Benidorm or Toledo?

In Benidorm the beach is the whole point. Levante is the livelier crescent, Poniente is broader and calmer, and there are rocky coves under the Serra Gelada cliffs and pebbles at Albir for a change of scene. In high summer, expect the sand to be packed from morning till sunset.

Toledo has nothing to offer here. It sits far inland on the Castilian plateau, the Tagus in its gorge is not for swimming, and the only ways to cool off are a hotel pool or a municipal outdoor pool.

Both cities offer a handful of good meals more than real depth, and in both the tourist strip hides the better cooking. Benidorm's good food comes from the sea and the rice pan: paella, arroz a banda and arroz negro, plus the tapas lane in the old town, while the seafront serves full breakfasts and pizzas.

Toledo eats the game and stews of La Mancha, such as partridge in wine and vinegar, venison, carcamusas and Manchego, finished with convent marzipan. Its tourist traps are the set menus around the cathedral, and the better taverns are a few streets away.

Toledo is one of the great historic cities of Spain. Roman, Visigothic, Islamic, Jewish and Christian layers sit together on one hill, from the Gothic cathedral with its El Greco and Goya canvases to the mosque of Cristo de la Luz and the Santa María la Blanca synagogue. The Alcázar and the old gates and bridges complete a full two days.

Benidorm has the blue-domed church on its headland, the Balcón del Mediterráneo and a skyline of towers that looks striking at dusk, and very little else. Anyone staying there who wants heritage goes out of town to find it.

Benidorm goes out properly. Behind Levante and around the Rincón de Loix there are themed pubs, karaoke and drag cabaret, with stag and hen groups out long after midnight, and the big clubs on the edge of town run until dawn. It is loud and simple, and much quieter out of season.

In Toledo the night means a late dinner and a round of tapas near Zocodover. After that the old town falls silent once the day-trippers leave, and anyone wanting a club takes the train to Madrid.

Benidorm has the bigger landscapes. The cliff path of the Serra Gelada starts at the end of Levante. Puig Campana, the Bernia ridge and the Aitana range give real hiking and climbing within half an hour, and at sea there is snorkelling, diving and kayaking around the island and under the cliffs.

Toledo's best outdoor experience is the riverside path through the Tagus gorge, with views from the cigarrales on the far bank. Beyond that lie the flat olive and wheat country of La Mancha, the low Montes de Toledo and, further off, the deer and raptors of Cabañeros.

Toledo has the stronger excursions, thanks to Madrid half an hour away by fast train, with the Prado, the Reina Sofía and the royal palace. Aranjuez, El Escorial, the windmills of Consuegra and Almagro's theatre are all in range, and Segovia, Ávila and Cuenca make long days.

Benidorm's outings are shorter and more scenic: white Altea and painted Villajoyosa close by, Guadalest on its rock, Alicante by tram, and Valencia for a long day.

Benidorm is built for families. The water is calm and shallow, the promenades are flat, and Spanish families keep restaurants welcoming late into the evening. A theme park, a water park, a marine park and a zoo all sit on the edge of town. Parents simply stay near Poniente to avoid the adult streets behind Levante.

Toledo has the Alcázar, shops full of swords and armour, and a history-show theme park outside the city. Its steep cobbles defeat pushchairs, though, and the churches and paintings hold young attention only briefly.

Both are mostly walking places, but the walking is very different. In Benidorm you stroll along flat seafront promenades, with buses to the parks and a coastal tram to Alicante and Altea. The steep part is the hill behind Levante.

Toledo is small, but its lanes climb, twist and are cobbled. Public escalators lift you up from the car parks, and the station lies across the river at the foot of the hill. In both places you want a car for the countryside and not in the centre.

Neither is a shopping destination, and both send serious shoppers to a bigger city: Alicante from Benidorm, Madrid from Toledo. What you find differs, though. Benidorm offers beachwear, sunglasses, cheap electronics and the big weekly street markets.

Toledo sells crafts with centuries behind them: gold-inlaid damascene work, steel blades, Talavera ceramics and convent marzipan, all worth carrying home if you buy from real workshops.

Benidorm stretches a budget further. A huge supply of rooms and all-inclusive packages keeps rates low, everyday drinks and set lunches are cheap, and winter costs less still. Peak summer and a day at the parks are where the money goes.

Toledo is moderate. A free tapa with each drink and the tavern set lunches help, but hotels with Tagus views cost more. Each monument charges its own entry, so a full day of sightseeing adds up.

Benidorm has more on most evenings, though it is entertainment, not art: a large dinner-show venue plus bars with drag acts, comedians and tribute singers every night. There is no theatre or orchestra.

Toledo's stage is the nineteenth-century Teatro de Rojas, with regional plays and concerts, and occasional organ and choral music in its churches. Its high point is the Corpus Christi procession. For opera or serious drama, both cities point you elsewhere.

Benidorm is restful by the season. From November to March the summer noise and crowds fall away, the days stay mild and sunny, and the town slows into an easy routine that people settle into for weeks at a time. Poniente is always the quieter side, and hotel spas with indoor pools, saunas and massage cover the cooler days.

In Toledo the calm comes at certain hours rather than certain months. In the early mornings and the evenings, once the tour groups have gone, the lanes and the terraces over the Tagus empty out. That suits a slow night or two, not a week of rest. Like Benidorm, it has no bathing tradition of its own, though a few Arab-style bath houses offer warm pools in vaulted rooms.