Bodrum or Istanbul?

Bodrum is built for swimming in a way Istanbul is not. The peninsula offers a different bay for every mood: shallow, sandy shores at Bitez and Ortakent, jetties and decks on the north coast, and breezier, quieter water out west. Boat days to Kara Ada reach coves you cannot get to by road.

In Istanbul you look at the sea more than you swim in it. Swimming means the long Black Sea strands at Kilyos or Sile, about an hour north, where you should only go in where lifeguards are on duty. The other option is a pebbly cove on the Princes' Islands for an afternoon.

Istanbul is the better place to eat, because the whole country's cooking ends up there: Black Sea anchovies, south-eastern kebabs, Ottoman palace dishes, lunchtime lokantas and street food from simit to stuffed mussels. Kadikoy's market streets and the meyhanes of Beyoglu and Kumkapi would justify the trip by themselves.

Bodrum sticks to the Aegean: olive-oil vegetables, wild greens, octopus, and fish chosen at the town market and cooked at the tables around it. A slow fish lunch on the water at Gümüşlük is memorable. Elsewhere, menus tend to be either aimed at tourists or expensive, and the choice shrinks once summer is over.

There is no real contest here. Istanbul was an imperial capital for centuries and shows it. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi and the Basilica Cistern are a short walk apart, and beyond them come the Süleymaniye, the Chora mosaics, the Theodosian walls and the palaces along the Bosphorus.

Bodrum's ancient past mostly lies underground. The Castle of St Peter and its Museum of Underwater Archaeology are worth the visit, but the Mausoleum is little more than foundations, and two days covers the town.

Both are famous for late nights, but Istanbul offers more range and keeps it up all year. It has rooftop bars and singing meyhanes in Beyoglu, cocktail bars in Karakoy, cheaper bar streets in Kadikoy and Moda, and summer clubs along the Bosphorus at Ortakoy.

Bodrum's nights are just as late but run on a season. From June to early September, the harbour bar street, the clubs of Gümbet and the beach-club parties at Türkbükü carry on until dawn. Most of it shuts down from late autumn until Easter.

Bodrum has more to offer outdoors, and most of it is on the water. Gulets go round the islands and into the greener Gulf of Gökova, the clear water is good for diving and snorkelling, and the meltem wind brings windsurfers to Bitez. In spring and autumn you can walk village paths and stretches of the Carian Trail.

In Istanbul, outdoor time means the Bosphorus shore, the tulips in Emirgan in April, the trails of Belgrad Forest and cycling on the car-free Princes' Islands. It is pleasant, but it is green city space rather than open country.

Bodrum is the better base for excursions. Didyma, Miletus and Priene make one full day among great Ionian ruins, and Euromos, Iasos and Herakleia on Lake Bafa are closer still. Kos is under an hour away by ferry, which puts a Greek island within easy reach.

From Istanbul the easy outings go by sea: the Princes' Islands, or an upper-Bosphorus cruise to Anadolu Kavagi. Bursa makes the best town trip. Edirne and Iznik are long days, and simply getting out of a city this size takes time.

Bodrum makes things easier with children. The shallow bays at Bitez and Ortakent, family hotels with pools and kids' clubs, and the water parks will cover a week, and the castle's shipwrecks are good for one outing. Avoid staying near Gümbet or the bar district, where the nights are loud.

Istanbul has more to see with children, such as Bosphorus ferries, the ships and submarine of the Rahmi M. Koç Museum, and Miniaturk. But the crowds, the hills, the traffic and the long transfers wear out small children quickly, and pushchairs struggle on the pavements.

Istanbul is much easier to get around without a car. One card covers the metro, the T1 tram, Marmaray, the funiculars and the ferries, and crossing between continents by boat is a pleasure in itself. The tram past the main sights gets crowded at rush hour, and taxis can crawl.

In Bodrum you can walk around the town itself, but the bays are spread out. Dolmuş minibuses reach almost every one, though going from bay to bay usually means changing in town, and buses thin out late at night. Many visitors end up hiring a car or scooter.

Istanbul is one of the great shopping cities. It has the covered streets and hans of the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar, lanes still grouped by trade, designer houses in Nisantasi, antiques in Cukurcuma and flea markets in Kadikoy.

Bodrum's best buy is a pair of leather sandals made to measure in a workshop in town, and its weekly markets in town and in Turgutreis are fun to wander. Beyond the bazaar's copies and the luxury boutiques at Yalıkavak marina, there is little you could not find elsewhere in Türkiye.

Istanbul is easier on a budget. Transport and ferries are cheap, and so are simit, fish sandwiches and lokanta lunches. Staying in Kadikoy keeps costs down. What adds up are rooms around Sultanahmet, heavily taxed drinks and the entry fees at the major monuments.

Bodrum is Türkiye's most expensive resort area, and in August Yalıkavak and Türkbükü charge accordingly, with sunbed fees and taxis on top. Package hotels in Gümbet or Turgutreis, dolmuş travel and visits in May, June or late September make it far more manageable.

Istanbul has a real year-round stage. The state opera and ballet perform at the Ataturk Cultural Centre, and there are orchestras in modern halls, summer jazz in historic courtyards, Sema ceremonies in old dervish lodges, and small venues for rock and Anatolian folk in Beyoglu and Kadikoy.

Bodrum's performances happen outdoors and only in summer: a ballet festival in the castle, concerts in the ancient theatre, and chamber music in Gümüşlük's stone quarry. Out of season there is almost nothing.

For a proper bath, Istanbul is the place. Sinan-era hammams such as Cemberlitas and Kilic Ali Pasa still work under their star-pierced domes, with a heated marble slab and an attendant to scrub you. The rest of the city is loud, so the calm comes in short breaks, such as tea at Kandilli or a slow ferry ride.

Bodrum has no historic baths of its own, and its spas are inside hotels. On the other hand, peace and quiet is easier to find there, in Gümüşlük, the western villages or anywhere on the peninsula in the shoulder months.