Bucharest or Istanbul?

Neither is a beach destination, but Istanbul at least has the sea. Bucharest is far inland on the Wallachian plain, and the Black Sea coast is a separate trip, so on a hot day you end up at a pool complex on the edge of the city.

From Istanbul, the long sandy beaches at Kilyos and Sile are about an hour north. Their currents mean you should swim only where lifeguards are on duty, and the Princes' Islands add small pebbly coves a ferry ride away. It still makes a side trip rather than a reason to go.

Bucharest serves filling country cooking: sour ciorba soups, sarmale with polenta, mici with beer and papanasi to finish. Piata Obor and the wine bars pouring Dealu Mare reds make for good eating, but the Old Town terraces are best avoided.

Istanbul is a destination for food in its own right. Its cooking draws on every corner of Turkey, from Black Sea anchovies to south-eastern kebabs and Ottoman palace dishes. Add the lunchtime lokantas, the meze-and-raki evenings in Beyoglu's meyhanes and the market streets of Kadikoy, and there are more good meals than a short stay can hold.

Bucharest's sights are a lesson in how a city keeps remaking itself. There are Belle Epoque mansions along Calea Victoriei, the small carved church of Stavropoleos and then the enormous Palace of the Parliament, with the Village Museum and the art collections in the old royal palace to round out a visit of two or three days.

Istanbul works on another scale. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi and the Basilica Cistern stand within a short walk of each other on one peninsula. Beyond them are Sinan's mosques, the Byzantine land walls and a line of Ottoman palaces along the Bosphorus, enough for a week without running out.

Both cities stay out until dawn, and Istanbul's spread of districts gives it the edge. Bucharest's draw is its electronic clubs, where the respected techno and minimal scene runs past sunrise, along with garden bars in old villa courtyards. The Old Town lanes are loud and suit groups.

Istanbul has more kinds of night out: rooftop bars over the Golden Horn, meyhanes that end in singing, cocktail bars in Cihangir, cheaper bar streets in Moda and summer clubs on the Bosphorus shore. Heavy taxes make drinking expensive, though, and away from these districts the city is quiet.

Istanbul has more scenery within the city. The wooded Bosphorus is best seen from a ferry or along the shore at Bebek, and there are spring tulips in Emirgan, trails in Belgrad Forest and car-free islands for cycling. What it lacks is mountains.

Bucharest is flat, with lake parks such as Herastrau and the reed beds of Vacaresti for birdwatching. Its advantage is the Bucegi mountains, about two hours away by train, which offer cable cars, hiking and winter skiing, ideally with a night away.

The two are about level, but the day trips are of different kinds. From Bucharest the outings go towards the mountains and royal houses: Peles Castle above Sinaia, the palace gardens at Mogosoaia and the island monastery at Snagov. Brasov and Bran are better with an overnight stay.

From Istanbul, many of the best days start on a boat. There are the islands, a cruise up the Bosphorus to a castle and a fish lunch, and Bursa, the first Ottoman capital, reached by fast ferry. Getting out of such a large city takes longer.

These are close, and in both the city itself is the tiring part. Bucharest's highlights are the thermal water park with slides, the Antipa natural history museum and boat hire in the parks. The ground is flat, but traffic and broken pavements make walking with a pushchair hard.

In Istanbul, children love the ferries, the submarine and trains at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum and the miniature landmarks at Miniaturk, and strangers fuss over them everywhere. The downside is the steep cobbled hills and the crowds at the big sights.

Istanbul is easier to get around than its size suggests. One card covers the T1 tram through the old city, the metro, the funiculars and the ferries, and the ferry crossing between continents is a pleasure in itself. The tram is packed at rush hour and taxis crawl through traffic.

In Bucharest the central stretch from Piata Victoriei to the Old Town is walkable and flat. The metro misses too much of the city to manage on its own, though, so most visitors rely on cheap ride-hailing to get through some of Europe's worst congestion.

This is one of the widest gaps between the two. In Istanbul the Grand Bazaar's covered streets and hans sell carpets, kilims, lamps and leather. The Spice Bazaar is close by, and Nisantasi offers designer fashion, Cukurcuma antiques and Kadikoy flea markets, with haggling expected in the old markets.

Bucharest is practical rather than a place to shop for pleasure: big malls on the outskirts and a few luxury labels on Calea Victoriei. The most memorable things to take home are embroidered blouses and painted eggs from the Village Museum shop and the park craft fairs.

Bucharest is the cheaper of the two. Hotels are reasonably priced for a capital, ride-hailing across town and the metro cost little, and the only notable entry fee is for the Parliament tour.

Istanbul can be just as cheap if you live on simit, fish sandwiches and lokanta lunches. Staying in Sultanahmet or on the Bosphorus, visiting the big monuments with their foreigner fees and drinking alcohol under its heavy taxes soon brings costs close to Southern Europe.

The two are broadly level, with different strengths. Bucharest is the city for classical music: the George Enescu Philharmonic plays in the domed Athenaeum, the National Opera stages a full season, and the Enescu Festival every other year brings leading orchestras in late summer.

Istanbul has more traditional performance. There are Sema ceremonies in old dervish lodges, fasil musicians in the meyhanes and Anatolian folk in small Beyoglu clubs, with opera and ballet at the Ataturk Cultural Centre. In both cities, theatre is performed in the local language.

Istanbul has one of the world's great bathing traditions. Hammams designed by Sinan, such as Cemberlitas and Kilic Ali Pasa, still scrub visitors on heated marble under star-pierced domes, and a slow tea in Kandilli or Emirgan softens the noise of the city.

Bucharest has no bath culture in the centre. Its answer is the large thermal complex half an hour north, with palms, saunas and warm pools under glass, which makes a full day of rest. The rest of the city's calm comes from lakeside mornings in Herastrau.