Faro or Seville?

This is where Faro has the clearest lead. Its beaches are on the barrier islands of the Ria Formosa: Praia de Faro is reached by bus over a bridge, and summer ferries go to the empty dune-backed sands of Culatra and Ilha Deserta. The coves near Albufeira are also within reach for a change of scene.

Seville is inland on the Guadalquivir, and the nearest sea is at Matalascañas or Mazagón, well over an hour away by car. In the city, swimming means a rooftop or municipal pool, so a beach day from Seville is something you plan rather than something you just do.

Seville is the better place to eat. Its tapas culture of standing at a counter, ordering spinach with chickpeas or pork cheek a few plates at a time, then moving on to the next tiled bar, is a reason to go in itself. Add sherry from Sanlúcar and Jerez and the Triana market, and it has far more variety.

Faro's cooking is narrower and simpler: clams and oysters from the lagoon, sardines, and cataplana at grill houses near the marina. It is honest and good, but the stronger seafood places are in Olhão nearby.

The gap here is wide. Seville's UNESCO-listed group of the Alcázar, the cathedral with its Giralda tower and the Archivo de Indias sits at the centre of a city that also has Plaza de España, Casa de Pilatos and a fine collection of Murillo and Zurbarán. Three or four days pass easily.

Faro's walled Cidade Velha is lovely to wander, with storks on the bell towers, the cathedral tower looking over the lagoon and the bone chapel at the Igreja do Carmo. It is a pleasant day of sightseeing rather than a reason to make the trip.

Seville stays out much later. Dinner starts around ten, and the evening moves on to the Alameda de Hércules, the streets round the Alfalfa and Triana, with riverside bars in summer. It is a scene of terraces and squares rather than big clubs.

In Faro a night out means a few bar terraces on Rua do Prior and by the marina, which are livelier in university term. Most visitors call it a night after a long dinner, and anyone after clubs drives to Albufeira.

Faro has wild nature right on its doorstep. The Ria Formosa begins at the edge of the old town, and you can paddle its channels or watch flamingos and spoonbills on the salt pans at Ludo without arranging a day trip.

Seville's countryside is flat farmland and olive groves, so its great wetland, Doñana, is a guided outing of an hour and a half each way. Both cities have cork-oak hills inland for gentle walking, the Serra do Caldeirão near Faro and the Sierra de Aracena near Seville.

Seville is the stronger base. The high-speed train reaches Córdoba's Great Mosque in under an hour, the Roman ruins of Itálica are at the edge of town, and Jerez, Cádiz and Carmona are all easy days out by rail or road.

From Faro the outings are smaller in scale and spread along the Algarve, among them Tavira's riverfront, the markets in Olhão, Silves castle and the Roman villa at Milreu. Seville itself is the longest and best of them, which says a lot about the difference between the two.

The two are about even for children, but the days look different. Faro is a beach base, with gentle lagoon sands, boat rides to the islands and a quiet, compact old town. The big water parks and the marine park are a drive away.

Seville keeps children busy in the parks, with rowing boats at Plaza de España and the maze in the Alcázar gardens, plus a theme park and aquarium on La Cartuja. Its summer heat, often above 40°C, is harder on small children than Faro's sea breezes.

Both centres are flat and easy to walk. Seville covers more ground on foot and has more help besides: a tram, a metro line, dense buses and bike lanes with a public bike scheme that makes cycling a real option.

Faro is fine within its small centre, and buses and ferries reach the beaches, but the slow coastal railway leaves gaps. Many visitors end up hiring a car to see the wider Algarve, which they would hardly ever need in Seville.

Seville has more to browse, and much of it is distinctly local. There are tiles and ceramics from the Triana potteries, and around Sierpes and Cuna you find flamenco dresses, shawls, fans and guitars made for the city's own Fair. The Thursday flea market on Calle Feria adds to it.

Faro's shopping is mostly practical, with chains on Rua de Santo António and a mall on the edge of town. The best buys are food and crafts: cork goods, tinned fish and flor de sal from the lagoon salt pans.

The two cost about the same day to day, but in different places. In Seville, cheap tapas and a walkable centre keep spending down, and rooms only become expensive during Holy Week and the April Fair.

Faro's grilled fish lunches and buses are inexpensive, but rooms are priced for the beach in July and August, and a hire car adds to the cost if you want to tour the region. Its quieter months are the time to save.

Seville is far ahead. It is the home of flamenco, which you can see every night in tablaos and in the peñas where local enthusiasts gather, and the Teatro de la Maestranza stages opera in the city where Carmen and The Barber of Seville are set.

Faro has the ornate little Teatro Lethes and the Teatro das Figuras for touring concerts and dance. Fado here is limited to the odd restaurant evening, and on many nights nothing is on.

Neither city has a bathing tradition of its own, but Seville has a slight edge with its Arab-style bath houses in old mansions, which make a memorable evening. Its cool courtyards and gardens help, though the streets can be noisy at night.

In Faro, rest comes from the pace of the place: sunset walks by the lagoon and quiet winters. Resort spas line the golf coast to the west, and the spring-water spa at Caldas de Monchique is over an hour away.