Cadiz or Tangier?

Cadiz is by far the stronger beach destination. La Caleta gives a sheltered swim between two castles in the old town, and Playa Victoria offers kilometres of fine sand on foot or by bus. The wild strands of El Palmar, Conil and Bolonia lie within an hour, though the levante can scour them with sand for days.

In Tangier the bay beach is more promenade than swimming spot. The better water is out west at Achakar and Cap Spartel, reached by taxi, or at Asilah to the south. These beaches are a local family affair, and more modest dress is the norm.

Both kitchens lean on the sea, but Cadiz does it with more finesse. Fried fish from the freidurías, tortillitas de camarones and almadraba tuna in the tapas bars of La Viña, with cold manzanilla alongside, make an evening of grazing that is hard to beat.

Tangier's strength is everyday Moroccan cooking: bissara at breakfast, harira, tagines and sardines grilled near the port, with mint tea on a terrace over the Strait as the ritual of the day. The food is simpler, and alcohol is limited to certain restaurants and hotels, so wine with dinner takes some planning.

Both reward two or three days, and the difference is in kind. Cadiz offers set-piece sights from its long history, from Phoenician origins to its years running the trade with the Americas. There is the gold-domed cathedral and its tower, the camera obscura in the Torre Tavira, Phoenician sarcophagi in the Museo de Cádiz and the Roman theatre in El Pópulo.

Tangier's draw is atmosphere more than monuments. Its sights are the kasbah palace museum looking across to Spain, the whitewashed medina between the two soccos and the American Legation. There are also traces of Paul Bowles and the Beat writers, and Art Deco streets in the Ville Nouvelle.

Neither is a clubbing city, but Cadiz has a real evening life. There are late tapas rounds in La Viña and around Plaza de San Francisco, summer terraces along Playa Victoria into the early hours and, in February, ten days of Carnival through the night.

In Tangier, evenings belong to café terraces and the seafront walk. Drinking is confined to a few old bars from the international era, hotel lounges and summer beach clubs, and the medina goes quiet after dark.

Cadiz has the wider range of outdoors. The salt pans and marshes of the Bahía de Cádiz are on its doorstep, with flamingos, spoonbills and kayaking in the channels. Within two hours lie the clifftop pines of La Breña, kitesurfing at Tarifa and real mountain walking in the Sierra de Grazalema.

Tangier's nature is concentrated on the headland west of town: Cap Spartel's cliffs and lighthouse, the Caves of Hercules and the wooded Perdicaris park. Storks and raptors migrating over the Strait are a highlight in spring and autumn, but the Rif mountains need an overnight stay.

Both are excellent bases, and Cadiz is slightly ahead for ease. Sherry towns lie in every direction: Jerez is half an hour by train, El Puerto is a ferry ride away and Sanlúcar sits at the river mouth. Seville is under two hours away, and the white towns of Vejer and Arcos are a short drive.

Tangier's range is more varied. Asilah and the medina of Tetouan are within an hour, Chefchaouen makes a long day and the fast train reaches Rabat. A ferry also puts Tarifa, and so Spain, an hour away.

Cadiz is clearly easier with children. The old town is flat and almost free of traffic, Playa Victoria has lifeguards and space, and parks like the Alameda give shade. Neither city has a zoo, aquarium or theme park.

Tangier welcomes children warmly, and the promenade, the Perdicaris park and a ferry to Spain make good outings. But the steep, stepped medina is very hard with a pushchair, and the touts are tiring for families. A hotel with a pool tends to become the base of the day.

Cadiz is much simpler to get around. You can cross its flat old town on foot, buses run down the isthmus to the beach, and trains and the bay catamaran leave from the centre. Only the Costa de la Luz and the white villages call for a hire car.

In Tangier you can walk the medina, the kasbah and the Boulevard Pasteur, but the lanes are steep and confusing at first. Petit taxis do the rest, because there is no tram and the buses are of little use. The central ferry port and the rail link to Rabat are convenient.

Tangier has the edge, mainly because its medina is a shopping trip in itself. The lanes around the Petit Socco sell leather slippers, rugs, lanterns and striped Rif cloth, all bargained for, often with a hard sell. On Saturdays, women from the hill farms bring their produce to markets near the Grand Socco.

Cadiz is quieter and smaller, with chains and family shops on Calle Ancha and Columela. Fans, ceramics, flamenco fashion and sherry are the things to take home, and serious shopping means a trip to Seville.

Tangier is the cheaper of the two by a clear margin. Grilled fish or a tagine, café tea, petit taxis and museum entry all cost little, and medina riads are good value. Only alcohol and European-style hotels with sea views push costs up.

Cadiz is reasonable for eating and drinking, with tapas, freidurías and sherry cheaper than in much of Western Europe. But its few old-town hotels fill up and cost more in summer and at Carnival. Staying near Playa Victoria or coming in spring or autumn helps.

Cadiz has far more on stage. Flamenco peñas in the Santa María quarter keep alegrías alive for audiences who know the form. The Gran Teatro Falla runs plays and concerts all year, along with the Carnival choir contest and an autumn festival of Ibero-American theatre.

Tangier's musical past, from the Jajouka musicians to the international era, is larger than what it stages today. Andalusian music, gnawa and a long-running jazz festival come round in season, but on an ordinary night live music mostly means a hotel or restaurant.

Tangier has a real bathing culture that Cadiz lacks. Its neighbourhood hammams in the medina offer steam, black soap and a kessa scrub in simple, local surroundings, and riads and larger hotels run more comfortable hammam spas.

In Cadiz, treatments mean hotel spas, the sea-water resorts near Chiclana or the Arab-style baths in Jerez. Both cities are easy to slow down in: Cadiz with siestas and sunset walks at La Caleta, Tangier with long hours on terraces over the Strait.