Jerez de la Frontera or Sintra?

Neither town is on the sand, but Jerez has the better beach days. Valdelagrana, El Puerto and Cádiz's La Caleta are a short train ride away, and further out lie long golden stretches at Sanlúcar and La Barrosa, where the summer sea is warm enough for proper swimming.

Sintra's coast is wilder and more dramatic, with Praia Grande, the cove at Adraga and the tidal pool under Azenhas do Mar. The water stays cold, the surf is heavy and fog can roll in, so it is better for an afternoon of scenery than a day of swimming.

This is one of the widest gaps between the two. Jerez has a complete food culture built around sherry: fino in bodegas, barrel-drawn glasses with chacina in the tabancos, oxtail and kidneys cooked in sherry, and fried fish from the nearby coast.

Sintra's real treat is pastry, warm travesseiros and queijadas from its old bakeries. The old-town restaurants mostly feed day-trippers, and the better meals are grilled fish in the coastal villages or a dinner in Lisbon.

Sintra is the clear sightseeing destination. Within a few square kilometres of UNESCO-listed hillside are the painted Pena Palace, the Moorish Castle ramparts, the National Palace with its conical chimneys, and the grottoes of Quinta da Regaleira and Monserrate.

Jerez is more modest but distinctive: the Almohad Alcázar, Gothic-Mudéjar parish churches, cathedral-like sherry bodegas and the dressage horses of the Royal Andalusian School. It is pleasant to explore over two or three days but has nothing to rival Sintra's run of palaces.

Jerez at least has a night out. Tapas bars and copa bars around Calle Larga and the old quarters stay full past midnight, and during the Feria del Caballo in May the casetas keep going until dawn.

Sintra effectively shuts down after the last trains leave for Lisbon. There are a couple of wine bars and terraces, but nothing runs late, so a night out means the trip into the capital and back.

Sintra has the better landscape on its doorstep. Mossy forest of oak, cork and giant ferns covers the granite ridge, trails lead straight from town up to Cruz Alta and Peninha, and the cliffs at Cabo da Roca are a short way west.

Around Jerez the chalky vineyards are gentle country for cycling. The real drama is a drive away: the limestone gorges of Grazalema, the cork forests of Los Alcornocales and the Doñana wetlands. Summer heat also limits hiking there to spring and autumn.

Both make excellent bases, and the difference lies in what is nearby. From Jerez the pull is Andalusian: Seville and Cádiz by train, the sherry towns of El Puerto and Sanlúcar, and the white towns from Arcos to Ronda by car.

Sintra's best trip is Lisbon itself, a whole capital close by, plus Cascais on the coast and, with a car, Mafra, Óbidos and the monasteries of Alcobaça and Batalha.

Jerez is the slightly easier family choice. It has a good zoo and botanical garden, the dancing-horse show, wide, gently sloping beaches nearby and a flat centre, although the July and August heat is tough on small children.

Sintra can delight school-age children with castle walls, tunnels and the spiralling Initiation Well. Steep cobbles, crowded hill buses and strong surf make it harder going with toddlers and buggies.

Jerez is easier on foot. Its flat, compact centre puts the Alcázar, bodegas and tapas streets within a short walk of each other, and trains to Seville, Cádiz and the airport leave from close by. A car only matters once you head for the white towns.

Sintra's small centre is walkable, but the palaces sit high above it, so you face a steep climb or a busy shuttle bus, and narrow one-way lanes make driving a chore.

Neither is a shopping destination, but Jerez offers more to take home. You can buy sherry and brandy at the bodegas, leather riding boots and saddlery from long-established craftsmen, and flamenco dresses and guitars, and Calle Larga has a modest high street. Sintra's old-town lanes are mostly souvenirs, tiles, cork and ceramics, brightened by the Sunday fair at São Pedro de Penaferrim.

Jerez is the cheaper stay. Evenings in the tabancos cost little, bodega tours are inexpensive and central hotels are moderately priced, except during the Feria and the big race weekends.

In Sintra the main expense is sightseeing, because every palace charges its own entry and the historic manor-house rooms are expensive. Staying in the outlying villages or near the coast brings costs down.

Jerez is far ahead here, because it is one of the cradles of flamenco and the art still belongs to its neighbourhoods. Peñas in Santiago and San Miguel hold evenings visitors can attend, tabancos host rough, close-up sessions, and the late-winter festival brings major dancers to the Teatro Villamarta.

Sintra's highlight is its summer festival of classical music and dance in palace settings. The Olga Cadaval centre covers the rest of the year, and most other performances mean going to Lisbon.

Neither has a bathing culture or many spas, so the difference is in the kind of calm on offer. In Jerez that means one Arab-style bathhouse, long lunches and shaded patios through the afternoon heat. In Sintra it means a night in a forest quinta, with the town empty and mist among the trees once the crowds have left.