Madrid or Barcelona?

Barcelona has several kilometres of sand running from Barceloneta past Bogatell to Mar Bella, a walk or a metro ride from the old town. The sea is warm enough for swimming from June to late September. The city beaches are man-made and packed in high summer, but Sitges, Castelldefels and the Maresme are all a short train ride away.

Madrid has no beach. The sea is too far for a day out, so in summer people cool off in municipal pools or at the reservoirs below the Guadarrama. Of these two cities, only Barcelona lets you swim in the sea.

Both cities are excellent places to eat. The difference is in what lands on the plate. Barcelona cooks Catalan food: escalivada, suquet, seafood rice by the water and calçots in late winter, with cava from the hills inland. You can eat at the counters of neighbourhood markets such as Santa Caterina and Sant Antoni.

Madrid's food is heartier and more of a moving feast. You crawl along Cava Baja with cañas and small plates, eat cocido or callos at lunch and finish with churros after midnight. As the capital it also draws in Galician seafood and Basque grills, so you can eat your way across Spain without leaving town.

These two cities are equally rich, with opposite strengths. In Barcelona the buildings are the show. The Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló and La Pedrera stand in the Eixample, and the Gothic Quarter, Roman walls and Santa Maria del Mar lie beneath them. The Picasso Museum and the MNAC are strong collections, if smaller.

In Madrid it is the paintings that matter. The Prado, the Reina Sofía with Guernica and the Thyssen hold the finest run of painting in Spain. They sit in a grand city of royal palaces and Habsburg squares rather than medieval lanes, so for older history you take a train out.

Barcelona's nights lean towards clubs and electronic music. There are serious club nights across the city and open-air parties through the summer, and the big beachfront clubs at the Port Olímpic draw a young, mostly foreign crowd. Before that come cocktail bars in the Born's medieval cellars and outdoor drinking in Gràcia's squares. For a night that feels less aimed at visitors, head to Gràcia or Sant Antoni.

Madrid's night happens more on the street, on packed terraces in La Latina and Lavapiés and in plazas still full well after midnight. Malasaña has rock bars and Chueca has the gay scene, and the big clubs around Gran Vía and Sol keep going until dawn, just as Barcelona's do. Away from touristy Huertas, it feels more like locals going out than a scene put on for visitors.

Barcelona has more outdoors on its doorstep. The wooded trails of Collserola start at the edge of the city, the Carretera de les Aigües follows the slope with views over the whole city, and you can paddleboard or windsurf off Mar Bella. Montserrat, the Garraf cliffs and the coastal paths of the Costa Brava add to the choice.

Madrid's wild country is in the Sierra de Guadarrama, an hour to the north. There, granite peaks, the boulders of La Pedriza and the lakes below Peñalara make fine walking, and there is modest skiing in winter. Closer to the city you have parks and open farmland, with no water to get out on.

Madrid has the stronger ring of excursions. Toledo and Segovia are each about half an hour away by fast train, Ávila, Salamanca and Cuenca are not much further, and El Escorial and Aranjuez are closer still. You could spend a week visiting a different historic city each day.

Barcelona's choice is good but narrower. Girona and Figueres lie to the north, and Roman Tarragona and the monastery at Poblet to the south. Montserrat and Sitges make easy half days, and there are cava cellars to visit in the Penedès.

Barcelona gives children a little more to do, mainly because the beach is part of the city. The aquarium, CosmoCaixa and the Tibidabo funfair add variety, and PortAventura is about an hour away. Its weak point is the old town, whose narrow, crowded streets are hard work with a pushchair.

Madrid's flat centre and its metro, with lifts at many stations, are easier going. The rowing boats in the Retiro and the zoo and funfair at Casa de Campo fill days well. However, the great museums are aimed at adults, and the July and August heat, with no sea to cool off in, is harder on small children.

In Barcelona the effort comes at the edges. Park Güell, Montjuïc and Tibidabo sit up steep slopes, so getting to them means the metro and then a climb, a funicular or a cable car. The Sagrada Família is also a ride from the old town. In between, the flat stretches are pleasant on foot or by bike, along the bike lanes and the seafront promenade.

Madrid has no such hills. Its compact centre runs flat from the Royal Palace through Sol to the Prado, its larger metro is air-conditioned and goes straight to the airport, and Atocha and Chamartín link into the fast trains. The obstacle there is the summer heat on long walks. In either city a car is more burden than help.

The two are equally good, but laid out differently. Barcelona puts luxury and Spanish fashion on the Passeig de Gràcia among Modernista façades. Its best browsing is among the Born's independent designers and Gràcia's small craft shops, and conserves, cava or turrón make good things to take home.

Madrid gathers the big names in the Salamanca district around Calle Serrano. Its old shops near Plaza Mayor sell hand-painted fans, capes and guitars, and on Sunday mornings the Rastro flea market fills the sloping streets below La Latina.

Madrid is the slightly cheaper stay. Hotels cost what you would expect in a major capital, eating out is modest, and the great museums are free at set times, which makes sightseeing cheaper.

Barcelona costs more. The extra goes mostly on hotels near the old town and the seafront in summer, the city tourist tax and steep entry fees for the Gaudí buildings. In both cities, set lunches and tapas bars keep the cost of food reasonable.

Madrid has the deeper stage life. The Teatro Real and the Auditorio Nacional are the centres of opera and orchestral music, and the Teatro de la Zarzuela keeps Spain's light opera alive. Gran Vía runs long musicals, and the best tablaos give flamenco a serious home every night.

Barcelona has fewer stages, but some remarkable ones: the Liceu's opera season and concerts under the stained glass of the Palau de la Música. Where it stands out is festivals, with Sónar and Primavera Sound in early summer and the Grec on Montjuïc.

Neither city is a place to unwind. Both offer a few Arab-style bathhouses and hotel spas, and both keep late, noisy hours. What differs is where you find quiet: Barcelona has the Collserola paths and calm seaside towns a short train ride away, while in Madrid it means a slow afternoon in the Retiro or the shade of the Botanical Garden.