Beirut or Istanbul?

In neither city do you just walk down to the sand, but Beirut fits more swimming into a stay. Its sea is warm from June to October, locals swim off the Corniche rocks, and the beach clubs to the north and south, plus the cleaner shores around Byblos and Batroun, make beach days a regular part of summer. The price is a drive and an entrance fee.

In Istanbul the water near the centre is for looking at. Swimming means an hour's trip north to the cooler Black Sea sands at Kilyos or Sile, where the currents are strong, or a ferry to the pebbly coves of the Princes' Islands. It makes a half day out, not a reason to come.

Both are outstanding places to eat, and in both an evening is built around meze with an aniseed spirit, arak in Beirut and rakı in Istanbul. The difference is depth against breadth. Beirut does the Lebanese table brilliantly at every level: za'atar manakish from a Hamra bakery, Armenian grills in Bourj Hammoud, polished dining rooms in Achrafieh, plus Bekaa wine and weekend lunches on a mountain terrace.

Istanbul draws on the whole of Turkey, so Black Sea anchovies, south-eastern kebabs and Ottoman palace dishes all turn up in one city. Its particular pleasures are the lunchtime lokanta, a long meyhane night in Beyoglu or Kumkapi, and grazing through Kadikoy's market streets.

Beirut's sights fit into a short stay, because war and rebuilding have broken up much of the old city. The Phoenician sarcophagi and Roman mosaics of the National Museum and the contemporary art in the Sursock's white villa are the highlights. Downtown adds the Roman baths and the restored streets around Place de l'Etoile. After that, what holds your interest is the streets: the stairways of Gemmayzeh and the bullet-marked facades.

Istanbul has far more to see. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi and the Basilica Cistern are all a short walk from each other. Beyond them are Süleymaniye, the Chora mosaics, the Theodosian walls and the palaces along the Bosphorus. A week will not cover it all, so on a trip built around sightseeing, the city itself is the reason to go.

Both cities stay out until dawn, but going out matters more in Beirut. Mar Mikhael and Gemmayzeh are packed with small bars, and the crowd moves from one to the next. The night carries on in underground clubs by the port, on rooftops in summer and at beach-club parties, and people dress up for it.

Istanbul's scene is large but kept to a few districts. There are rooftop bars in Beyoglu and meyhanes there that end in singing, polished cocktail bars in Karakoy, cheaper streets in Kadikoy and summer clubs on the Bosphorus at Ortakoy. Heavy taxes on alcohol push up the cost, and outside those areas the city is quiet.

Neither city has much green within it, but Beirut has mountains right behind it. Within an hour you are among pines and stone villages above 1,000m. Nearby are the Jeita Grotto, paragliding over Jounieh Bay and walks on the Lebanon Mountain Trail, plus skiing at Faraya and Mzaar in winter. The Qadisha Valley and the cedar forests are further out.

Istanbul's outdoors is gentler and centred on the water. There is the wooded Bosphorus shore, tulips in Emirgan in April, the trails of Belgrad Forest and cycling on the Princes' Islands, but no mountains within easy reach.

Beirut is far ahead here, because Lebanon is small and packed with history. Byblos is under an hour away. Baalbek's Roman temples and the ruins of Anjar are across the mountains in the Bekaa, and Sidon, Tyre, Beiteddine and Deir el-Qamar each make an easy day. You will need a driver or a tour and an early start, and you should check conditions before heading south or into the Bekaa.

Istanbul's best outings are by boat, to the Princes' Islands or up the Bosphorus to Anadolu Kavagi, with Bursa about two hours away. Edirne and Iznik make long days, and Gallipoli and Troy need a night away.

Children are made a fuss of in both cities, but Istanbul gives them much more to do. Ferry rides, the submarine and trains at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum, Miniaturk, the aquariums and the seaside parks on the Asian shore add up to a real programme. Public transport also means fewer taxis, though the crowds and cobbled hills still tire small children.

Beirut has the Corniche, beach-club pools, the Jeita Grotto and the Harissa cable car. But broken pavements and aggressive drivers make pushchairs hard going, and the city suits older children who are happy with long meals better than toddlers.

Istanbul has the transport Beirut lacks. One card covers the metro, the T1 tram through the old city, the Marmaray tunnel, the funiculars and the ferries, and crossing between continents by boat is a pleasure in itself. The drawbacks are the rush-hour crush and slow taxis.

Beirut has no metro or tram, and visitors will struggle to work out the buses, so you rely on ride-hailing, taxis and shared service cars. Hamra, Downtown and Gemmayzeh are each easy on foot, but between them the streets are steep, the pavements broken and the traffic heavy, and every day trip needs a car.

For shopping, Istanbul is in another league. In the covered streets and hans of the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar and the craft streets between them you can haggle for carpets, ceramics, copper and Turkish delight. Nisantasi's designer shops, the antique shops of Cukurcuma and Kadikoy's flea markets cover the rest.

Beirut's strength is fashion and design: its couture and bridal houses, and the Lebanese designers in the boutiques of Gemmayzeh, Mar Mikhael and Saifi Village. Bourj Hammoud adds jewellers and leather workers. The city has no historic bazaar of its own, so for that you go to Sidon or Tripoli.

Istanbul is somewhat cheaper, mainly because getting around costs very little: ferries and trams do the job that taxis and hired drivers do in Beirut. The costs to watch are the entry fees foreigners pay at the major monuments and the heavily taxed drinks.

In Beirut the money goes on beach-club fees, drivers for day trips and a going-out scene priced like Southern Europe. In both cities street food is how you save, with manakish and shawarma in Hamra, and simit and fish sandwiches by the Golden Horn.

Istanbul offers more for a night at a performance. The state opera and ballet are based at the Ataturk Cultural Centre, concert halls bring in orchestras, and Sema ceremonies in dervish lodges and fasil musicians in the meyhanes are traditional performances that visitors can easily see.

Beirut's scene is smaller. The Lebanese Philharmonic plays in churches and university halls, Hamra has small theatres and cabarets, and there is jazz and Arabic fusion in bars. Its biggest events are the summer festivals at Baalbek, Beiteddine and Byblos, outside the city.

Istanbul has a ready answer when you want to rest. Its working Sinan hammams, such as Cemberlitas and Kilic Ali Pasa, offer a scrub on the heated stone under a marble dome, and there are slow ferry rides and tea on a terrace at Kandilli.

In Beirut the hammam tradition has nearly gone, which leaves hotel spas and beauty salons, and the city is loud with traffic and generators. For real calm, spend a night or two in a guesthouse in the Shouf mountains.