Bodrum or Marmaris?

Both are strong swimming destinations, but the beaches work differently. Bodrum is a peninsula of separate bays, so you choose a mood each day: the shallow sand at Bitez and Ortakent, the jetties and decks of Türkbükü and Yalıkavak, or the windier western bays near Turgutreis. Many of the best spots belong to beach clubs.

Marmaris has one sheltered bay, with a long strip of loungers running from the centre towards Icmeler and calmer water that warms a little more by late summer. The best swimming there is a short trip away, in the quieter coves at Turunc, the small pebble bays of Bozburun and on Sedir Island's fine sand.

Bodrum eats noticeably better. Choosing your fish at the town market and having it cooked at the tables around it, the long waterfront lunches at Gümüşlük and the village breakfasts in the hills all give meals a sense of place, and the north coast adds polished seafood restaurants.

In Marmaris the seafront serves mostly resort food, so you have to seek out the lokanta, the pide houses and the harbour fish restaurants for real Turkish cooking. Its weekly market and the local pine honey are the highlights, but there is no fine dining to compare with Bodrum's north coast.

Neither is a sightseeing city, but Bodrum has far more to see. The Castle of St Peter, built partly from the Mausoleum's stone, holds raised shipwrecks of real international importance, and the Mausoleum site, the ancient theatre and the Myndos Gate fill out a couple of days.

In Marmaris, the small Ottoman castle with its modest museum and the stepped lanes of the old quarter take about an hour. Anyone interested in history spends their days on excursions rather than in town.

Both are true summer party towns, and both go quiet in winter. What differs is the range. Bodrum offers three kinds of night: the harbour bar street, the cheaper and louder clubs of Gümbet, and the dressed-up beach clubs of Türkbükü and Yalıkavak, which turn into parties after sunset.

Marmaris centres on a single Bar Street of foam parties and laser shows, packed with a young, mostly British crowd until near dawn. For a quieter drink, the marina and seafront cocktail bars are the alternative.

Marmaris has the finer setting. Steep pine-covered hills almost close off its bay, and beyond them the Bozburun and Datça peninsulas form a wild, barely built coastline that ranks among the great sailing grounds of the Turkish coast. Kayaking, diving, jeep tours and the turtle beach near Dalyan are all within easy reach.

Bodrum's landscape is drier, with scrub, olive groves and bare hills, and it looks best from a gulet heading to Kara Ada or into the greener Gulf of Gökova. Its steady meltem does give the western bays better windsurfing.

Bodrum has the better spread of trips, above all for ancient history. Didyma's Temple of Apollo, Miletus and Priene make one full day, and Euromos, Iasos and Herakleia on Lake Bafa are closer still. The short ferry to Kos adds a Greek island town with its own Knights' castle.

Marmaris has fewer options, but they are memorable. Rhodes's walled medieval town is an hour away by boat, Dalyan's river passes beneath Lycian rock tombs, and Knidos makes a long but rewarding drive to the tip of the Datça peninsula.

Both work for a beach-and-pool family vacation, with shallow water, kids' clubs and large water parks, and in both towns families do better away from the bar district. In Bodrum that means Bitez or Ortakent, and the castle's shipwrecks make one good outing beyond the beach.

Marmaris has the gentler layout: the calm enclosed bay, a flat promenade for pushchairs and scooters, and boat trips with swimming stops that older children enjoy. Families tend to stay in Icmeler or Armutalan.

Marmaris is easier day to day. A flat promenade runs for several kilometres along the bay, dolmuş minibuses run back and forth all the time, and water taxis cross to Icmeler and Turunc. A car is only needed for the peninsulas and Dalyan.

Bodrum is spread around a peninsula, and getting from one bay to another usually means going back through town by dolmuş. The roads clog in summer and taxis are expensive, so many visitors hire a car or scooter.

Neither is a shopping destination, but Bodrum has a little more worth buying. Its leather sandals are made to measure in small workshops, the village markets are lively, and at the other extreme the Yalıkavak marina has luxury boutiques.

The Marmaris bazaar sells much the same leather, carpets and copied goods, with plenty of haggling. The best things to take home are local: pine honey, natural sponges and cotton peshtemal towels.

Marmaris is clearly the cheaper stay. All-inclusive hotels are plentiful and keenly priced, and simple meals away from the seafront cost little. Only Bar Street, seafront dining and organised trips push the bills up.

Bodrum is Türkiye's most expensive resort area, and in midsummer Yalıkavak and Türkbükü are priced for a wealthy crowd. Staying in Gümbet or Turgutreis, or travelling in May, June or late September, keeps costs manageable.

This is a summer-only interest in both, but Bodrum has real events to plan around. There are concerts in the restored ancient theatre, a long-running ballet festival on the castle stage and chamber music in Gümüşlük's old stone quarry.

In Marmaris, performance mostly means hotel entertainment and Turkish nights with folk and belly dancing, plus the odd open-air concert and bar cover bands.

The two are evenly matched for unwinding, but in different ways. Bodrum's relaxation centres on its hotels, especially the large spas of Türkbükü and Yalıkavak, while Gümüşlük and the western villages are its quiet corners.

Marmaris has hammams all over town as well as in the resorts. The Dalyan mud baths and hot springs make an easy half-day of soaking, and Selimiye and Bozburun are about as slow as this coast gets.