Bilbao or Marbella?

Marbella wins easily. It has some 27km of its own shore, from La Venus and El Fuerte in the centre to the dunes at Cabopino, with calm water, chiringuitos and a season that lasts well into autumn.

Bilbao has no beach in the city at all. The metro reaches Ereaga, Arrigunaga, Sopelana and Plentzia in under an hour, and the Biscay water is pleasant by late summer. Still, the open swell at Sopelana and the frequent grey days make the beach a surf trip or an afternoon out rather than a beach vacation.

Bilbao is the better place to eat. The poteo through the bars of the Casco Viejo, Plaza Nueva and the Ensanche keeps a high standard even in ordinary-looking places. The Ribera market, the asadores and several starred kitchens complete a cuisine built on superb produce, though there is little on offer beyond Basque cooking.

Marbella is the opposite. It has plenty of international choice and a polished tasting-menu tier around the Golden Mile and Puerto Banús, with sardine skewers on the beach at the other end of the scale. The middle is weak, and for good everyday meals you have to go into the old town or away from the port.

Bilbao gives a culture trip far more to work with. The Guggenheim alone justifies a visit, the Bellas Artes holds old masters and Basque painters, and the Vizcaya Bridge at Portugalete adds a UNESCO site a metro ride away.

Marbella's heritage fits into an afternoon: the whitewashed lanes around the Plaza de los Naranjos, the print museum, the Dalí bronzes on the Avenida del Mar and the Roman villa at Río Verde. For major monuments you have to drive to Málaga, Ronda or Granada.

Marbella has the bigger night out, at least in summer. Puerto Banús has clubs and champagne bars, beach clubs drift into evening parties, and a moneyed, dressed-up crowd stays out until dawn. It all thins sharply out of season.

Bilbao's evenings grow out of the pintxo crawl, with packed bars in the Casco Viejo and around Licenciado Poza and more alternative places near the Ribera. There are few clubs, and weeknights are quiet. Going out is cheaper and more local, and the city comes into its own during Aste Nagusia in August.

Both cities have mountains on the doorstep, but the landscapes differ. Bilbao is green and wet. It has Artxanda by funicular, the Pagasarri, the beech forests of Gorbea, the Urdaibai biosphere reserve and Gaztelugatxe, plus serious surf at Mundaka.

Marbella is drier and starker. The climb to La Concha starts above the town, and the fir forests and gorges of the Sierra de las Nieves and the Caminito del Rey are within reach. Its mild, sunny winters make it the better walking base outside summer, though its own coast is heavily built up.

Both make excellent bases, but with different neighbours. From Bilbao you can reach San Sebastián, Gernika, the fishing ports along the coast, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Rioja wine villages such as Laguardia, and buses cover the main towns.

Marbella looks towards Ronda, Málaga, Gibraltar and the white villages, with Granada a long day away. The catch is transport: there is no train and the buses are slow, so a car is close to essential.

Marbella is easier for a family beach vacation. It has sheltered, lifeguarded town beaches, a flat promenade, resorts built around pools, and animal, water and marine parks along the coast, though those need a car and midsummer is hot.

Bilbao is safe, flat and compact, with Doña Casilda Park, the Artxanda funicular and Puppy outside the Guggenheim. It lacks attractions built for children, though, and rainy days need a plan.

Bilbao is far simpler to get around. Its main sights line a flat few kilometres of river, the tram follows the same route, and Foster's metro runs out to the beaches and the Vizcaya Bridge. You only need a car for wine country.

Marbella stretches along the motorway from San Pedro to Cabopino, and only the old town and the central seafront are comfortable on foot. With slow buses and no train, most visitors hire a car or rely on taxis.

Marbella has the edge if you are shopping for big labels. Puerto Banús packs international fashion and jewellery boutiques beside the yachts, with a department store and malls nearby, though independent shops are scarce.

Bilbao's chains on the Gran Vía are ordinary. The better browsing is in the old family shops of the Casco Viejo, which sell berets, espadrilles and cookware. Its best souvenirs are edible: txakoli, Idiazabal cheese and tinned anchovies from around the Ribera market.

Neither is cheap, but Bilbao is easier on the wallet. Hotels cost a little more than elsewhere in Spain, yet the pintxo crawl is good value, and the walkable centre and inexpensive metro keep other costs down.

In Marbella, summer rates climb steeply, and beach clubs and dinners around Puerto Banús are expensive. Old-town tapas bars, cheap buses and off-season apartments help, and many visitors save money by staying in a neighbouring town.

Bilbao has a real stage life. ABAO's opera season and the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra perform at the Euskalduna, the Arriaga and the Campos Elíseos stage theatre and dance, and BBK Live fills Mount Cobetas each July.

Marbella's programme is mostly summer concerts in its quarry amphitheatre, DJs at beach clubs and flamenco staged for visitors. For opera or classical music, you have to go to Málaga.

Marbella is the better place to unwind. Spa resorts, retreats and clinics are spread across the Golden Mile and the hills, and a few Arab-style bathhouses offer hot and cold pools. The calm months from October to May suit golf and slow walks along the promenade, though high summer is anything but restful.

Bilbao has no spa tradition beyond hotel and day spas. Its restful side is long lunches and walks along the river, and the old balnearios of the Basque interior are a separate trip.