San Sebastian or Valencia?

Valencia's shore wins on length, warmth and season. Las Arenas, Malvarrosa and Patacona form one wide golden strip with room to spread out in high summer, the shallow water stays comfortable from June into October, and the pine-backed dunes of El Saler give a wilder option inside the Albufera park.

San Sebastian has the more beautiful beach in La Concha, a sheltered shell of pale sand right in the middle of town, with Ondarreta for families and Zurriola for surfers. But this is the Atlantic: the sea stays cooler, the swimming season is essentially July and August, and rain can close the beach for days.

San Sebastian is the stronger food destination, and for many visitors the whole point of going. Evenings are a crawl along the pintxo counters of the Parte Vieja and Gros with a glass of txakoli, the restaurants in the hills include some of Spain's most famous, and the cider houses of Astigarraga add a winter ritual.

Valencia's table is built on rice: paella valenciana, arroz negro and fideuà at the beach restaurants of Las Arenas and in the Albufera villages, with horchata in summer and the Mercado Central as a showpiece. It is excellent at lunchtime but has less depth at the top end, and both cities cook mostly their own regional food.

Valencia has more and grander monuments. The Lonja de la Seda, the cathedral and its Miguelete tower, the Serranos and Quart gates and the alabaster doorway of the ceramics museum all sit within a short walk in Ciutat Vella, and the City of Arts and Sciences and two good art museums add a modern side.

San Sebastian is better enjoyed as a townscape than as a list of sights: the belle époque streets around Buen Pastor, the rebuilt grid of the Parte Vieja, the castle on Monte Urgull, San Telmo's account of Basque life and Chillida's sculptures in the rocks. It is lovely, but two days cover it.

Valencia goes out later and on a bigger scale. Ruzafa's cocktail bars and terraces stay full past midnight, El Carmen and the university streets are rougher and younger, summer brings open-air clubs near the port and Malvarrosa that run until dawn, and Fallas turns whole neighbourhoods into street parties.

San Sebastian's evenings are sociable but early-weighted, centred on the pintxo bars, and after dinner the choice narrows to a few late bars and clubs. It livens up in summer and during Semana Grande, but out of season a night out mostly means eating and drinking well.

San Sebastian sits in a much more dramatic setting. Igueldo and Urgull frame the bay, the coastal path from Monte Ulia to Pasaia and on over Jaizkibel to Hondarribia crosses cliffs and sandstone formations, and the Basque hills of Aiako Harria are under an hour away, with surfing and paddleboarding in town.

Valencia's nature is flat and watery: the Albufera lagoon with its herons, rice fields and sunset boat trips, the pine woods and dunes of the Devesa, and the long green ribbon of the Turia gardens. For real hills or the gorge at Chulilla you need to drive inland.

San Sebastian is the better base, because it sits right by the French border. Bilbao and the Guggenheim, Pamplona, walled Hondarribia and the French Basque towns of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Biarritz and Bayonne are all within about an hour and a quarter, with the Rioja Alavesa vineyards a longer outing.

Valencia's outings are good but more spread out. Sagunto's Roman theatre and Xàtiva's castle are easy train rides, the fast train makes Cuenca's hanging houses a simple day, and Peñíscola and the Costa Blanca towns take closer to two hours.

Valencia gives children more to do. The Oceanogràfic with its sharks and belugas, the hands-on science museum, Bioparc and the giant Gulliver playground in the Turia gardens could fill a week, and the wide, shallow city beaches suit small swimmers.

San Sebastian is safe and compact, with calm beaches, a flat car-free promenade, an aquarium, the Eureka science museum and the little funfair on Monte Igueldo. But wet days can rule out the beach, and families tend to run out of attractions after a few days.

Both are easy without a car, in different ways. San Sebastian is small enough that the old town, La Concha, Gros and Zurriola are all linked by a short walk along the river and the bay, and the Euskotren runs straight to Hendaye and towards Bilbao.

Valencia's old town is just as walkable, but the beaches and the City of Arts and Sciences are a ride away, so you will lean on the metro, the tram and above all the bike, along the car-free Turia gardens.

Valencia has much more to shop for. The Ensanche around Calle Colón holds the department store, the big chains and a run of luxury boutiques, El Carmen and Ruzafa add vintage and design, and Manises ceramics, painted fans and silk make distinctive things to take home.

San Sebastian's shopping is pleasant but small: some independent boutiques in the Centro, espadrilles and berets in the Parte Vieja and surf shops in Gros. Its best souvenirs come from La Bretxa market: Idiazabal cheese, txakoli and tins of anchovies.

Valencia is much the cheaper stay. Central and Ruzafa hotels are fairly priced for most of the year, the multi-course lunch menu is a local fixture, and transport and museums cost little. Only Fallas and the height of summer by the beach push prices up sharply.

San Sebastian's hotels are scarce and dear, reaching big-capital levels in summer and festival weeks, and its famous restaurants are a real splurge. A pintxo crawl, cheap buses and free beaches and walks soften the bill, and an off-season visit helps most.

Valencia has the steadier year-round programme. The Palau de les Arts stages a full season of opera and ballet with its own well-regarded orchestra, the Palau de la Música hosts the city orchestra, and the region's village wind bands are heard everywhere during Fallas.

San Sebastian's music is concentrated in summer, with the Jazzaldia festival in July, including free concerts on Zurriola beach, and the Quincena Musical in August. Outside those weeks the Kursaal and the Teatro Victoria Eugenia keep things ticking over at a quieter pace.

San Sebastian has the edge thanks to its royal seaside past. The historic bathing pavilion on La Concha is a seawater thalassotherapy spa looking straight onto the bay, and the small, orderly city and its promenade strolls make for an unhurried stay.

Valencia has no living bathing tradition. The Baños del Almirante survive only as a monument, so it is modern Arab-style bath houses and hotel spas, but the sunny, slow Mediterranean pace and the shady Turia gardens are restful in their own way.