Seville or Zaragoza?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Seville gets you to the sea far more easily. The Atlantic beaches of Huelva, such as Matalascañas and Mazagón, are about an hour and a quarter away by car or coach, and the water is around 22°C in summer. A beach day is realistic, though it takes most of the day.

From Zaragoza the Mediterranean is more than 200km away, too far for a casual day out, and nobody swims in the Ebro. In summer, swimming in either city means a hotel pool or a municipal pool.

Both cities eat tapas, but Seville does it with more variety. You'll find spinach with chickpeas, pringá, pork cheek and fish fried in the Cádiz style, washed down with fino, manzanilla or orange-blossom vermouth. There are old tiled bars in Triana and El Arenal and more inventive kitchens around the Alameda.

Zaragoza's version is simpler and heartier. In El Tubo each counter is known for a single dish, the main cooking is Aragonese, built around ternasco lamb and migas, and the local reds from Cariñena and Somontano cost little. Neither city offers much international or high-end dining.

Seville's historic centre is in a different league. The Alcázar's Mudéjar courtyards, the huge Gothic cathedral with the Giralda, and the Archivo de Indias stand side by side. Around them are Santa Cruz, Plaza de España and Casa de Pilatos, easily enough for three or four days.

Zaragoza's highlights are fewer but go back further. The Aljafería, an eleventh-century Islamic palace, is the best of them. Add the Pilar basilica with ceilings by the young Goya, the Mudéjar wall of La Seo, and the underground remains of Roman Caesaraugusta. Two or three days cover it, and outside the old core the city is mostly modern.

Seville has the livelier evenings. Long outdoor nights run from tapas bars to the Alameda de Hércules, Triana and the streets around the Alfalfa. In summer the riverbanks fill with open-air bars once the heat breaks.

Zaragoza's night out is friendly but more tied to the students, busiest around Plaza San Felipe and the Casco on Thursdays and weekends and quieter otherwise. Neither city is a clubbing destination. Each has one great party: Seville's April Fair, and the Fiestas del Pilar in October in Zaragoza.

Both cities sit on hot, flat plains, so the difference is in what lies beyond them. Seville's big draw is wetland. The marshes and dunes of Doñana, about an hour and a half away, are known for flamingos and migrating birds, and the cork-oak hills of Aracena offer gentle walks.

From Zaragoza you get mountains and dramatic rock instead. There are beech forests on the Moncayo, the red towers of the Mallos de Riglos, the badlands of the Bardenas Reales, and the Pyrenees about two hours north, though most of these need a car.

Both make excellent bases for day trips, but you use them differently. From Seville, the classic Andalusian outings are mostly easy without a car. Córdoba is under an hour by high-speed train, Jerez and Cádiz are reachable by train, and Carmona and Itálica are close by.

Zaragoza's special advantage is that Madrid and Barcelona are each about an hour and a half away by train. Its best regional sights, such as Loarre castle, ruined Belchite and Albarracín, are much easier with a hired car.

Seville has more attractions for children, and Zaragoza is the calmer, slightly cooler city. In Seville there are rowing boats on the canal at Plaza de España in María Luisa Park, a maze and fountains in the Alcázar gardens, and a theme park with a summer water park on La Cartuja, the old Expo island. The downside is July and August, when days often go above 40°C and sightseeing with small children gets hard.

Zaragoza's main attraction for families is the riverside aquarium of the world's great rivers. Next to it, the Parque del Agua has playgrounds and space to run, and the October fiestas bring parades of giants and big-heads. Most of its monuments mean more to adults, but the city's slow pace makes the days easy to manage.

Seville is the better city to cycle. Bike lanes run across the flat centre, and the public bike scheme makes it easy to ride from the cathedral to Triana or Plaza de España. Its short tram and single metro line matter less to a visitor than the bike does. The catch is summer, when the midday heat makes walking or riding hard work, and the orange trees along the narrow lanes give only so much shade.

Zaragoza relies more on its tram, which crosses the whole centre from north to south, although the walk from the Pilar to the Aljafería is short enough to do on foot. Its summers are a few degrees cooler, so a midday walk is tiring but not as punishing as in Seville. In both cities a car only earns its keep once you head out into the countryside.

Seville has more worth taking home. The pottery workshops of Triana sell hand-painted tiles. Around Sierpes and Cuna, shops sell flamenco dresses, mantillas, fans and guitars made for locals preparing for the Fair, and the Thursday flea market on Calle Feria is good for browsing.

In Zaragoza, shopping is mostly high-street chains on Paseo de la Independencia and a large mall on the city's edge. The local character is in edible souvenirs such as frutas de Aragón and in ceramics from nearby Muel. Neither city has much luxury or independent design.

Zaragoza is the cheaper stay. Central hotels are good value most of the year, sightseeing costs little, and the Pilar basilica is free to enter. Its one expensive period is the October fiestas.

Seville is still reasonable by Western European standards, and evenings of tapas and beer are a real saving. However, tickets for the Alcázar and the cathedral add up. Room rates also climb steeply around Holy Week and the April Fair, when the best-placed hotels book up months ahead.

This is where the two cities differ most. Seville is the heart of flamenco, with performances every night in small tablaos, cultural centres and local peñas, and the Bienal de Flamenco in autumn of even-numbered years. The Teatro de la Maestranza adds opera in the city where Carmen and The Barber of Seville are set.

Zaragoza's scene is reliable but provincial. The Auditorio hosts touring orchestras and jazz, and the Teatro Principal stages plays and dance. The jota, Aragon's leaping folk dance, is mostly seen during the Fiestas del Pilar, so check the programme before you go.

Neither city has a bathing tradition of its own. Both offer Arab-style bath houses and hotel spas. Seville's version is the more atmospheric, with baths in old mansions under arched ceilings. It also has cool, tiled courtyards and the Alcázar gardens to rest in, but the narrow streets can be noisy at night.

Zaragoza's calm comes from slow strolls along the Ebro and shady afternoons in Parque Grande. The thermal waters of Alhama de Aragón are a little over an hour away if you want a proper spa day.