Bilbao or Jerez de la Frontera?

Neither city has a beach of its own, but Jerez is better placed for one. The Costa de la Luz gives long, open stretches of fine golden sand at Valdelagrana, at La Caleta and Playa de la Victoria in Cádiz, and at La Barrosa. Its summers are dry and sunny enough to plan a beach day with confidence.

Bilbao's metro reaches Ereaga, Arrigunaga, Sopelana and the sheltered bay at Plentzia in under an hour, and its coastline is greener and more dramatic. But the Biscay summer is changeable and the swell at Sopelana suits surfers more than paddlers. There, the beach is an outing for a good day rather than a fixed part of the trip.

Both cities eat within one regional tradition, but Bilbao does it at a higher level. Its pintxo bars in the Casco Viejo, Plaza Nueva and the Ensanche keep a high standard even when they look plain, the asadores grill txuleta and turbot, and there are several Michelin-starred kitchens in and around the city.

In Jerez, drinking matters as much as eating: fino and oloroso from the barrel in the tabancos, kidneys and oxtail cooked in sherry, berza jerezana and fried fish from the coast. It is a rewarding tradition, but it has fewer ambitious kitchens and less reason to plan a trip around restaurant bookings.

Bilbao has the bigger names. The Guggenheim building is worth the journey on its own, the Bellas Artes holds a serious collection of old masters and Basque painting, and the Vizcaya Bridge down the estuary adds a UNESCO site. Its old town is compact rather than grand.

Jerez offers older heritage of a different kind. It has the Almohad Alcázar with its Arab baths, Gothic-Mudéjar parish churches and whitewashed lanes. It also has two things you will not find anywhere else: the cathedral-like sherry bodegas and the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art. It has no art museums to match Bilbao's two, though each city fills two or three days.

Bilbao's nights offer more choice. The pintxo crawl through the Casco Viejo turns into late drinking, Licenciado Poza draws a younger crowd and the old streets near the Ribera have the alternative bars. Weekends run well past 3am even though there are few clubs, and Aste Nagusia takes over the riverbanks for nine days in August.

In Jerez a night out means tabancos, copa bars and the terraces around Plaza del Arenal. They stay open late but feel like a small town. Its big week is the Feria del Caballo in May, and in summer some people go to El Puerto for nights on the coast.

Bilbao has more dramatic scenery close by. The hills start at the edge of town, with Artxanda reached by funicular and the Pagasarri on foot, and there is real mountain walking at Urkiola and Gorbea within an hour. On the coast there are cliff paths, the Urdaibai reserve, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and the surf at Mundaka.

Around Jerez the chalky vineyards are gentle, and the bigger landscapes take more travel: the gorges of Grazalema, the cork oaks of Los Alcornocales and the Doñana wetlands. Birdwatching, riding and kitesurfing towards Tarifa are its strengths, but the summer heat rules out hiking in the hottest months.

Both make excellent bases, but the outings are different in kind. From Bilbao the trips are Basque and green: San Sebastián's pintxo bars, Gernika, the fishing ports of Mundaka and Lekeitio, the medieval quarter of Vitoria-Gasteiz and the Rioja Alavesa wine country around Laguardia. Buses cover the main towns.

From Jerez the big draw is Seville, about an hour away by train. Ancient Cádiz is half an hour away, and Sanlúcar is the place for manzanilla. To see the white towns, such as Arcos, Vejer, Grazalema and Ronda, you really need a car.

Neither city is built around children, and they come out about even. Bilbao is flat, clean and easy with a pushchair. It has Doña Casilda Park, the Artxanda funicular and Puppy outside the Guggenheim, but no zoo or aquarium, and you need a plan for rainy days.

Jerez has a good zoo and botanical garden, which Bilbao lacks, as well as the dancing horses, and its wide, gently sloping beaches are easier on small swimmers. The downside is the July and August heat in town, which Bilbao's mild summers avoid.

Bilbao is the easier city to see without a car. The walk along the river from the Casco Viejo to the Guggenheim is flat, and a tram runs the same stretch. Foster's metro runs down both banks to the beaches and the Vizcaya Bridge, and Euskotren and Bizkaibus services reach the coast and Gernika.

Jerez's centre is just as walkable, and its trains to Seville, Cádiz and the airport are good. Beyond those routes, though, buses to the white towns, the sierra and many of the beaches are slow and infrequent, so a hired car becomes almost essential.

Bilbao has more to offer, though neither city is a fashion destination. The Gran Vía has the chains, a department store and some upmarket boutiques. The Casco Viejo mixes old shops selling berets and cookware with independent design stores, and the Ribera market sells cheese, txakoli and tinned anchovies.

Jerez offers less, but what it has is very distinctive: sherry and brandy from the bodegas, riding boots and saddlery from craftsmen who serve the horse world, and flamenco dresses and guitars near the old quarters. Otherwise, Calle Larga is a modest provincial shopping street.

Jerez is clearly the cheaper stay. Sherry and tapas in the tabancos, central hotels and bodega tours are all modestly priced, and the sights are within walking distance. Rooms are scarce during the Feria, the flamenco festival and the motorcycle race weekends.

Bilbao is on the expensive side for Spain, and central hotels cost more, especially near the Guggenheim. A pintxo crawl is still good value and the metro is inexpensive, but the asadores and starred restaurants that draw many visitors soon add up.

Jerez has the stronger stage life, and it centres on flamenco as a living local art. The peñas of Santiago and San Miguel open their evenings to visitors, tabancos hold informal sessions where the singers are close up, and the late-winter festival fills the Teatro Villamarta with major dancers.

Bilbao offers a broader range but less character of its own. There is opera from ABAO and the symphony orchestra at the Euskalduna, theatre at the Arriaga and the Campos Elíseos, small rock and indie stages, and BBK Live in July. Outside those seasons there is not much on.

Neither city is a spa destination, but Jerez has the edge. Its Arab-style bathhouse in the old town has warm pools and massage, and the Andalusian day of long lunches, quiet afternoons and shaded patios slows you down without any effort, especially in spring and autumn.

Bilbao has only hotel spas and a few day spas. Its calm comes from riverside walks and unhurried evenings between bars, and for a proper spa stay you would have to travel to the balnearios inland.