Faro or Porto?

Faro is much the better beach destination. Its sands are on the barrier islands of the Ria Formosa, reached by bus to Praia de Faro or by ferry to Culatra and Ilha Deserta, where the beach runs for kilometres in front of dunes. The water is calm and warm enough in late summer for long swims. The cliffs and coves around Albufeira are also within reach.

Porto's beaches are closer to the city, with Matosinhos a metro ride away and the quieter Gaia sands south of the river. However, the sea stays cold, the surf can be rough and morning fog is common. In Porto a beach is somewhere for a walk and a quick dip. In Faro it is a reason to go.

Porto is the stronger city for eating and drinking. It has its own dishes, from the francesinha to tripas à moda do Porto, hearty lunches in small tascas and whole streets of pavement charcoal grills in Matosinhos. The port lodges of Gaia and the cheap Douro and vinho verde wines add a drinking culture that Faro has nothing to match.

Faro's cooking is narrower but honest, built on Ria Formosa clams and oysters, fish sold by weight and cataplana. Many of the best seafood places are actually in neighbouring Olhão.

Porto has far more to see. Its entire historic centre climbs from Ribeira and is UNESCO-listed, and it is full of interiors worth going inside for: the gilded carving of São Francisco, the Arab Room of the Palácio da Bolsa and the azulejo hall at São Bento. Serralves and Casa da Música add modern architecture, and together they fill two or three busy days.

Faro's heritage fits inside its medieval walls. You enter through the Arco da Vila to find the Sé, storks on the bell towers, a Roman mosaic in the convent museum and the bone chapel of the Igreja do Carmo. It is a pleasant day and then you are done.

Porto is where you go out. On weekend nights the streets around Rua da Galeria de Paris and Cândido dos Reis are crowded with people drinking outside narrow bars, students keep the drinks cheap, and a few clubs run until dawn. Ribeira and the Gaia terraces suit a calmer glass of wine by the water.

Faro has bar terraces on Rua do Prior and near the marina and a few small late clubs, busiest in university term. Most visitors stop after a long dinner, and anyone wanting big clubs has to drive to Albufeira.

The two are evenly matched outdoors, but the landscapes could hardly be more different. Faro's nature is flat and watery. The Ria Formosa's saltmarsh and channels start at the old town walls, and you explore them by kayak or paddleboard or on foot at Ludo, watching flamingos and spoonbills. The cork-oak hills of the Serra do Caldeirão offer gentle walking.

Porto has drama instead: the granite Douro gorge, a riverside and seafront path out to Foz and Matosinhos, and the terraced vineyards upriver. Peneda-Gerês, with its peaks, waterfalls and oak forest, is the best hiking from either city, but you need a car.

Porto has the richer list of day trips, and most of them are easy by train. Guimarães, Braga with Bom Jesus, Coimbra's university and canal-lined Aveiro are each about an hour or less away. The scenic line up the Douro to Pinhão makes a classic wine-country day.

Faro has plenty within reach as well: Tavira's Roman bridge, the markets of Olhão, Loulé's castle, the Milreu ruins and Silves. However, the western sights such as Sagres are far, and Seville is a long day across the border. Many of these places are easier by car than by the slow coastal railway.

Faro is the easier family base. It has gentle lagoon beaches, boat rides to the islands that children enjoy, a waterfront science centre and a flat, quiet old town. The big marine and water parks near Albufeira are within reach, though without a car they are awkward to get to.

Porto has good outings, including the aquarium at Foz, the Gaia cable car, the peacocks of the Crystal Palace gardens and zoos on the edge of town. However, its steep, stepped cobbles are hard work with a buggy, and the cold sea limits beach days.

Both centres can be walked, but Porto has a slight edge once you leave the centre. Its light-rail metro runs from the airport to Matosinhos and Gaia, and trains from São Bento reach the day-trip towns, so a car is unnecessary. Walking itself is the hard part, as the streets drop steeply to the river and it is a climb back up.

Faro's centre is flat and short, and buses run to the airport and the beach. Beyond town the railway is slow, and many visitors end up hiring a car to see the Algarve.

Porto gives shoppers more to do. Rua de Santa Catarina covers the high street, independent shops around Rua das Flores and the Miguel Bombarda gallery district sell ceramics, linens and design pieces, and port can be bought straight from the lodges. Luxury fashion is limited to a few boutiques on Avenida da Boavista.

Faro keeps to chains on Rua de Santo António and one large mall. The things worth taking home are lagoon salt flower, fig and almond sweets and pottery, with more choice at Loulé's market.

Day to day the two cost much the same. Lunches, local wine, coffee and public transport are cheap in both, and in both cases summer accommodation is what pushes the bill up.

The difference lies in the extras. In Faro the main added cost is a hire car for touring the Algarve. In Porto it is central rooms on festival weekends, while trains and the metro make car-free touring easy.

Porto has a real performing arts life. Casa da Música is home to the symphony orchestra and runs from classical to jazz, the Teatro Nacional São João stages drama, and the Rivoli and Coliseu bring dance and touring shows. São João in June fills the streets with music. Much of the theatre is in Portuguese, and fado is present but less rooted than in the south.

Faro offers chamber music and recitals in the ornate little Teatro Lethes and touring concerts at the Teatro das Figuras. It also has summer concerts in the squares, but on many evenings there is nothing on.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, so in both places spas mean hotels and restfulness comes from the pace of life. In Faro that means lagoon sunsets and quiet winters, with resort spas along the golf coast and the spring waters of Caldas de Monchique about an hour and a quarter away.

In Porto it means slow afternoons on a terrace above the Douro and walks in the Serralves gardens. The old spa towns of Vizela and Caldas do Gerês are each a day out.