Bilbao or Bordeaux?

Neither city is on the sea, and the beaches are about equally good, but they differ in how you reach them and what you find. From Bilbao the metro runs straight to Ereaga, Arrigunaga and Sopelana's open sands in well under an hour. Plentzia and Gorliz offer a sheltered bay, so a swim fits easily into an afternoon.

Bordeaux's coast is about an hour away by train or car and is on a larger scale: empty Atlantic sands under pine-backed dunes at Lacanau, with strong surf and rips. For small children, the calm, warmer water of the Arcachon basin is the better bet.

Both are serious places to eat, but the habit is different. Bilbao eats on the move, drifting from counter to counter with txakoli and pintxos, then sits down for bacalao al pil-pil, grilled hake or an asador txuleta. It also has a stronger fine-dining tier, with starred kitchens in the city and the hills.

In Bordeaux wine comes first. You eat entrecôte grilled over vine cuttings, lamprey and Landes duck at brasseries and bistros, and Arcachon oysters at the Capucins market counters. Both cities stick closely to their own regional cooking.

Bordeaux has the edge, and the reason is the city itself. Its curving riverfront of pale classical façades, the Place de la Bourse and the Grand Théâtre make an unbroken 18th-century ensemble, with Gothic churches and the Grosse Cloche among them. Its museums, the Musée d'Aquitaine and the CAPC included, are solid rather than famous.

Bilbao works the other way round. Gehry's Guggenheim and the Bellas Artes are stronger museums than anything in Bordeaux, but the Siete Calles old town is small and pleasant rather than grand. The Vizcaya Bridge, a metro ride away, is its other big sight.

The two are evenly matched, and in both cities a night out centres on bars rather than clubs. In Bilbao the evening grows out of the pintxo crawl. The Casco Viejo and Plaza Nueva fill early and stay busy late, Licenciado Poza draws a younger crowd, and the streets near the Ribera hold the alternative bars. There are few clubs, but during Aste Nagusia in August the whole city turns into one long street party.

Bordeaux's evenings are slower and built around wine, on the terraces of Saint-Pierre and the docks at Chartrons. Its students gather on Place de la Victoire, a single loud, cheap square, rather than on a strip of bars. The bigger difference is dancing. Bordeaux's clubs are grouped along the Quai de Paludate and stay open until morning, and there are a few bars on boats moored on the Garonne.

Bilbao is far stronger here. Green hills rise at the edge of town, the Artxanda funicular and the Pagasarri walk are close by, and Urkiola and Gorbea give proper mountain hiking within about an hour. Along the coast you have cliff paths, the Urdaibai reserve, Gaztelugatxe and Mundaka's famous wave. Expect rain to come with all that green.

Bordeaux's surroundings are flat: vineyards, river meadows and the Landes pine forest. Its outdoor highlights are the Dune du Pilat, birdwatching on the Arcachon flats and long cycling greenways, and there is nowhere near the city to go hiking.

Both cities make excellent bases, so the choice depends on the kind of outing you want. From Bilbao the mix is wide: San Sebastián's pintxo bars, Gernika's oak tree, the fishing ports of Lekeitio and Elantxobe, medieval Vitoria-Gasteiz and the Rioja hill villages. Buses reach the main towns.

From Bordeaux most outings are about wine: Saint-Émilion by train, the Médoc châteaux at Margaux and Pauillac, Sauternes, and Cognac further off. The châteaux are easiest with a car or a tour. Arcachon and the citadel at Blaye add variety.

Neither city is built for children, but both are easy with them: the centres are flat and safe, and pushchairs manage well. Bilbao has Doña Casilda's playgrounds, the funicular ride up Artxanda and Koons's Puppy, and its evening street life includes families.

Bordeaux's Miroir d'eau becomes a paddling pool on hot days. The Jardin Public has a carousel and puppet theatre, and Cap Sciences offers hands-on science. Climbing the Dune du Pilat is a better day out than anything near Bilbao.

Both centres are flat and easy to walk along the river, and neither needs a car. The main difference is in transport. Bilbao's Foster-designed metro runs down both banks to the beaches and the Vizcaya Bridge, so the coast is part of the city network.

Bordeaux relies on trams and bikes. It has pedestrian streets like Rue Sainte-Catherine, and riverside paths make cycling the natural way to get about. Once you head for the Médoc or Sauternes vineyards, though, you will need a car, a driver or a tour.

Bordeaux is the better place to shop. On top of the chains along Rue Sainte-Catherine it has the luxury labels of the Triangle d'Or and the antique and independent shops of Rue Notre-Dame. Its wine cellars, from everyday bottles to old vintages, ship abroad.

Bilbao's Gran Vía covers the usual chains and little more. The Casco Viejo is the place to browse, with old family shops selling berets, espadrilles and linen. Its best souvenirs are edible: Idiazabal cheese, txakoli and tinned anchovies.

The two cost roughly the same: neither is cheap, and hotels in both get pricier in summer. You save money in different ways. In Bilbao a pintxo crawl is a cheap way to eat well, and in Bordeaux it is the set lunch menu. The big costs are asadores and starred dining in Bilbao, and château tastings and good bottles in Bordeaux.

The two stages are much alike: respectable regional programmes built around opera. Bordeaux has the finer house, the gilded Grand Théâtre of 1780, with its own opera and ballet. Bilbao's ABAO season fills the modern Euskalduna.

The timing matters. Bordeaux goes quiet in high summer, while Bilbao hosts BBK Live on Mount Cobetas in July, so the summer music is in Bilbao.

Bordeaux does somewhat better because it has something of its own. Spa hotels among the vineyards offer vinotherapy with grape-seed treatments, and the thermal waters of Dax are within reach. Bilbao has hotel and day spas, but its historic balnearios are a separate trip inland. In both cities, the slow lunches and river walks do much of the relaxing.