Barcelona or Montpellier?

Barcelona has the sea right on its edge. Several kilometres of sand run from Barceloneta to Mar Bella, you can walk there from the Born or take the metro, and the water stays warm for longer. The catch is the summer crush on these man-made beaches, though the coastal trains to Sitges, Castelldefels or the Maresme solve that.

Montpellier's coast is a tram and bus ride away at Palavas and Carnon. Its strength is long, natural sand, with the dunes of l'Espiguette at the wildest end. The shallow, gently shelving water is easy for weaker swimmers, but the coast is good for a few beach days rather than a whole seaside trip.

Barcelona is the far bigger city for eating. Catalan cooking, from suquet to calçots in late winter, sits alongside tapas bars, the late-morning vermouth and one of Europe's most serious tasting-menu scenes. Markets such as Santa Caterina and Sant Antoni let you eat well at the counter.

Montpellier's food comes straight from the land around it: Pic Saint-Loup wines, oysters from the Thau lagoon, tielle from Sète, and the Saturday market under the Arceaux aqueduct. It does bistros and market cooking well, but it runs out of range long before Barcelona does, so if food is the main reason for the trip, choose Barcelona.

Barcelona has much more to see. The Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló, La Pedrera and Park Güell make up a body of architecture found nowhere else. Beneath it lie the Roman walls of the Gothic Quarter, Santa Maria del Mar and museums such as the Picasso and the MNAC, and a week does not exhaust them.

Montpellier has a handsome medieval Écusson with mansions built around courtyards, the Peyrou terrace and its aqueduct, France's oldest botanical garden and the Musée Fabre's fine collection of paintings. Bofill's Antigone adds a modern contrast. It is a rewarding visit, but two or three days cover it, and much of the region's great heritage lies in the towns around it.

Barcelona is the place for a serious night out. Dinner runs to eleven, and then there are cocktail cellars in the Born, outdoor drinking in Gràcia's squares, pintxos bars on Blai and an electronic club scene that goes on until dawn. Montpellier has nothing like that range or those late hours.

Montpellier's nights are student nights: loud, cheap and friendly around Place Jean-Jaurès and the squares of the Écusson, and busy even midweek during term. The clubs are out towards Lattes and the coast, so you need a taxi, and the centre goes quiet when the students are away.

The two are evenly matched outdoors, but the landscapes are quite different. Barcelona's outdoors means hills and rock: the Collserola park starting at the edge of the city, the Carretera de les Aigües for a run with a view, the pinnacles of Montserrat and, further out, the cliff paths of the Costa Brava. Sailing and paddleboarding go out from the northern beaches.

Montpellier's outdoors means wetlands and garrigue: flamingos on the lagoons, the marshes and white horses of the Camargue, the climb up Pic Saint-Loup and the Hérault gorges for canoeing. The flat, windy coast suits cycling and kitesurfing. In both cities, summer is too hot for long walks.

Both cities make excellent bases, and Montpellier has a slight edge for how much lies within an hour: the Roman arena and temple at Nîmes, the Pont du Gard, Arles, and the Palace of the Popes in Avignon, with Carcassonne a little further. Smaller places such as Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert and Uzès are much easier with a car.

Barcelona's day trips stay within Catalonia, and the fast trains mean you can do most of them without a car. Girona's medieval quarter, Dalí's museum at Figueres, Roman Tarragona, Montserrat and the cava cellars of the Penedès are all within easy reach.

Barcelona keeps children busy for longer. There is the aquarium, the hands-on science at CosmoCaixa, the zoo, the funfair on Tibidabo reached by funicular, Gaudí's storybook buildings, and PortAventura about an hour away. Children are welcome in restaurants late into the evening, though the crowded old town is hard going with a pushchair.

Montpellier is easier to manage but has less to fill the days. The pedestrian centre and the trams suit pushchairs, the Lunaret zoo and the aquarium and planetarium at Odysseum cover a few outings, and the shallow beaches are ideal for small children. Beyond that, a family stay depends on the coast.

Barcelona's metro gives it the edge. It is a full network, with buses, trams and local trains on the same tickets, so the Sagrada Família, the beaches and the sights on the hills are all easy to reach, and the flat centre is good for walking. Only Park Güell, Montjuïc and Tibidabo need a climb or a funicular.

Montpellier works on a smaller scale. The Écusson is compact and closed to most cars, though it has slopes and uneven paving, and the tram covers the rest of the city. Reaching the beaches takes a tram and then a bus, and for the Camargue, the gorges and the wine villages you really need a car.

Barcelona is clearly the better city for shopping. The Passeig de Gràcia has fashion houses between Modernista façades, the Born and Gràcia have independent designers and craft shops, the Raval has vintage and record shops, and Els Encants adds a flea market.

Montpellier's boutiques and bookshops in the Écusson are pleasant, and the Polygone mall covers the big brands, but there is no grand shopping street. The best things to take home are edible: local wine, olive oil and honey from the markets.

Montpellier goes a little further on the same budget. Central hotels are moderately priced outside high summer, the students keep cheap bars and counters in business, and the Musée Fabre is a fair-priced visit.

Barcelona costs more, mainly because of hotels, the tourist tax and steep entry fees at the Gaudí buildings, which are hard to avoid on a sightseeing trip. Eating like a local, with set lunches and market counters, narrows the gap, and both cities get more expensive in July and August.

Barcelona has more on any given night. There is opera and ballet at the Liceu, concerts in the Palau de la Música Catalana, jazz cellars, flamenco and a strong circuit of rock and indie venues, with Sónar, Primavera Sound and the Grec festival in summer.

Montpellier has more than its size would suggest, and contemporary dance is a real strength, with the Montpellier Danse festival and a national choreographic centre. Its two opera houses share a good season, and summer brings the free concerts of the Radio France festival. Outside the festivals, though, theatre and jazz are thinner.

Neither city is a place to come purely for rest, and both centres are lively rather than calm. What differs is the water. In Barcelona, wellness means Arab-style bath houses in the old town and hotel spas, while Montpellier has real thermal water at Balaruc-les-Bains on the Thau lagoon, about half an hour away.

Montpellier's smaller scale also makes it a little easier to slow down. Barcelona offers its own quiet on the Collserola paths and the terraces of Gràcia's squares.