Benidorm or Valencia?

Both have fine, shallow sand and the same warm sea, so the difference is in how you reach it. In Benidorm the beach is the town. Levante and Poniente run right below the hotels, and the Mal Pas cove and the rocky coves under the Serra Gelada add variety a short walk or drive away. That makes Benidorm the easier beach vacation, though in high summer the sand is packed from morning to evening.

Valencia's Las Arenas and Malvarrosa are about twenty minutes from the centre by tram, but there is far more room to spread out on them. South of the port, El Saler and La Devesa lie behind pine woods and dunes and are wilder than anything near Benidorm.

Valencia is much the better place to eat. Paella valenciana, arroz negro and all i pebre come from here, the beachfront rice houses at Las Arenas and the villages of the Albufera serve them properly, and the Mercado Central is one of Europe's great food halls. Add horchata in Alboraya and the creative cooking in Ruzafa, and a food lover could spend the whole trip eating.

Benidorm's seafront and the Rincón de Loix mostly serve full breakfasts, roasts and pizza for package visitors. The good meals are in the old town's tapas lane and the coastal rice restaurants, and you have to look for them.

There is a wide gap here. Valencia's Ciutat Vella has the Gothic Lonja de la Seda, a cathedral with a bell tower to climb, two massive medieval gates and a ceramics museum in a baroque palace. At the other end of the old riverbed is the white architecture of the City of Arts and Sciences, and the Bellas Artes and IVAM add strong painting collections.

In Benidorm, the sightseeing is a stroll through the whitewashed lanes on the headland, the blue-domed church and the view from the Balcón del Mediterráneo, and it takes an afternoon at most. Anyone in Benidorm who wants heritage has to take a day trip, and Valencia itself is one of the best.

Benidorm has more going out packed into a small area, and the whole town is set up for it. The streets behind Levante are full of themed pubs, karaoke, drag cabaret and stag groups in fancy dress, and the big clubs on the edge of town stay open until dawn. It is an uncomplicated party, and it quietens a lot outside summer.

Valencia's nights are more varied and more local. There are cocktail and wine bars in Ruzafa, older and rougher bars in El Carmen, cheap student places around Benimaclet and open-air clubs by the sea in summer. Unlike Benidorm, it stays lively all year, and Fallas in March turns whole neighbourhoods into street parties.

Benidorm has the more dramatic scenery close at hand. The Serra Gelada cliffs rise straight from Levante beach, and Puig Campana, the Bernia ridge and the Aitana range offer proper hiking and climbing within half an hour. There is also snorkelling and diving around the island offshore.

Valencia's nature is flat and watery. The Albufera lagoon, with its rice fields, herons and boat trips at sunset, starts about 10km from the centre, and the Turia gardens and the coast make cycling easy. For mountains, though, you need to drive to the Sierra Calderona or the gorge at Chulilla.

The day trips are about equally good, but they are different kinds of outing. From Benidorm they are short hops: Altea and Villajoyosa are minutes away, Guadalest's castle is the classic trip into the hills, and the coastal tram reaches Alicante.

From Valencia the trains lead to history. Sagunto's Roman theatre and Xàtiva's castle are each about half an hour away, and Cuenca's hanging houses are about an hour on the high-speed line. Both places can reach Elche's palm grove, and Benidorm is the closer of the two.

Both are easy with children, with gentle beaches and a Spanish welcome for families at dinner, and Benidorm has a slight edge. It has a ready-made cluster of parks: a big theme park, a long-established water park, a marine park and a zoo, all close to beaches that slope gently into calm water. Stay near Poniente to keep away from the adult streets behind Levante.

Valencia's attractions involve more learning: the huge Oceanogràfic aquarium, the hands-on science museum, Bioparc, and the giant Gulliver figure in the Turia gardens for children to climb on. It has no big theme park, though.

In Benidorm you walk the flat seafront promenades, and the coastal tram runs along the coast. Hotels on the hill behind Levante can mean steep climbs, and the mountains and the Algar waterfalls really need a car or an organised excursion.

Valencia is easier to get around. Its compact, flat centre can be seen on foot, and it is one of Spain's best cities for cycling, with the car-free Turia route and bike lanes everywhere. Metro and tram lines reach the airport and the beaches, so you never need a car in the city.

Valencia is the place to shop. The Ensanche around Calle Colón has Spanish chains, international labels, luxury boutiques and the department store. El Carmen and Ruzafa add independent fashion and vintage shops, and there are Manises ceramics, fans and silk to bring home.

Benidorm sells beachwear, sunglasses, souvenirs and fakes at its weekly markets, plus some local ceramics and turrón in the old town. People staying there take the tram to Alicante for anything more.

Benidorm is the cheaper of the two. A huge supply of hotel rooms and apartments keeps rates low, all-inclusive packages are normal, and eating and drinking cost little every day. Winter is cheap enough for many visitors to stay for weeks. The costly parts are July, August and a day at the parks.

Valencia is good value for a big city, with its set lunch menus, cheap tapas and inexpensive public transport. Rooms cost more in summer near the beach and far more during Fallas.

Valencia has proper culture on stage. The Palau de les Arts stages opera and ballet with its own orchestra, the Palau de la Música is home to the city orchestra, and the Teatro Principal puts on theatre. There is also a small jazz scene, and the wind bands play through Fallas.

In Benidorm, entertainment means a big dinner show and every night tribute acts, comedians and drag cabaret in the bars. It is fun, but it is all light entertainment, and for classical music people go to Valencia.

Neither place has thermal springs or a living bathing tradition, but Valencia makes the calmer stay. You can take long walks along the shady Turia gardens and the seafront promenade, and the city has Arab-style bath houses as well as hotel spas.

Benidorm's wellness is in hotel spas, plus some spa hotels for longer stays, and summer there is loud. From November to March, though, it settles into mild, sunny days of promenade walks, and Poniente is always the quieter side of town.