Alanya or Limassol?

Alanya has the better beaches. Cleopatra Beach is a long curve of fine pale sand right under the castle, and Keykubat runs for kilometres east of the harbour, so good sand starts at the edge of town. Boat trips round the headland stop at turquoise coves you cannot reach on foot.

Limassol's city beaches are mostly grey sand or shingle, practical rather than pretty. What it offers is variety within a short drive: the long, quieter stretch of Lady's Mile beside Akrotiri, Governor's Beach under its white chalk cliffs, the open bay below Kourion and the sheltered cove at Pissouri.

Limassol eats better. A long meze in a family taverna, with halloumi, sausage, kleftiko and souvla, is a meal you would plan an evening around. Add simply grilled fish by the old port and the wine villages with their Xynisteri, Maratheftiko and Commandaria, and the island's cooking has a clear identity.

In Alanya the default is harbourside picture menus and hotel buffets. Good Turkish food is there if you go looking: kebab and pide in the back streets, gözleme cooked at stalls in the hills, and the weekly market for olives, cheese and spices.

Alanya has the stronger sights in town, though neither is a culture destination. The Seljuk castle walls climb the whole headland past Ottoman houses and cisterns, and the Red Tower and rock-cut Tersane shipyard sit at the water's edge. It is a proper half-day or more.

Limassol has a small castle with a medieval museum, a few lanes of the old mixed quarter and the ruins of Amathus on the city's eastern edge. Both towns can be seen in a day or two. After that, Limassol's richer heritage is all out of town.

Alanya has the bigger night out, at least in summer. Its harbour bar street, open-air clubs and party boats are aimed at a young package crowd that dances until the small hours, though most of it closes from late autumn.

Limassol is calmer and more grown-up. People drink outside in the lanes around Saripolou Square, there are lounge bars at the marina, and the crowd mixes locals with long-term residents. It is better for a long evening of drinks than for clubbing.

Both have mountains right behind the coast, so the outdoors is broadly even. The difference is in the kind of trip. Alanya's Taurus foothills give you canyons and water, with the Sapadere gorge walkway, the Dim River and its cave, jeep safaris to summer pastures, and paragliding above town.

Limassol's Troodos means proper walking in black pine near Mount Olympos, with trails such as the Caledonia waterfall path, and some winters bring a little skiing. Closer to the city, flamingos winter on the Akrotiri salt lake. In midsummer both lowlands are too hot to walk.

Limassol is the better base for day trips. From the middle of the south coast it reaches Kourion and Kolossi in minutes, Paphos and Nicosia in under an hour or so, and the Troodos churches, Lefkara and Choirokoitia within a day. That mix of Roman, Byzantine, Crusader and Neolithic sites is wide for such small distances.

From Alanya the good outings run west to Side, Aspendos, Perge and Antalya's Kaleiçi. They are first-rate Roman sites, but most are two hours away and usually done on a coach tour.

Alanya works a little better with children. Its main beaches are sand that shelves gently, the family hotels have slides and kids' clubs, and the cable car, water parks and pirate boats are easy outings. Choose a hotel away from the noisy harbour.

Limassol has the same calm, shallow water and family hotels, a waterpark to the west and a promenade made for scooters. Its beaches are greyer and more shingly, and most outings beyond the sea need a car.

Alanya is the easier place without a car. The harbour, castle cable car and both main beaches are close together along one promenade, and dolmuş minibuses run often along the coast road. You only need a tour or hire car for the mountains and ruins.

Limassol is spread thinly along its shore, and only the old town and marina are pleasant on foot. Cyprus has no railway and few inland buses, so most of what makes Limassol worth it means hiring a car and driving on the left.

Neither is a shopping destination, but Limassol has more range. Anexartisias and Makarios Avenue have the main chains, the marina has a few smart boutiques, and the old-town workshops sell ceramics and local design. Lefkara lace, halloumi and Commandaria make better souvenirs.

Alanya's shopping is the bazaar near the harbour, with leather, towels, gold and copies of brands to bargain over. Its big weekly market is still the most enjoyable shop in either town.

Alanya is clearly the cheaper vacation. All-inclusive packages bundle room, food and drinks, and local buses and back-street eating cost little. Only the harbourside restaurants and tours sold to visitors cost much more.

Limassol charges Western European resort prices on the seafront and at the marina. A taverna meze inland is still fair value, but once you add a hire car, the total costs much more. In both towns, going outside high summer cuts room prices.

Neither town is a place for music or theatre, but Limassol has more of it. The restored Rialto and Pattihio theatres host plays and touring concerts in the cooler months. In summer, ancient Greek drama is staged at Kourion's cliff-top theatre at sunset, which is worth booking a trip around.

Alanya mostly offers Turkish nights at the hotels and folk dancing. Its one real event is the long-running early-autumn jazz festival, with concerts in places such as the old shipyard.

Alanya does relaxation better, mainly because of the hammam. Steam, a scrub, a foam wash and a massage are easy to book in town or at almost any large hotel, and the humid air of the Damlataş cave has a long local reputation for easing the breathing.

Limassol has no bathing tradition of its own. It relies on well-equipped hotel spas and its slow pace, and for real quiet you drive up into the pine air of the Troodos villages.