Girona or Marseille?

Girona has no beach of its own. Its swimming happens on the Costa Brava, where the coves around Begur and L'Escala have some of the clearest water on this coast, but getting there takes a day out, preferably with a car.

Marseille has the sea at its door: the broad Prado beaches, little Plage des Catalans and rocky spots like the Vallon des Auffes for a quick dip. On top of that come the Calanques and the Frioul islands. The mistral and occasional water-quality closures are the only real catches.

The two eat about equally well, but in very different ways. Girona is Catalan and refined: botifarra with beans, mar i muntanya, xuixos from the pastry shops, Empordà wine and serious tasting-menu kitchens.

Marseille is a port that cooks the whole Mediterranean. You get bouillabaisse by the harbours, chickpea panisses, and North African, Comorian and Armenian food in Noailles. That gives it the wider range and the street food Girona lacks.

The two are about even on sights, but they are laid out very differently. Girona's heritage sits together in one preserved walled quarter: the cathedral with its huge Gothic nave, the Call, the Arab Baths and the walk along the walls. You can see it all in a day or two on foot.

Marseille's history is older and more scattered across a working city. Notre-Dame de la Garde, the forts and the MuCEM line the port, and Le Panier holds the Vieille Charité. Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse and the Château d'If take extra trips.

Marseille is a clear step up for going out. Cours Julien, La Plaine and Notre-Dame-du-Mont fill with students and locals until late. The Vieux-Port quays carry on into the night, and electronic nights run in old warehouses.

Girona's evenings are terraces, dinner and student bars in term time, with only a handful of late spots at weekends. People who want a proper night out there take the train to Barcelona.

Both are superb outdoor bases, with different specialities. Girona is a road-cycling capital, with quiet lanes, the climbs of Rocacorba and Els Àngels, and traffic-free greenways towards Olot and the sea. The Garrotxa volcanoes and the Pyrenees are both within driving range.

Marseille has a national park inside its city limits. The Calanques offer coastal hiking, sport climbing, sea kayaking and diving, and Sainte-Victoire and the Sainte-Baume forest are an hour away. In summer, fire risk can close those massifs to walkers.

Day trips are a great strength of both cities, and the difference lies in the country around them. From Girona you reach Catalonia and the French border: Barcelona by high-speed train, Dalí's Figueres, Púbol and Cadaqués, Besalú and the stone villages of the Empordà.

Marseille opens up Provence instead: Aix, Arles, Avignon and the Pont du Gard, plus Cassis and the Luberon hill villages. In both regions the towns are on the railway, but the villages need a car.

Neither is built around children, and they come out about level. Girona is the calmer and safer-feeling base, with the Devesa park and walls to explore, though its stairs and cobbles are hard with a pushchair.

Marseille has the advantage of beaches and Parc Borély within the city, plus boat trips to the islands. Against that, the traffic, narrow pavements and some grubby central streets mean families often stay down by the Prado.

Getting around is about as easy in both, but the systems differ. Girona is small enough to walk end to end in about twenty minutes, and the station is close by. Its buses into the countryside are sparse, so the coast and villages work best with a car or a bike.

Marseille has a walkable core, two metro lines, trams and harbour ferries, but the city sprawls over hills. Buses to the beaches and Calanques trailheads get stuck in traffic.

Marseille offers more to browse. The department stores are on Rue Paradis and Rue de Rome, there is a big mall at La Joliette, and Noailles has narrow streets of fabrics, teas and spices. Its own souvenirs are green cubes of Marseille soap and painted santon figures.

Girona is a pleasant small-town wander along the Rambla, with delicatessens and the Mercat del Lleó for Empordà cheese, oil and wine. It also has plenty of cycling shops, but serious shoppers head to Barcelona.

Girona is the somewhat cheaper stay. Set lunches are good value, everyday taverns are reasonable, and you never need transport in town. Rooms in the old town are the main cost, along with a hire car if you want the villages.

Marseille costs more overall, especially for rooms near the port and the beaches in July and August, and sit-down meals carry normal French prices. Its savings are cheap street food, inexpensive transport and free walking in the Calanques.

Marseille has much more on stage. It has an art deco opera house with a full season, a national theatre at La Criée and the Friche la Belle de Mai. It also has strong roots in hip-hop and Mediterranean music, with the Fiesta des Suds every autumn.

Girona has the Auditori and the Teatre Municipal, but its real highlight is the autumn festival Temporada Alta. Outside the festival seasons there is little on, and many plays are in Catalan.

Neither is a spa destination, and they are fairly level, but Girona is the more restful place to stay. Its quiet lanes and river walks set a slow pace, and the thermal pools of Caldes de Malavella are about 20 minutes away.

Marseille is loud and dense, and its hammams are mostly used by locals. Visitors who want rest there go to Cassis or a country house inland.