Bilbao or Cadiz?

Bilbao has no beach of its own. It sits inland on its estuary, and the sand begins down the metro line at Getxo, Sopelana and Plentzia. These beaches are pleasant for an afternoon, and Sopelana's open swell is better for surfers than for paddling children, but the water is cool for much of the summer and the weather is unreliable.

Cadiz is a beach city in the full sense. La Caleta sits between two castles in the old town, and Playa Victoria offers kilometres of wide golden sand within walking distance or a short bus ride. Beyond them are El Palmar, Zahara and Bolonia on the Costa de la Luz. The levante wind is the one drawback.

Both cities eat superbly within a narrow regional range, but Bilbao has more depth. Its bar-to-bar poteo of pintxos and txakoli fills the Casco Viejo, Plaza Nueva and the Ensanche, and a high standard holds even in plain bars. Above that come txuleta grills, bacalao al pil-pil and a real cluster of starred kitchens in and around the city.

Cadiz is mainly about fish and does it beautifully: paper cones from the freidurías, tortillitas de camarones, almadraba tuna in La Viña, and chilled manzanilla from the sherry towns nearby. What it lacks is Bilbao's ambitious restaurant tier inside the city.

The two are evenly matched for sightseeing, and each needs two or three days, but their appeal is very different. Bilbao is the art city: Gehry's Guggenheim and the old masters of the Bellas Artes give it two serious museums, while the Casco Viejo is modest and the Vizcaya Bridge brings in industrial heritage.

Cadiz rewards walking through deep history. There are Phoenician sarcophagi in the Museo de Cádiz, a Roman theatre in the Barrio del Pópulo, the Oratorio where the 1812 constitution was signed, and merchants' watchtowers above the rooftops, best seen through the Torre Tavira's camera obscura.

Bilbao has the steadier night out. The pintxo bars of the Casco Viejo and Plaza Nueva drift into late drinking from Thursday onwards, and Licenciado Poza draws a younger crowd, although clubbing is limited in both cities. Aste Nagusia takes over the riverbanks every August.

Cadiz depends on the season. Summer nights move to the terraces along Playa Victoria, and La Viña fills on warm evenings, but the rest of the year is quiet apart from Carnival in February, when the whole city parties in costume for ten days.

Bilbao has the more striking outdoors. The Artxanda funicular and the Pagasarri hike start from town, and Urkiola's limestone and Gorbea's beech forests are about an hour away. Along the coast are cliff paths, the Urdaibai reserve, the stairway to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and the famous wave at Mundaka.

Cadiz itself is flat, and its nature is gentler and more about water. Flamingos and spoonbills feed in the salt pans of the bay, the pine-topped cliffs of La Breña overlook the sea, and Tarifa offers kitesurfing and whale-watching. Real mountain walking in Grazalema means a two-hour drive.

Both are excellent bases, and the difference lies in where they lead. From Bilbao, the outings run to San Sebastián's pintxo bars, Gernika and the fishing ports, the medieval hill quarter of Vitoria, and the Rioja bodegas around Laguardia, with buses covering most of the main towns.

From Cadiz, the trips are Andalusian. Jerez's sherry and riding school are half an hour away by train, a ferry crosses to El Puerto, and Seville is within easy reach. The white towns of Vejer and Arcos and the Roman ruins at Baelo Claudia are best reached with a car.

With children the two are much alike: flat, safe centres, children welcome late into the evening, and no zoo, aquarium or theme park in either. Bilbao offers the riverside promenade, Doña Casilda's playgrounds, the funicular and the Guggenheim's giant flower dog Puppy, but rainy days need a backup plan.

Cadiz has the slight edge for a summer trip because the beach is on the doorstep. Playa Victoria has lifeguards and plenty of space, and La Caleta is calm for small swimmers. In return, families need to plan around the midday heat and the levante.

Bilbao is the easier city to get around. Most sights lie along a flat riverside walk, the tram follows the same route, and Foster's metro runs out to the beaches and the Vizcaya Bridge. Regional trains and buses reach the coast and Gernika without a car.

The old town of Cadiz is small and largely traffic-free, buses run along the isthmus, and trains and the bay catamaran make Jerez, Seville and El Puerto simple. The Costa de la Luz and the white villages, however, are poorly served by public transport.

Bilbao gives shoppers more to work with. The Gran Vía has the chains and a large department store, the Casco Viejo has old shops selling berets, espadrilles and cookware, and the Ribera market is good for anchovies, Idiazabal and txakoli.

Cadiz is smaller in scale: family shops around Calle Ancha and Plaza de las Flores, plus fans, ceramics and sherry to take home. Anyone who wants serious shopping heads to Seville.

Cadiz is noticeably easier on the wallet. Tapas, freidurías and the market counters cost little, and so do a glass of sherry, the trains and the ferry. Rooms in the small old town are the exception in July, August and Carnival week, so staying near Playa Victoria or coming outside summer helps.

Bilbao is among the dearer cities in Spain, with higher hotel prices around the Guggenheim and during the Great Week. The pintxo crawl is still good value. It is the asadores and starred tables that push a budget up.

Bilbao goes in for opera and orchestras, Cadiz for flamenco and Carnival choirs, and there is little between them in how much is on. Bilbao has the more formal stage, with the ABAO opera season and the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra at the Euskalduna, theatre and dance at the Arriaga and the Campos Elíseos, and BBK Live bringing international bands to Mount Cobetas each July.

Cadiz keeps its performance closer to the street. The peñas of the Santa María quarter, home of the alegrías, put on flamenco for audiences who know the forms, and the Gran Teatro Falla stages the satirical chirigotas and comparsas at Carnival as well as an autumn festival of Ibero-American theatre. For opera or a symphony concert, you have to go to Seville.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, but Cadiz relaxes more easily. There are resort spas with sea-water treatments at Novo Sancti Petri, Arab baths in Jerez, and the warm rhythm of siesta and sunset walks along the sea walls.

Bilbao offers hotel spas and long lunches, and its rain makes lingering outdoors less dependable. For a proper spa stay, the balnearios inland are a separate trip.