Cordoba or Faro?

This is Faro's strongest advantage. The barrier islands of the Ria Formosa offer kilometres of sand backed by dunes, reached by bus over the bridge to Praia de Faro or by summer ferry to Culatra and Ilha Deserta. The Albufeira coves are also within reach.

Cordoba has no beach at all. The Costa del Sol is about 160km away, so a swim there means a long day by train, and in summer most visitors settle for a hotel pool.

Cordoba eats better and with more variety. Its taberna culture, with tiled patios, salmorejo, flamenquin, fried aubergine with cane honey and chilled Montilla-Moriles wine, makes a tapas round in Santa Marina or San Agustin a highlight of the trip.

Faro's cooking is simpler and centred on the sea: lagoon clams and oysters, grilled sardines and cataplana. It is good honest food, but the best seafood is in Olhão, and neither city goes far beyond its regional cooking.

The gap here is wide. Cordoba has one of Europe's great monuments in the Mezquita-Cathedral, with its striped Umayyad arches and the cathedral built inside it. Around it lie the Juderia and its synagogue, the Roman bridge, the Alcazar gardens and the ruined palace city of Medina Azahara.

Faro's walled Cidade Velha, with its cathedral tower, Roman mosaic and the bone-lined Capela dos Ossos, fills a pleasant single day. After that, most of the Algarve's memorable heritage lies in other towns.

Neither city is a clubbing destination. Cordoba has the edge for a long night out on its terraces and squares around the Corredera and Las Tendillas, where people head out after ten in the warm months. In May the fair keeps the casetas dancing until dawn.

Faro's evenings are quieter, centred on the bars of Rua do Prior and the marina, and most visitors call it a night after dinner. For loud bars and big clubs you would drive to Albufeira.

Faro has wild country on its doorstep. The Ria Formosa saltmarsh starts at the edge of the old town, with flamingos and spoonbills in the salt pans and channels to explore by kayak or paddleboard. Flat lagoon lanes also make easy cycling.

Cordoba's countryside needs a car and the right season. The Sierra Morena woods and the karst of the Sierras Subbeticas are good for walking in spring and autumn, but summers over 40°C put an end to most outdoor plans.

Cordoba is the stronger base. High-speed trains put Seville, Granada and Malaga each within about an hour or an hour and a half, and a car opens up Ubeda, Baeza, Carmona and the Montilla wine bodegas.

Faro's day trips are smaller in scale: Tavira, Olhão, Loulé, Silves and the Roman villa at Milreu are all pleasant. Seville is a long two-hour drive, a trip Cordoba makes in under an hour.

Faro suits children better. They get gentle lagoon beaches, boat rides to the islands, a hands-on science centre and, within driving distance, a marine park and water parks.

Cordoba's car-free lanes are safe to roam, and the Alcazar fountains, the horse show and Almodovar castle please younger visitors. Most of the sights, though, are aimed at adults, and the summer heat is hard on small children.

Both centres are compact and walkable, but Cordoba connects better. Its station has fast trains to Seville, Madrid and Malaga, a short walk from the old town, although the narrow cobbled lanes are awkward with luggage.

Faro is flat and easy on foot, with the airport close by and ferries leaving from below the walls. Beyond the town, the slow coastal railway leaves gaps that usually mean hiring a car.

Neither city is for a serious shopping trip, but the crafts differ. Cordoba is known for silver filigree, embossed cordobán leather and workshop-made guitars. Faro's best buys are food and lagoon products: almonds, fig sweets, salt flower, cork goods and tinned fish, with Loulé's market close by.

Both cost about the same, and each is easy on the budget by Western European standards. The pressure points differ. Cordoba's rooms climb steeply during the May festivals and near the Mezquita, while Faro's peak in July and August, and touring the Algarve usually adds the cost of a hire car.

Cordoba has the stronger live scene, thanks to flamenco. Tablaos in the old town and aficionado peñas offer real performances, and a guitar festival and the all-night Noche Blanca del Flamenco add to the calendar.

Faro has two attractive theatres, the ornate Teatro Lethes and the Teatro das Figuras, but programmes are thin and fado is only an occasional visitor here.

Cordoba offers a little more. A few Arab-style bath houses under horseshoe arches recall its caliphal past, and its fountain courtyards make for a slow afternoon. Faro's spas are mostly resort hotels on the golf coast, and the real spring-water spa at Caldas de Monchique is over an hour away. Faro's lagoon sunsets and quiet winters help it relax visitors in its own way.