Brač or Capri?

Brač is the stronger beach island. Zlatni Rat at Bol is a genuine long beach of fine pebble with pine shade behind it, and quieter coves continue west towards Murvica. The north coast adds shallow town beaches and the rare sandy bay at Lovrečina.

Capri offers swimming rather than lying on a beach. You get small pebble coves at the marinas, rock platforms run as bathing clubs, and boats moored under the Faraglioni. The water is superb, but space is tight and there is nowhere to stroll along a shore.

The two are much alike: a short list of local dishes, tourist menus on the waterfront, and the better meals away from the harbours. On Brač, that means konobas in inland villages such as Dol, serving lamb, octopus cooked under an iron lid, the island's olive oil and red wine from above Bol.

Capri's cooking is lighter and better known abroad. Insalata caprese, ravioli capresi and torta caprese all come from here, and the island's lemons go into almost everything. The best tables are in family trattorias in Anacapri.

Capri packs more into a small space. Tiberius's Villa Jovis, Villa San Michele with its antiquities and the Certosa di San Giacomo can all be seen in two days, along with the Gardens of Augustus and the whitewashed lanes of the two towns.

Brač's heritage is quieter and more scattered. Its sights are the cliffside Blaca hermitage, reached only on foot, the Illyrian walls and island museum at Škrip, and the stonemasonry tradition of Pučišća. Seeing them takes a car and a few unhurried days.

Capri's evenings have more character. The Piazzetta fills with dressed-up people at aperitivo once the day-trippers leave, and the piano taverns keep Neapolitan songs going late. It is glamorous rather than wild, with no clubs.

On Brač, nights mostly mean dinner on a harbour. In July and August, Bol's beach bars and a few open-air dance venues run late, but outside high summer the island goes quiet. For a real party, people take the catamaran to Hvar.

Capri's landscape is the more dramatic and the easier to reach. The Faraglioni, the Arco Naturale and the Sentiero dei Fortini lie within short walks, a chairlift climbs Monte Solaro, and a boat trip takes in the Blue Grotto and the sea caves.

Brač has more space rather than more spectacle. The high karst plateau of olive groves and dry-stone walls rises to Vidova Gora at 778m, a stiff hike up from Bol. The afternoon westerly in the channel makes Bol a serious windsurfing and kitesurfing spot, which Capri cannot match.

Capri sits in the richer neighbourhood. Sorrento, Naples, the Amalfi Coast and Ischia are all reachable by boat, and Pompeii and Herculaneum make a long but rewarding day.

From Brač, the main prize is Split and Diocletian's Palace, with Trogir close behind. Hvar and Makarska are reachable by catamaran or ferry. On both islands everything depends on sailings, but Brač's timetable thins out especially fast after summer.

Brač is far kinder to families. The north coast towns have shallow, sheltered water, short promenades and relaxed harbour evenings where children stay up late, though there are no attractions built for them.

Capri asks a lot of children and parents alike. You face steps, packed buses and deep-water swimming off ladders. Older children who swim well will love the boat trip, the snorkelling and the chairlift, but with toddlers the mainland is easier.

Capri is easier to get around without a car. The funicular climbs from Marina Grande in minutes, small buses link both towns and the marinas, and much of the island can be walked. The catches are steep paths and long summer queues.

Brač is bigger and more spread out, so a car or scooter is almost essential. Local buses are too infrequent to plan around, the road over the plateau to Bol is slow, and summer weekends bring long ferry queues to the mainland.

Capri is a real shopping destination for its size. Luxury boutiques line Via Camerelle, and the island's own crafts include made-to-measure sandals, linen and perfumes from local flowers.

On Brač you are limited to what the island produces: stone carvings from Pučišća, olive oil, wine, honey and lavender. Anyone wanting more goes to Split.

Brač is clearly the cheaper island, though Bol in July and August costs about as much as Western Europe. Apartments in the north coast villages and simple konoba meals keep a stay reasonable, and June and September are easier still.

Capri is costly at almost every turn, from hotel rooms to sunbeds and Piazzetta cocktails. The walks, the buses and the Anacapri bakeries are the main ways to save. Staying on the mainland cuts costs but means missing the island's evenings.

Neither island has a theatre or a regular season. Brač has open-air summer concerts on its town squares and klapa singing on festival nights. Capri has occasional concerts in the Certosa cloisters and Neapolitan song in its piano taverns. For anything serious, Brač looks to Split's summer festival and Capri to the opera in Naples.

Both islands offer hotel spas and a slow pace rather than any bathing tradition, and the difference is in where you find the calm. On Brač it is spread across quiet harbours such as Milna, Povlja and Sumartin and the stone villages inland, and it holds all day outside midsummer.

Capri's peace comes in the early mornings and evenings, once the day-trippers have gone, so it rewards several nights in Anacapri. Ischia's thermal baths are a boat ride away.