Lisbon or Sintra?

Neither place is a beach destination, and both face the same cold Atlantic. Lisbon has the slight edge for a swim, because the Cascais train line runs past a string of beaches, from surfy Carcavelos to the calmer bays at Estoril. Across the river are the long sands of Caparica, and further south the sheltered Arrabida coves.

Sintra's coast is wilder and more dramatic: Praia Grande and Praia das Maçãs, the cove at Adraga under dark cliffs, and the tidal pool below Azenhas do Mar, reached in summer by an old tram. Expect heavy surf and fog that can arrive without warning.

Lisbon is far ahead here. Family tascas grill fish and cook bacalhau and daily stews, the beer halls bring out clams and crab, and the markets at Ribeira and Campo de Ourique combine shopping with eating. Good Alentejo and Douro wine is poured cheaply almost everywhere.

Sintra's real contribution is its pastry, the almond-filled travesseiro and the little queijada, bought warm in the old town. Otherwise the restaurants in the centre cater to day-trippers and quality is uneven. The best plates are grilled fish in the coastal villages, and a serious dinner usually means taking the train back to Lisbon.

The two are level on heritage but very different in kind. Lisbon's history is spread across separate districts: Manueline Belem with the Jeronimos Monastery and the tower, the rebuilt grid of the Baixa, and medieval Alfama below the castle. It also has proper museums, including the Gulbenkian, the National Tile Museum and the Ancient Art Museum.

Sintra packs its riches into a few square kilometres of hillside: the painted Pena Palace, the Moorish Castle, the National Palace with its huge chimneys, Regaleira, Monserrate and the cork-lined Capuchos convent. It is a landscape of palaces and gardens rather than galleries, and early starts matter more here than in Lisbon.

This is the widest gap between them. Lisbon's evenings start at sunset drinks on a miradouro, spill through the open bar doors of Bairro Alto and the late bars of Cais do Sodre, and end in riverside warehouse clubs that fill after 2am. Principe Real offers calmer cocktails and the centre of the gay scene.

Sintra empties when the last day-trippers' trains leave. A few wine bars and terraces stay open for a while, nothing runs late, and a night out means a train into Lisbon and planning the ride back.

Both are good for the outdoors, but in different ways. Lisbon's strength is range. Inside the city there are Monsanto's shaded trails and a riverside path that runs for kilometres. Further out you can kitesurf at Guincho, surf at Ericeira, hike or kayak along the limestone ridges of Arrabida, take a dolphin boat out of Setubal or watch the wintering flamingos on the Tagus mudflats. Most of that is an outing rather than something on your doorstep.

In Sintra, nature starts where the town ends. Trails climb through mossy oak, cork and fern forest to Pena Park, Cruz Alta and Peninha, with views over the ocean and the estuary. Cliff paths lead out to Cabo da Roca, and riders and mountain bikers use the park. The cooler air under the trees makes it the better choice for walking in high summer.

The two are equally strong, and each is the other's best outing. From Lisbon, trains run directly to Sintra and Cascais, and you can also get to Evora and Tomar by rail. Obidos and Mafra are easy by bus. Alcobaca and Batalha have no railway station, so you need a coach or a car, and the Arrabida wineries are realistically a driving day.

From Sintra, Lisbon is a full capital forty minutes away by suburban train, and Cascais is a bus ride over the hills. Mafra and the surf town of Ericeira are a short drive. The monasteries, Obidos, Fatima and Evora are far easier with a car than by public transport from here.

Lisbon is the more practical choice with children. The Oceanario's great central tank, the science centre and the cable car all sit together at the Parque das Nacoes, the zoo adds a second full day, and trams and funiculars count as rides. The hills and slippery pavements are still tough with a pushchair.

Sintra's appeal is more like a storybook: climbing castle ramparts and going down Regaleira's well into its tunnels. With steep cobbles, packed hill buses and rough surf on its beaches, it works for a few days with school-age children rather than a long stay with toddlers.

Lisbon is easier to get around, even with its seven hills. The metro, the old trams, the funiculars, the suburban trains and the river ferries all run on one rechargeable card, although the metro misses Belem and the trams are slow and crowded.

Sintra's walkable centre is small, and the palaces sit high above it. You reach them by a stiff climb or a tourist bus that fills at busy times, with tuk-tuks and taxis filling the gaps. Narrow one-way roads and almost no parking make driving to the palaces frustrating, but a car kept outside the centre helps for the coast.

Lisbon wins clearly. It has the luxury boulevard of Avenida da Liberdade, the old shops of Chiado, designers and antiques in Principe Real, and the Feira da Ladra flea market for old tiles and vinyl. Azulejos, Burel wool and decorated sardine tins are among the things worth taking home.

Sintra's shopping is a few old-town streets of tiles, cork, linen and boxed pastries. There are some azulejo dealers, and the Sunday fair at São Pedro de Penaferrim is worth a browse. There are no fashion streets at all.

The overall cost is similar, but the money goes in different places. In Lisbon, coffee, set lunches, house wine and transport are cheap, and rooms in the central quarters are the expense, especially in summer.

In Sintra the palace tickets are what adds up, since each charges separately and a full tour can cost more than the meals. Manor-house rooms in the centre are expensive too, while villages towards the coast are noticeably cheaper.

Lisbon has far more on stage. Fado plays every night in Alfama, Mouraria and Bairro Alto, from polished dinner houses to small rooms where neighbours take turns singing. The Gulbenkian's orchestra, the São Carlos opera house and the Belem cultural centre add a formal season.

Sintra's high point is its summer festival of music and dance, held in the palaces and quintas. The rest of the year there is the Olga Cadaval centre and the odd fado night, and little else.

Neither has a bathing tradition, and spas in both mean hotel wellness floors. The difference is setting. Sintra has the edge for rest, as long as you stay overnight: a quinta among old gardens, mist in the trees, Monserrate in the morning and a silent town at night.

In Lisbon, calm comes in pieces, such as a long lunch, an hour in the Estrela or Gulbenkian gardens, or dusk at a viewpoint, while the old quarters remain loud and steep.