Alanya or Larnaca?

Alanya has the better beaches. Cleopatra Beach is a long curve of fine pale sand beneath the castle, Keykubat runs east for several kilometres, and boat trips around the headland stop at turquoise coves. Larnaca's town beach, Finikoudes, is shallow and easy, but its sand is greyish and it is pleasant rather than lovely.

In Larnaca, the white sand that Cyprus is known for lies at Nissi Beach and Fig Tree Bay, about forty minutes to an hour away. In Alanya, the best sand is a short walk from the centre.

The food in the two towns is broadly level, but the meals are quite different. In Alanya, the good eating is back-street pide and kebab, grilled fish, village gözleme up in the hills and the big weekly market, all of which you have to look past the picture menus on the harbour to find.

Larnaca's best meal is a long Cypriot meze in a village taverna or a fish taverna by the old harbour, ending with thick coffee or a glass of Commandaria. Neither town offers much fine dining.

Alanya has the stronger single sight. Its Seljuk castle climbs the peninsula above the Red Tower and the rock-cut Tersane shipyard, with views over both bays, and that alone fills a satisfying day.

Larnaca's sights are smaller and more scattered: the ninth-century Church of Saint Lazarus, the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque on the Salt Lake, and the excavated foundations of ancient Kition. In both towns, a day or two covers the lot.

This is one of the clearest differences between the two. In summer, Alanya's harbour fills with karaoke bars, open-air clubs and DJs playing to a young international crowd, and party boats circle the peninsula. Larnaca keeps to cocktail bars along Finikoudes and beach-bar DJs at Mackenzie.

For real clubbing from Larnaca, you have to travel about forty minutes to Ayia Napa. Both towns go quiet in winter.

Behind Alanya, the Taurus Mountains climb within a short drive to pine forest and high summer pastures. The Dim Cave, the waterfalls of Sapadere Canyon and the paragliding launches above town give it far more landscape close at hand.

The country around Larnaca is low and dry. Its outdoor draws are the winter flamingos on the Salt Lake and the Zenobia wreck offshore, while Cape Greco and the Troodos mountains are an hour or more away.

Larnaca's central position on the island gives it the edge. Nicosia, with its Venetian walls and crossing into the north, is about forty minutes away, and Lefkara and the Neolithic site of Choirokoitia are each about half an hour. Kourion, Paphos and Famagusta extend the choice further.

Alanya's Roman sites at Side, Aspendos and Perge are superb, but they lie one to two hours west along the same coast road. Most visitors see them on an organised tour.

Alanya is better set up for children. Many resort hotels are built for families, with kids' clubs, pools and slides, and there are water parks, a sea-life park, the cable car to the castle and pirate-style boat trips.

Larnaca has a gentle beach, playgrounds along the promenade and an airport minutes away, which makes travel days short. Beyond the camel park and the flamingos, though, the bigger outings mean a drive to Ayia Napa's waterpark.

The two towns are about equal for getting around, with a compact walkable centre and a car needed for the countryside. Alanya's resort strip stretches for many kilometres but is linked by frequent buses and dolmuş minibuses, and a cable car does the climb to the castle.

Larnaca's centre is small and flat, and the airport is just south of town. Beyond the intercity routes, though, buses are sparse, and most visitors hire a car and drive on the left.

Neither town is a shopping destination, but Alanya gives you a little more to browse. Bazaar streets near the harbour sell leather, gold, textiles and Turkish delight, bargaining is expected, and the weekly market is a lively place to wander.

Larnaca has fewer shops, mostly high-street chains on Ermou and Zinonos Kitieos. Its more distinctive buys are local: Lefkara lace and silver, and pottery from the Skala workshops.

Alanya is the cheaper of the two, especially as a package or all-inclusive stay that covers room, meals and drinks. Local buses and simple Turkish eateries cost little, although harbourside restaurants and tours cost noticeably more.

Larnaca is moderately priced. Meze is good value and many sights are free, but most visitors also want a hire car, which adds a real cost. Both towns get cheaper out of season.

Neither town has much of a stage, and what each has is different in kind. Alanya's performances are mostly hotel shows and Turkish nights, plus an early-autumn jazz festival with concerts in the medieval shipyard.

Larnaca has a little more local life: Greek-language plays at the municipal theatre, a summer festival on outdoor stages including the fort, and bouzouki music in tavernas at weekends. For anything bigger, Nicosia is close.

For a pampering stay, the Turkish bath tips things Alanya's way. It is built into nearly every large hotel and offered in bathhouses around town, so a session fits easily between beach days. Quiet takes a little planning, though, because the harbour is loud in high summer and a hotel out of the centre is calmer. Spring and autumn suit unwinding best.

In Larnaca, the spas are confined to the big resort hotels east of town, so a spa trip there means choosing your hotel for it. The town itself does the relaxing for you, with unhurried coffees on the seafront, an evening walk along the promenade and a gentle, uncrowded winter.