Antalya or Benidorm?

Both are serious beach destinations, and the difference is mostly underfoot. Antalya's Konyaaltı is coarse pebble with water that deepens quickly, so families and sand lovers head east to Lara or out to Belek. The pine-backed coves around Kemer and Phaselis add variety, and boats leave the old harbour for trips along the cliffs.

Benidorm has fine, groomed sand on both Levante and Poniente, with shallow water right in front of town, and the rocky coves under Serra Gelada and at Albir for a change. Antalya's sea is a few degrees warmer in summer and stays warmer through the winter. Both get packed in high summer.

Antalya eats better, as long as you get away from Kaleiçi and the resort buffets. There is grilled şiş köfte with tahini piyaz, slow-cooked tandır lamb, Gulf fish and long breakfasts, and markets stacked with citrus and pomegranates from the surrounding plain.

Benidorm's seafront serves full breakfasts and pizzas to package visitors, and the good food is narrower: the tapas lane in the old town and rice dishes such as arroz a banda and arroz negro, cooked the way the Alicante coast does them. In Antalya the everyday köfte houses are where the good food is, while in Benidorm you have to go looking for it.

Here the gap is wide. Antalya has a walled Ottoman old town that you enter through a Roman triple arch, the fluted Seljuk minaret above it, and an archaeological museum whose marble statues from Perge are among the better collections in Turkey.

Benidorm's heritage is a few whitewashed lanes on the headland, the blue-domed church and the Balcón del Mediterráneo lookout, plus the tower skyline itself. Anyone after history in Benidorm ends up travelling to Alicante, Valencia or the inland villages to find it.

Benidorm is the place for a big night out. In summer the pubs, karaoke and drag cabaret bars around the Rincón de Loix run well past midnight, the old town offers a more Spanish evening of tapas and terraces, and the clubs on the edge of town keep going until dawn.

Antalya's nights are pleasant rather than memorable: courtyard bars in Kaleiçi, beach clubs at Konyaaltı and Lara, and hotel discos in the resorts. They are far enough apart that you need taxis between them. Both towns quieten sharply out of season.

Antalya's setting is grander. The Taurus and Beydağları ranges drop straight into the sea, a cable car climbs Tahtalı Dağı to about 2,365m, and the Lycian Way sets off along the coast. You can raft in Köprülü Canyon or ski at Saklıkent in winter, and even within the city the Düden falls pour off a cliff into the sea.

Benidorm has good walking too, on the Serra Gelada cliff path, Puig Campana and the Bernia ridge, with snorkelling and kayaking just off the town beaches. Its landscapes are smaller in scale and offer less variety.

Antalya's day trips are mostly about the ancient world: the colonnaded street at Perge, the theatre at Aspendos, Termessos high on its peak, and longer runs to Myra and the sunken city at Kekova. Most are easier with a car or a tour.

Benidorm's outings are gentler and closer. White Altea and the painted houses of Villajoyosa are minutes away, Guadalest's castle sits on its rock inland, and the tram reaches Alicante. These are pretty towns rather than ancient cities, and apart from Valencia the range is narrower.

Both work well with children, and Benidorm has a slight edge because everything is close together. The sand shelves gently on both beaches, the promenades suit pushchairs, and theme, water and marine parks plus a zoo sit on the edge of town. Staying near Poniente keeps you clear of the adult nightlife behind Levante.

Antalya's strength is its resorts at Lara, Belek and Kemer, with pools, slides and kids' clubs, and a big aquarium in the city for the midday heat. Its summers are harsher, though, and Kaleiçi's steep lanes are hard going with a pushchair.

Benidorm is easier to get around because nearly everything lies along two flat promenades with the old town between them. Seafront buses go out to the parks and the coastal tram runs to Alicante and Altea. The only awkward parts are the hillside hotels behind Levante and the inland mountains.

Antalya's tram links the airport, the old town and Konyaaltı. The resorts, though, stretch for tens of kilometres, so guests rely on hotel transfers and taxis, and the ancient sites almost demand a hire car or a tour.

Neither is a shopping destination, but Antalya has more worth browsing. Kaleiçi's lanes sell carpets, ceramics, leather and Turkish delight, the weekly neighbourhood markets are good for spices and dried fruit, and the large malls have the chains and shelter from the heat.

Benidorm's shops stick to beachwear, souvenirs, sunglasses and cheap electronics, and the open-air markets sell clothes and fakes. For proper shopping, people take the tram to Alicante.

Both are good value if you avoid the tourist premium, but the savings come in different ways. Benidorm is cheap by design: the huge supply of rooms keeps rates low, set lunches and drinks are inexpensive, and winter is especially cheap for long stays.

In Antalya you save by eating in local köfte houses and at the markets and by using the trams. Kaleiçi restaurants, beach clubs and boat trips cost noticeably more. All-inclusive packages are a sensible choice for families in both.

Antalya offers more serious performances. A state opera and ballet company and a state theatre perform through the winter, and the summer opera and ballet festival on the Roman stage at Aspendos is worth timing a trip around.

Benidorm's entertainment is cabaret, tribute acts, comedians and a large dinner-show venue. It is cheerful every night, but there is no opera, orchestra or theatre. Neither city has a concert-hall scene.

Antalya is the better place to unwind properly. The old hammams in Kaleiçi give the full scrub and foam massage on warm marble, and the resorts in Lara, Belek and Kemer have extensive spas of their own.

Benidorm has no bathing tradition, so wellness means hotel spas with saunas and indoor pools. Its real strength is the slow, mild winter, when promenade walks and long lunches make for a restful stay, and Poniente is the calmer side of town all year.