Benidorm or Seville?

This is what Benidorm does best. Two curved bays of fine sand stretch for several kilometres on either side of the old town, and the water is shallow and clear. The coves under the Serra Gelada cliffs and the pebble beach at Albir add variety close by. The downside is crowds in high summer.

Seville has no beach of its own. Matalascañas and Mazagón on the Huelva coast are about an hour and a quarter away, so the sea is a day out rather than part of the routine. In town, swimming means a rooftop or municipal pool.

Seville is the place to eat well. Tapas run deep here, from old tiled bars in Triana and El Arenal serving spinach with chickpeas and pork cheek to more inventive kitchens around the Alameda. Manzanilla and fino are the drinks to go with them.

In Benidorm good food takes more effort. Along the seafront and in the Rincón de Loix, the menus are breakfasts and grills for package visitors. The good meals are in the old town's tapas lane and in rice restaurants serving arroz a banda and arroz negro the Alicante way.

There is no real contest here. Seville's centre has the Real Alcázar, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world with the Giralda, and the Archivo de Indias. Add Plaza de España, Casa de Pilatos and the paintings by Murillo and Zurbarán, and there is enough for three or four full days.

Benidorm's sights take about an hour: the whitewashed lanes of the old village, the blue-domed church and the view from the Balcón del Mediterráneo. Its skyline of towers is a sight of sorts, but for history you have to go elsewhere.

Benidorm's nights are louder and go on longer. Stag and hen groups fill the pubs, karaoke and drag cabaret bars around the Rincón de Loix until well after midnight, and the big clubs on the edge of town keep going until dawn. In winter, though, the pace drops sharply.

Seville's nights are about late dinners, terraces and squares rather than dancing. The Alameda de Hércules draws a mixed, LGBT-friendly crowd, Triana and the Alfalfa stay busy into the small hours, and the riverbanks fill on summer nights. There are few clubs, though.

Benidorm has the more dramatic landscape around it. The Serra Gelada cliff path starts at the edge of town, and Puig Campana and the Bernia ridge offer real hiking and climbing within half an hour. You can also dive and kayak around the small island off the beach.

Seville sits in flat farmland, so the outdoor options are gentler: rowing on the old river channel, cycling in María Luisa Park and walking in the cork-oak hills of Aracena. Its big draw is Doñana, one of Europe's great wetlands, about an hour and a half away, with flamingos and migrating birds.

Seville is the better base for seeing the region. Córdoba and its Great Mosque are under an hour away by high-speed train, and Carmona and the Roman ruins of Itálica are even closer. Jerez, Cádiz and the white villages open up the south.

Benidorm's outings are shorter and mostly along the coast. White Altea and the painted houses of Villajoyosa are minutes away, Guadalest sits on its rock inland, and the tram goes to Alicante. Valencia is possible, but it makes a long day.

Benidorm is built for children. The beaches slope gently into the water, the promenades are flat for pushchairs, and the theme park, water park, marine park and zoo on the edge of town can fill several days. Staying near Poniente keeps you away from the adult nightlife.

Seville welcomes children, and María Luisa Park, the rowing boats at Plaza de España and the maze in the Alcázar gardens all help. But it is a city of monuments, and its summer heat makes sightseeing with children much harder than on the coast.

Both are easy to get around on foot, but in different ways. Benidorm is laid out along two long, flat promenades, with seafront buses to the parks and the coastal tram to Alicante and Altea. Hotels on the hills behind Levante mean some steep climbs.

Seville's compact centre, with many pedestrianised streets, puts nearly everything within a half-hour walk. A public bike scheme and an extensive network of bike lanes make cycling practical. In both towns a car is more trouble than help, and in Seville the midday summer heat is the bigger problem.

Seville has more worth taking home. Triana's pottery workshops sell hand-painted tiles. The shops around Calle Sierpes and Calle Cuna sell flamenco dresses, shawls, fans and guitars made for locals rather than tourists. The main high-street chains are there too, and so is the Thursday flea market on Calle Feria.

Benidorm's shopping is mostly for the beach: sunglasses, beachwear and souvenirs, plus weekly markets full of clothes, leather and fakes. The old town has a little local ceramics and turrón.

Benidorm is the cheaper of the two. A huge supply of rooms and all-inclusive packages keeps prices low, and winter is especially cheap. July, August and days at the theme parks cost more.

Seville is reasonably priced rather than cheap. Tapas and drinks cost little, and walking saves on transport. Tickets for the Alcázar and the cathedral are the main sightseeing costs, and hotel rates climb steeply during Holy Week and the April Fair.

Seville is the home of flamenco. There are performances every night in small tablaos around Santa Cruz and Triana and in the peñas where local fans gather. The Teatro de la Maestranza adds opera and the city's symphony orchestra.

Benidorm's entertainment is lighter: song-and-dance dinner shows, plus drag cabaret, comedians and tribute acts in the bars. It is good fun, but there is no opera or serious theatre.

Neither city is a place to go just for wellness. Seville has the edge thanks to its Arab-style bath houses in old mansions, and its cool courtyards and gardens make slow afternoons easy. The narrow streets can be noisy at night.

In Benidorm, wellness means hotel spas, and it is only calm out of season. From November to March it settles into mild, sunny days, walks along the promenade and long lunches, and Poniente is always the quieter side of town.