Seville or Granada?

Neither city has a beach, but Granada is the more practical of the two for a swim in the sea. Buses cross the mountains to Salobreña, Almuñécar and La Herradura in about an hour, and the small calm Mediterranean coves there, with pebbles or dark sand, suit snorkelling. Some visitors even stay on the coast and come up to the Alhambra for the day.

From Seville the sea is a bigger outing. The long Atlantic sands of Matalascañas and Mazagón take over an hour by car and use up most of the day, so beachgoers usually move to the coast for a few nights.

Both cities eat in rounds of tapas, but Seville does it with more depth. Its bar counters serve spinach with chickpeas, pork cheek and fried fish from the Cádiz coast, with chilled manzanilla and fino to go with them, and the Alameda adds more inventive kitchens to the classic tiled bars of Triana and El Arenal.

Granada's strength is generosity rather than range. A small plate comes free with every drink, and the menu leans towards the mountains, with Alpujarras ham and habas con jamón. The Moorish teterías of Calderería Nueva give it a flavour Seville doesn't have.

These are two of Spain's great historic cities, and they are evenly matched, but they feel different. Granada is about one ridge and the view of it. The Alhambra's palaces and the Generalife gardens face the Albaicín's whitewashed lanes, and the Royal Chapel, the Carthusian sacristy and the Sacromonte caves complete a core you can see in a few unhurried days.

Seville spreads its treasures across a flat old centre. The Alcázar, the vast Gothic cathedral with the Giralda and the Archivo de Indias stand side by side, and it has the stronger art collection too, with Murillo and Zurbarán at the Museo de Bellas Artes.

The two are close, and the difference is in who is out and where. Granada's nights are driven by its students: bar-hopping along Calle Elvira, then clubs around Pedro Antonio de Alarcón until dawn at weekends. The city goes quieter in summer once term ends.

Seville is more about late, sociable evenings outdoors, in squares around the Alfalfa, in Triana and along the mixed, LGBT-friendly Alameda, with riverside bars opening up on hot nights. The April Fair, when the whole city stays out in the casetas, has no equal in Granada.

This is where Granada pulls far ahead. Snow-capped peaks fill the view from the city, the ski slopes above Pradollano are under an hour's drive, and in summer trails open towards Mulhacén and the Veleta. On the southern side, the chestnut woods and terraced valleys of the Alpujarras offer gentler walking.

Seville sits in flat farmland. In town, that means María Luisa Park and paddling on the old river channel. Its real prize is the Doñana wetlands, with their flamingos and migrating birds, but they are an hour and a half away and most visitors see them on a guided off-road trip.

Both make good bases, and Córdoba is the best day out from either, though from Seville the fast train gets there in under an hour. Granada's options lie in all directions: the dolmens of Antequera to the west, the Renaissance towns of Úbeda and Baeza to the north, the cave quarter of Guadix to the east, and the white villages of the Alpujarras and the coast at Nerja to the south.

Seville's trips are more varied in kind. Roman Itálica is right on its doorstep and hilltop Carmona is close by, while the train runs south to the sherry bodegas of Jerez and the old port of Cádiz. Each city is a stretch from the other for a return trip in one day.

Children are welcome late into the evening in both, and there's little to choose between them, but the challenges differ. Granada's main attraction for children is the Parque de las Ciencias, worth most of a day, while the steep, cobbled Albaicín and Alhambra hill are hard going with a pushchair.

Seville is flat, and it adds rowing boats at Plaza de España, an aquarium and a theme park with a summer water park on La Cartuja. Its weak point is the heat, which in high summer is worse than Granada's.

Hills set Granada apart. Its lower town is flat, but the Alhambra, the Albaicín and Sacromonte sit on steep cobbled slopes. Most visitors walk everywhere and take the small red minibuses up the hills to save their legs.

Seville is level from the cathedral to Triana, so the whole centre is an easy walk. Its bike lanes and public bike scheme make cycling a real option, and a tram and a metro line help on longer hops. The challenge there is the midday summer heat, not the slopes.

Seville is the better place to shop, mostly for crafts. Triana's potteries still sell hand-painted tiles, and the shops around Calle Sierpes stock flamenco dresses, shawls and fans that locals buy for the April Fair. The Thursday flea market on Calle Feria is good for a browse.

Granada has a smaller selection, much of it souvenirs in the Alcaicería. The real finds are the inlaid taracea woodwork, blue and green Fajalauza pottery and handmade guitars, with chain stores on Calle Recogidas for everyday buys.

Both are good value by Western European standards, and Granada is a touch kinder to the wallet thanks to the free tapa with every drink. Spending there rises around the Alhambra, with boutique stays in the Albaicín and terraces with palace views.

Seville's costs depend more on the calendar. Rooms are moderate most of the year and cheaper in the summer heat, but rates jump steeply during Holy Week and the April Fair.

Seville has the richer stage, above all for flamenco. It has intimate tablaos and peñas every night in Santa Cruz and Triana and the Bienal in even-numbered autumns, plus opera at the Teatro de la Maestranza in the city where Carmen is set.

Granada's flamenco is narrower but distinctive, with the zambra danced up close in the Sacromonte caves. Its standout is the summer festival of music and dance, staged in the Alhambra's palaces and the Generalife's open-air theatre, and the legacy of Lorca and Falla.

Granada is the better place to unwind. Its hammams in the lower Albaicín revive a Moorish bathing tradition the city really had, and two genuine spa towns, Lanjarón and Alhama de Granada, are within an hour.

Seville has a few atmospheric Arab-style baths and its hotel spas, but its narrow streets get noisy at night and it has no thermal waters nearby. Its version of rest is a quiet hour in a shaded courtyard or the Alcázar gardens.