Belgrade or Split?

Split is a real beach base and Belgrade is not. In Split the sea is a walk from the old town. Bačvice is a shallow sandy bay for paddling and picigin, the pine-shaded coves around Marjan have deeper water, and ferries to Brač, Šolta or Hvar reach longer beaches. Expect pebble and concrete platforms more often than sand.

In Belgrade you swim in fresh water. Ada Ciganlija's lake on the Sava has gravel beaches and lifeguards and feels like a city lido for an after-work dip. The sandy Lido on Great War Island is a boat ride away. Both are good for cooling off on a hot afternoon, but neither is a reason to choose the city.

Both cities eat simply and generously, but from different ends of the menu. Belgrade is about meat and the grill: ćevapi, pljeskavica, kajmak and ajvar, eaten in the kafanas of Skadarlija and Zemun with rakija and often a band, so dinner turns into the whole evening.

Split cooks from the sea, with grilled fish, black risotto, pašticada and octopus under the peka. These are best in the konobas of Varoš, with Plavac Mali or Pošip to drink. Neither city offers much fine dining or international food, and Split's restaurants go quiet in winter.

Split has one sight that outclasses anything in Belgrade. Diocletian's Palace is a Roman emperor's residence that is still a lived-in quarter, with the Peristyle, a cathedral inside his mausoleum and the vaulted substructures below. The Meštrović Gallery on Marjan adds a fine collection of sculpture.

Belgrade's history is layered rather than grand. There is the Kalemegdan fortress above the meeting of the rivers, the gold mosaics of Saint Sava and the Museum of Yugoslavia with Tito's mausoleum, all set among a patchy mix of Habsburg, Ottoman and socialist streets. Either city can be covered in two or three days.

For going out, Belgrade is in another league. Nights start late and end at dawn. In summer they happen on splavs moored along the Sava and Danube, and in winter in basement clubs and old industrial spaces, while cocktail bars fill Dorćol and the streets around Strahinjića Bana all year. At the big clubs, table service and sharp dress set the tone.

Split's nights are smaller and depend on the season. There are bars in the palace alleys and beach bars and a few clubs around Bačvice, and much of the party crowd moves on to Hvar. From October the scene shrinks to coffee or a glass of wine with locals.

Split has the more dramatic outdoors, and it is easier to reach. Marjan's pine forest and cliffs are a walk from the palace, Mosor and Kozjak have ridge hikes, and Biokovo rises above 1,700m about an hour south. The Cetina canyon at Omiš adds rafting, and on the water there is sea kayaking and sailing between the islands.

Belgrade's nature is gentler and centred on its rivers. There are kilometres of riverside promenade for cycling, herons on Great War Island, the wooded parks of Košutnjak and Avala, and easy vineyard walks on Fruška Gora. It is pleasant, but the country's big scenery is too far for a day trip.

Split makes the easier base for days out. Trogir is about half an hour away, Šibenik and its cathedral about an hour, and Salona and Klis Fortress are close by. Ferries to Hvar and Brač leave from beside the bus station, so in summer none of this needs a car.

Belgrade's best outing is to Novi Sad and Petrovaradin, under an hour by fast train, which you can combine with Sremski Karlovci and the Fruška Gora monasteries. Smederevo, Viminacium and Oplenac are all worth seeing, but most need a car or a tour.

Neither city has much built for children, but Split is simpler with them. Bačvice is shallow enough for toddlers, Marjan has shade and room to run, the centre is compact and car-free, and an island ferry is often the highlight. The heat and crowds of July and August are the drawback.

Belgrade gives children a warm welcome and has good afternoons at Kalemegdan, with tanks and a small zoo, and at Ada Ciganlija in summer. Heavy traffic and crowded pavements make pushchairs hard work, so it suits older children better.

Split is easier on foot. The palace, the Riva, Varoš, the markets and Bačvice are all within about fifteen minutes of each other, and the ferry port, bus station and railway station sit together at the harbour. The polished stone steps in the palace are the one nuisance with luggage.

Belgrade's centre is walkable too, though steep on the climb up from the rivers. Zemun and New Belgrade need a bus, and the crowded trams, trolleybuses and buses are hard for a visitor to work out. Most visitors rely on taxis and ride-hailing instead.

Belgrade gives a shopper more to do, mostly thanks to its local designers. Young boutiques in Dorćol and Vračar are a short walk from the chains and bookshops of Knez Mihailova, and the malls of New Belgrade cover the big brands. Kalenić market sells honey, ajvar and rakija to take home, and embroidered textiles and opanci leather shoes turn up in the shops around Kalemegdan. Even so, it is a place for browsing rather than a reason to travel.

Split's palace lanes lean towards souvenirs, lavender, coral and ties, with the mainstream chains on Marmontova. The best things to bring home are edible: olive oil, Dalmatian wine and dried figs from the Pazar by the east gate.

Belgrade is clearly the cheaper trip. Kafana meals, terrace coffees, rakija and taxis all cost little, and the fortress park and many museums are free or nearly so. Central rooms are the main expense.

In Split the cost depends on the season. In July and August, rooms near the old town cost close to what a Western European city would charge, waterfront restaurants sell fish by weight, and island ferries add up for a family. May, June and late September cost far less, and in winter Split is modestly priced.

Belgrade has the fuller stage through the year. There is opera and ballet at the National Theatre, the Belgrade Philharmonic at Kolarac, musicals at Madlenianum, and the BITEF and BEMUS festivals each autumn. Tamburica bands in the Skadarlija kafanas bring music to dinner.

Split's best moments come in summer, when the Split Summer Festival stages opera in the Peristyle and klapa singers fill the palace vestibule with unaccompanied harmony. Outside summer, the calendar is thin beyond the Croatian National Theatre.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, so in both, spa time means a hotel spa. Split is the easier place to slow down, with the Dalmatian fjaka of long coffees on the Riva, the pine woods of Marjan and quieter islands close by. It is calmest in May, June and September.

Belgrade's calm comes in pockets, such as an afternoon by the lake at Ada Ciganlija or on the Danube promenade. Late nights, heavy traffic and smoking indoors make it a city for energy rather than rest.