Lisbon or Marbella?

Lisbon has no beach of its own. You take the Cascais train to Carcavelos or Estoril, or cross the river to the long sands of Costa da Caparica. The Atlantic stays cool, and the swell often suits surfers better than swimmers, so it works as a day out from the city.

In Marbella the beach is the point. More than two dozen beaches run along the town's shore, from La Venus in the centre to the dunes at Cabopino, with loungers and chiringuitos all the way. The water is calmer and warmer, and the swimming season lasts into autumn.

Lisbon is the better place to eat for most visitors, because its best food is everyday food. That means grilled fish and bacalhau in family tascas, clams in seafood beer halls and custard tarts still warm from the pastelaria, with Alentejo or Douro wine poured cheaply by the glass. The Ribeira and Campo de Ourique markets make easy lunches.

Marbella eats best at the two ends of the range: sardines grilled on skewers on the beach and tapas in the Casco Antiguo, or acclaimed tasting menus along the Golden Mile. The middle ground around the port is pricey and forgettable, so you need to choose more carefully.

This is where the two differ most. Lisbon fills three or four days of sightseeing: the Jeronimos Monastery and Belem Tower by the river, the Baixa grid rebuilt after the earthquake of 1755, the castle above Alfama, and museums such as the Gulbenkian and the National Tile Museum.

Marbella's heritage fits into an afternoon. There are the whitewashed lanes around the Plaza de los Naranjos, the Spanish print museum, the Dalí bronzes on the Avenida del Mar and a Roman villa at Río Verde. For major monuments you drive to Málaga, Ronda or Granada.

Lisbon's nights are cheaper and looser, and they carry on all year. Crowds drink in the street in Bairro Alto, move on to later bars in Cais do Sodre, then end up in riverside warehouse clubs until morning.

Marbella offers the glossier version, with champagne bars facing the yachts at Puerto Banús and DJ beach clubs along the Golden Mile. It is expensive and mostly a summer affair, and from November to March most evenings end with a quiet drink.

Both have good outdoors close by, but of different kinds. Lisbon's is the Atlantic edge: surf at Carcavelos and Ericeira, kitesurfing at Guincho, the misty Sintra hills, kayaking under Arrabida's limestone ridges, and dolphins in the Sado estuary.

Marbella has proper mountain walking. Sierra Blanca rises right behind the town, La Concha is a demanding half-day climb with views to Morocco, and the Sierra de las Nieves has fir forests and ibex. The mild winters make it a walking base all year, though the coast itself is heavily built up.

Both are good bases, and the real difference is how you travel. From Lisbon, Sintra's palaces are a short train ride away, and Evora, Obidos and the monasteries of Alcobaca and Batalha fill further days, with Sintra and Cascais on the train and the rest reached by road or rail.

From Marbella the trips are Andalusian: Ronda on its gorge, Málaga, the white villages, Gibraltar and, as a long day, the Alhambra in Granada. There is no train, so a car makes almost all of them far easier.

Marbella is the easier choice with children. Its beaches are sheltered and lifeguarded in season, the flat promenade suits buggies and scooters, and many resorts are built around pools. The zoo, water parks and animal park are along the coast and are much easier by car.

Lisbon has strong single attractions, above all the Oceanario and the science centre at Parque das Nacoes, and children enjoy the tram and funicular rides. But the hills, stairways and slippery pavements make days with a pushchair hard going.

Lisbon works well without a car. It has a metro, trams and funiculars for the hills, trains to Sintra and Cascais, and ferries across the river, all on one rechargeable card. The price is steep walking and crowded, slow trams.

Marbella stretches for kilometres along the motorway and has no train. Beyond the old town and the promenade, most visitors rely on a hire car or taxis, and buses to the inland villages are slow.

Neither is a major shopping destination, but they suit different shoppers. Lisbon is the place for distinctive things to take home: azulejo tiles, cork, Burel wool and decorated sardine tins, plus the Feira da Ladra flea market and the independent shops of LX Factory.

Marbella is about big-name labels, in the boutiques facing the yachts at Puerto Banús and the department store beside the port. Beyond those there is little independent design to browse.

Lisbon is clearly easier on the wallet. Coffee, tasca lunches, house wine and transport are cheap, and the main costs that push a trip up are central rooms and restaurants aimed at visitors.

Marbella is expensive by Spanish standards, especially in July and August and anywhere near Puerto Banús or the Golden Mile. Tapas in the old town and off-season apartments help, and many people save by staying in a neighbouring town.

Lisbon has a living music of its own. Fado is sung every night in the casas of Alfama and Mouraria, in rooms that range from polished restaurants to tiny places where neighbours take turns, and the Gulbenkian orchestra and the Sao Carlos opera house add a formal scene.

Marbella's live performance is mostly summer concerts in the old quarry amphitheatre and flamenco staged for visitors. For opera, classical music or serious flamenco you go to Málaga.

Marbella is the better choice for rest. Spa resorts, retreats and detox clinics are spread along the Golden Mile and the hills behind it, and a few Arab-style bathhouses have hot and cold pools. From October to May the town is calm and sunny, good for golf and long walks.

Lisbon has no bathing tradition and few spas outside hotels. Rest there comes from long lunches and shady gardens such as the Gulbenkian's and Estrela, and a truly restful stay usually means sleeping out at Cascais or in the Sintra hills.