Athens or Fethiye?

Fethiye is the better place for a beach vacation. Oludeniz's shallow turquoise lagoon, the boat-only cove at Butterfly Valley, sandy Kidrak and the island stops on day cruises give you a different swim every day, and the water is clear wherever you go.

Athens has real sea within reach on the Riviera, from Glyfada down to Vouliagmeni, but much of it is organised lidos and rocky gaps, and the beaches near the city get crowded. There you fit a swim into a city stay, while in Fethiye the beach is the reason for going.

Athens is far stronger. Neighbourhood tavernas and mezedopoleia in Psyrri, Koukaki and Exarchia serve grilled octopus, fava and slow-cooked dishes with Greek wine or tsipouro. The Varvakios market and a serious fine-dining scene add range.

In Fethiye the best meal is picking your fish at the town market and having it cooked at the restaurants around the square, with rakı and meze on the harbour afterwards. Outside the town, menus in Hisaronu and Oludeniz are mostly pizza and English breakfasts, so food lovers have far less to go on.

The two are hardly comparable. Athens has the Acropolis, a walkable promenade linking the Agora, Kerameikos and the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and museums such as the Acropolis Museum and the Benaki, enough to fill a week.

Fethiye's sights are few but striking: the Lycian rock tombs above the town, sarcophagi among the streets, and the abandoned village of Kayakoy over the ridge. Together they make a rewarding afternoon or two rather than the backbone of a trip.

Athens has a proper nightlife city's late hours, with dinner after nine and bars that fill at midnight. You can choose between rooftop bars facing the Acropolis in Monastiraki, clubs and the gay scene in Gazi, student bars in Exarchia and bouzouki nights, and in summer the clubs move out to the coast.

Fethiye offers a relaxed drink in the lit lanes of Paspatur or a loud package-resort night on the Hisaronu strip. Both are seasonal, and from November to April evenings in town end early.

Fethiye has the more dramatic landscape and more to do in it. Babadag rises almost straight out of the sea, the Lycian Way follows cliff paths through pine forest, and Saklikent Gorge, gulet cruises and diving in clear water are all close by.

Athens has good outdoor options of its own: views from Lycabettus and Filopappou, pine trails on Hymettus, fir forest on Parnitha and sailing on the Saronic Gulf. Most of it is either a short city walk or an hour's drive away, though, and the hills are dry and brown through summer.

Athens has the more famous list. Delphi, Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio, the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion and the islands of Hydra and Aegina are all within a day, and several of them are landmarks of the ancient world.

Fethiye's outings are strong too: Lycian Tlos, Xanthos and Patara, the river boats below the tombs at Dalyan, Kas and Kalkan along the coast, and in season a ferry to medieval Rhodes, for which you need a passport. Many of its inland sites are hard to reach without a car, though, and those around Athens are easier to reach by tour.

Both work for families, but in different ways. Athens gives you city days out: the zoo, the planetarium, Hellenic Cosmos and the park at the Stavros Niarchos centre, with the myths bringing the ruins alive for older children. Steep steps, broken pavements and midsummer crowds make it tiring with a pushchair.

Fethiye is a pool-and-sea vacation, with the shallow, sheltered lagoon at Oludeniz, hotels built for families and boat trips with swimming stops. It has little else made for children, so Athens offers more variety on rainy or restless days.

Athens is easier to get around. The main sights are close together on foot, and a clean metro runs from the airport and Piraeus. A tram goes to the coast and taxis are plentiful, although hills, heat and blocked pavements make walking hard work.

In Fethiye the flat harbour area is easy, and dolmus minibuses and water taxis cover the nearby resorts. There is no rail, and inland sites such as Tlos and Saklikent are awkward to reach without hiring a car.

Athens gives you more. Ermou Street has the chain stores, Kolonaki the designer and Greek boutiques, and Monastiraki's weekend flea market has antiques, records and odds and ends. Leather sandals, honey and jewellery inspired by ancient designs make the best souvenirs.

Fethiye's shopping is the weekly canal market and the carpet, ceramics and lamp shops of Paspatur. It is good for peshtemal towels and gifts, but there are no fashion streets to make a trip of.

Neither is a budget destination, but Fethiye can work out a little cheaper. In town, lokantas, minibus fares and family-run guesthouses cost little, but paragliding, boat cruises and heavily taxed alcohol add up, and a lagoon-side package in peak season costs as much as other Mediterranean resorts.

In Athens, souvlaki, taverna meals and the metro are good value. Central hotels with Acropolis views charge high-summer prices, though, and entry fees build up over several days of sightseeing.

Open-air summer nights are what set Athens apart. Opera, ancient drama and concerts are staged at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus below the Acropolis and at the theatre of Epidaurus, and the Greek National Opera and the Megaron carry on through the rest of the year. Rebetiko played late in small tavernas is the music to look for, though most theatre is in Greek.

Fethiye has no real season. You might hear a saz player in a meyhane, cover bands in Hisaronu or an occasional concert at the cultural centre.

Fethiye is the easier place to unwind. A working Ottoman hammam in Paspatur offers the full scrub and foam ritual, the yoga retreats above Kabak and Faralya look out over the sea, and the harbour promenade is made for slow evenings, provided you avoid the resort strips.

Athens is loud and hot, and its old bathhouse is now a museum. Its one real draw for rest is Lake Vouliagmeni, where mineral springs keep the water mild all year.