Antalya or Fethiye?

These two are equally strong for the beach, but in different ways. Antalya puts its swimming right on the city's doorstep: the long pebble sweep of Konyaaltı under the mountains, sandy Lara to the east, rock swimming in the old harbour, and the resort shores of Belek and Kemer within an hour.

Fethiye's own shore at Calis is only adequate, and the real draw is Oludeniz, a short minibus ride away, with its sheltered turquoise lagoon. Beyond it lie boat-only Butterfly Valley, the sandy cove at Kidrak and quiet Kabak, so the beach days feel wilder but involve more travel.

Antalya eats better, largely because it is a working city with its own dishes: piyaz in tahini dressing beside grilled şiş köfte, slow-cooked tandır lamb, and plain kebab houses in the modern districts where locals eat. Fish restaurants along the coast and produce from the citrus plain add range.

Fethiye's best food moment is the fish market, where you buy at the stall and a restaurant on the square cooks it for you. Beyond that and a few lokantas in town, the resort strips at Hisaronu and Oludeniz drift towards English breakfasts and pizza, so there is less to explore.

Antalya has much more to see. You can spend a full day between Kaleiçi's Ottoman houses, Hadrian's Gate, the Yivli Minare and the Antalya Museum, whose marble statues from Perge make it a serious collection.

Fethiye's sights are few but memorable: the temple-fronted Lycian rock tombs above town, sarcophagi standing in ordinary streets, and the roofless ghost village of Kayakoy over the ridge. Since much of the town was rebuilt after the 1957 earthquake, these take a morning or two rather than a whole stay.

Antalya has a little more going on, with courtyard bars in Kaleiçi, harbour terraces and big open-air beach clubs along Konyaaltı and Lara, though you need taxis between them. Fethiye splits between relaxed cocktail bars and rooftops in the Paspatur quarter and Hisaronu's loud strip of karaoke and late clubs. In both, the scene belongs to summer and thins out sharply in winter.

Both sit where high mountains drop straight into the sea, and both are excellent for outdoor trips. Antalya's highlights are the cable car up Tahtalı Dağı, the Düden falls pouring off a cliff into the sea, rafting in Köprülü Canyon, and even winter skiing at Saklıkent in the mountains.

Fethiye packs its attractions closer together. Tandem paragliding from Babadag lands beside the lagoon, the Lycian Way sets off from Ovacik past Butterfly Valley and Kabak, and at its own Saklikent Gorge you wade upstream through icy water. Sea kayaking and gulet cruises around the bay add a gentler side.

Both bases are surrounded by ancient cities, but from different civilisations. From Antalya the trips are grand Roman and Hellenistic sites: the theatre at Aspendos, Perge's colonnaded street, Termessos high on its peak, and Side's temple by the sea.

Fethiye looks out on the Lycian heartland of Tlos, Pinara, Xanthos and Letoon, and Patara behind its dunes, plus river boats past the rock tombs at Dalyan. It also has a seasonal ferry to Rhodes for a day in the medieval Old Town, if you bring a passport. From either base, the ruins are easiest with a car or a tour.

Antalya is the stronger family choice, because so much of its coast is designed around children. Resorts in Lara, Belek and Kemer have kids' clubs and water slides, Belek has a large theme park, and the city aquarium makes a good escape from the midday sun.

Fethiye's warm, shallow Oludeniz lagoon is close to perfect for small swimmers, and boat trips and a small water park help. Beyond that there is little built for children, so it works best for a simple sea-and-pool week, ideally in June or September.

Getting around is about equally easy, though the two work differently. Antalya runs trams linking the airport, the bus station, the old town and Konyaaltı, but its resorts stretch for tens of kilometres and rely on hotel transfers. Fethiye's centre is compact and flat, with dolmus minibuses running to Oludeniz, Hisaronu and Kayakoy and water taxis to Calis. On the other hand, it has no rail and the airport at Dalaman is about 45 minutes away.

Neither is a shopping destination, though Antalya gives a little more choice thanks to its large malls with Turkish and international chains, a welcome cool retreat in summer. Fethiye's best shopping is its long covered market by the canal, good for spices, honey and peshtemal towels. In both, the old-town lanes sell much the same carpets, ceramics and Turkish delight.

Costs are much the same, and in both the gap between local and tourist prices matters more than the choice of town. Antalya's all-inclusive resorts can make a family trip good value, while its Kaleiçi restaurants and beach clubs charge more. In Fethiye, family-run guesthouses and market food keep things cheap, but paragliding, diving and boat cruises quickly add up.

Antalya is far ahead here. Its state opera, ballet and theatre companies perform through the winter, and the summer opera and ballet festival on the Roman stage at Aspendos is worth planning a visit around.

Fethiye has no season of its own. Live music there means a saz player in a meyhane, cover bands in Hisaronu and the odd open-air summer show.

Antalya is the stronger choice for pampering. Kaleiçi has several old hammams where you can take the full scrub and foam massage on warm marble, and nearly every large resort in Lara, Belek and Kemer has its own hammam, sauna and spa, some of them very extensive. Add long breakfasts and evenings by the sea once the heat breaks, and an unhurried week is easy to arrange.

Fethiye has less of this: a historic Ottoman bath in the Paspatur quarter and the spas of its larger hotels. It differs at the quiet end of the coast, where small retreats on the terraced slopes above Kabak and Faralya run yoga weeks and simple stays for people who want sea views and very little else to do.