half by fast train. With a car, Ubeda, Baeza, Carmona and the Montilla bodegas are within reach too.

Barcelona's outings are strong but more local to Catalonia. Medieval Girona is under forty minutes by fast train, with Roman Tarragona, Montserrat, Sitges and the Penedès cava cellars also close. The difference is that Cordoba puts several of Spain's great cities within reach, whereas Barcelona's trips are to smaller towns.

Barcelona has far more for children. There is the aquarium, the hands-on CosmoCaixa, the funicular to Tibidabo's old funfair and beaches a metro ride away, with PortAventura about an hour south. The narrow old town is hard going with a pushchair.

Cordoba's car-free centre lets children roam safely. The Alcazar fountains, the horse show at the royal stables and Almodovar castle are hits, but most of the sights are aimed at adults and the summer heat is tough on small children.

Barcelona is the easier city to cover from end to end. Its flat grid, a simple metro, trams and bike lanes link the old town, the Eixample and the seafront. Only the hilltops of Park Güell, Montjuïc and Tibidabo take extra effort.

Cordoba is easy only as far as the old town goes. The Mezquita, the Juderia and the patio quarters are all a short walk apart, and the station is close by. Beyond that, the buses are basic, Medina Azahara needs a tourist bus or a taxi, and the countryside needs a car. The cobbled lanes are also hard on wheeled cases.

Barcelona is a real shopping city. You can find fashion houses on the Passeig de Gràcia, independent designers in the Born, small craft shops in Gràcia and vintage and records in the Raval, though luxury choice is limited.

Cordoba is a place for a few crafted things rather than a shopping trip. Look for silver filigree, embossed guadameci leather, ceramics and locally made guitars, bought from workshops rather than the stalls in the Juderia.

Cordoba is clearly the cheaper of the two. Taberna tapas and lunch menus cost little, hotels are good value most of the year and you rarely need transport. The big exception is May, when the festivals push room rates up sharply.

Barcelona costs more than most of Spain. The bill is driven by hotels, especially in summer and near the old town, plus the tourist tax and steep entry fees at the Gaudí buildings. Set lunches and neighbourhood tapas bars help keep costs down.

Barcelona has the broader stage. There is opera and ballet at the Liceu, concerts under the stained glass of the Palau de la Música Catalana, a symphony orchestra and serious theatre. Sónar and Primavera Sound fill the early summer.

Cordoba's great strength is flamenco. It has intimate tablaos and aficionado peñas, a well-known guitar festival and the Noche Blanca del Flamenco, a summer night of free performances in the squares. Beyond that, the Gran Teatro offers a modest programme.

Neither city is a spa destination, and both offer the same thing: a few Arab-style bath houses in the old town plus the spas in larger hotels. The difference lies in the pace. Barcelona's crowded old town and late nights make rest something you have to look for, on a terrace in Gràcia or the quiet paths of Collserola.

Cordoba slows you down by itself. The old quarters go quiet once the Mezquita crowds have gone, and there are courtyards with fountains and orange trees. In summer, the midday shutdown leaves you little choice but to rest.