Athens or Izmir?

Athens has the easier beach day. The Riviera from Faliro down to Vouliagmeni and Varkiza is reached by tram and coastal bus, and the water gets clearer the farther south you go. Aegina and Agistri are a short ferry ride away for a quieter swim.

Izmir's own waterfront is not for swimming, so every beach means about an hour's trip, usually to the shallow sand at Ilica or the wilder coves around Altinkum on the Cesme peninsula. The sand there is softer than the rocky free stretches near Athens, but the wind keeps the sea cooler.

Both cities eat around a shared table of meze, grilled fish and an anise spirit: ouzo and tsipouro in Athens, raki in Izmir. Athens has the broader range, from neighbourhood tavernas in Psyrri, Koukaki and Pangrati to the Varvakios market and a serious modern Greek fine-dining scene, with assyrtiko and agiorgitiko to drink alongside.

Izmir is narrower but distinctive. Its cooking is Aegean, built on olive oil and wild greens, and street breakfasts of boyoz and gevrek belong to this city alone. There is less high-end and international choice, but the lanes of Kemeraltı and the seafood tables of Alsancak are a pleasure of their own.

This is where the two differ most. Athens has the Acropolis above almost every street, with the Agora, Hadrian's Library, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Kerameikos strung along one pedestrian promenade. Museums such as the Acropolis Museum and the National Archaeological Museum are a match for the ruins.

Izmir lost much of its old city in the fire of 1922. The Roman Agora of Smyrna, Kadifekale above the gulf and the Ottoman hans of Kemeraltı fill a good day or two, but the region's great ancient sites lie outside the city, not in it.

Athens goes out later and harder. Bars around Psyrri and Monastiraki fill at midnight with the lit Acropolis above them, and Gazi has the big clubs and a long-standing gay scene. The bouzouki clubs run until dawn, and in summer the clubbing moves out to the coast towards Glyfada.

Izmir's evenings are looser and happen more on the street. People drink on the Kordon at sunset, then move to the small bars and rock bars in Alsancak's back lanes. The city's own club scene is modest, and the big summer nights are an hour away in Alaçatı and Çeşme.

Neither city is mainly an outdoors destination, and they come out about level, but the landscapes differ. Athens has hills you can walk up from the centre, such as Lycabettus and Filopappou, plus fir forest and proper hiking on Mount Parnitha and sailing on the Saronic Gulf. Izmir's outdoors is more about wind and wetland: flamingos in the Gediz Delta, excellent windsurfing at Alaçatı, and plateau walks or winter skiing on Bozdağ.

Both are among the best bases in the Mediterranean for ancient sites, and the difference is in how the days look. From Athens you reach Cape Sounion at sunset, Delphi, and the Argolid circuit of Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio. Ferries from Piraeus also make island days on Hydra and Aegina easy.

From Izmir the highlight is Ephesus, about an hour away by train. Pergamon, Sardis, and the run to Priene, Miletus and Didyma lie farther out, and Alaçatı and Şirince add village charm. Around either city, a car or a tour opens up most of the list.

Children are warmly welcomed in both cities, and neither has a big theme park. Athens has a few more ways to fill a scorching afternoon, with the planetarium, Hellenic Cosmos and the Stavros Niarchos park, but its broken pavements and steep steps are hard on pushchairs. Izmir is flatter along the Kordon and has the Sasalı Wildlife Park and bay ferries, though the gentle sandy beach at Ilica is an hour away.

Both cities have walkable centres and a metro, but the walking feels different. Athens packs its sights into a hilly core around Plaka and Monastiraki where pavements are narrow and often blocked, and its metro runs straight in from the airport and Piraeus. Izmir's centre is a flat seafront stroll from Konak to Alsancak, but the city stretches a long way round the gulf, which is where İZBAN and the cross-bay ferries come in.

Neither is a city for luxury shopping, and both are best for food and crafts to take home. Athens has Ermou for chains, Kolonaki for Greek designers and the weekend flea market at Monastiraki for antiques and records. Izmir's strength is Kemeraltı, a working bazaar of hans and courtyards where locals, rather than tourists, buy copperware, olive oil soaps and spices.

Izmir is the cheaper stay. Simple meals, transport and mid-range hotels all cost less, and the bay ferries are a scenic ride for very little. Costs only climb with raki at a meyhane or in the summer resort season on the Cesme peninsula.

Athens costs less than most Western European capitals, but central hotels in summer, especially those with Acropolis views, cost what any popular city charges. Staying in Koukaki or Pangrati keeps costs down there.

Athens has the stronger stage, above all in summer, when the Athens Epidaurus Festival brings opera, ancient drama and dance to the Odeon of Herodes Atticus beneath the Acropolis. The rest of the year the Greek National Opera and the Megaron offer a solid classical programme, and rebetiko in late-night tavernas is the music to look for.

Izmir has state opera, ballet and symphony companies, and the International Izmir Festival takes concerts to the theatre at Ephesus each summer. Outside the festival there is little for a visitor without Turkish, apart from live rock and jazz in a few Alsancak bars.

Izmir is the easier place to unwind. The springs at Balçova, known in antiquity as the Baths of Agamemnon, feed thermal pools on the city's edge, and Kemeraltı still has working hammams. The slow pace of the Kordon does the rest.

Athens is loud and hot by comparison, and its Ottoman bathhouse is a museum. The one real exception is the spring-fed water of Lake Vouliagmeni on the Riviera.