Budva or Sarajevo?

This is Budva's strongest point and Sarajevo's weakest. Budva has a town beach along the whole seafront, coves under the cliffs at Mogren and longer bays at Becici, Jaz and towards Petrovac. Most of it is fine pebble or coarse sand, and the sea stays warm all summer. In high season the sunbeds are packed, so early mornings and coves reached by boat make a difference.

Sarajevo sits in a mountain valley about three hours from the Adriatic. Swimming there means cold rivers, the lake at Jablanica or a pool. A traveller who wants the sea should add a few days on the coast, and Budva is one obvious place to go.

Sarajevo has a food identity that Budva lacks. The grills of Baščaršija, the pita bakeries and slow Bosnian dishes such as begova čorba and lamb cooked under the lid are all made with real care. Coffee in a copper džezva with rahat lokum is part of the day. The range is narrow, but the city does these things well.

Budva's promenade restaurants cater to the summer crowds, and quality varies. The best food is regional and worth seeking out: Njegusi ham and mountain cheese, squid and the day's catch at family konobas, and Vranac red from around Lake Skadar.

Budva's heritage comes down to its walled Stari Grad, much of it rebuilt after a severe earthquake. Its churches, the Citadel with its coastal views and a small archaeological museum make a pleasant hour or two. Visitors who want more of the region's history go to Kotor or Cetinje.

Sarajevo is far richer in sights. In a few walkable streets you move from the Ottoman bazaar and the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque to the Austro-Hungarian avenues, the cathedrals, the Old Synagogue and the Latin Bridge of 1914. The Tunnel of Hope and the War Childhood Museum bring the 1990s siege close. The sights are compact rather than grand, but they reward several days.

Budva is better for a big summer night out. Beach bars and terrace clubs line Slovenska Plaza, an open-air club on the hill runs until dawn, and the old town bars stay full late. It suits groups who want loud pop and house, but almost all of it closes from October to May.

Sarajevo is quieter but steadier through the year. Café-bars fill from the afternoon, and students keep the cellar bars and small clubs around Ferhadija going at weekends. Drinks are cheap, and evenings often end over rakija rather than on a dancefloor.

Both cities have mountains close by, but Sarajevo's are nearer and more varied. A cable car from the Old Town climbs Mount Trebević, past the overgrown Olympic bobsleigh track. Jahorina and Bjelašnica offer skiing in winter and hiking and biking on the ridges in summer. The stone village of Lukomir above the Rakitnica canyon is a highlight, though trails are lightly marked.

In Budva the outdoors means sea against mountain. There are cliff paths between the bays, sea kayaking, boat trips and paragliding above Becici, with Lovcen and Lake Skadar about an hour inland. In midsummer the heat moves most activity onto the water.

Budva makes the easier base. Kotor is about half an hour away, and Perast, Cetinje, the wine villages by Lake Skadar, Stari Bar and Ulcinj all fit comfortably into a day. Buses cover some of these routes, though the single coast road is slow in summer.

Sarajevo's best excursion is a fine one: Mostar, reached by a scenic train through the Neretva gorge, with Konjic, Blagaj and Počitelj along the way or close by. Beyond that, Travnik and Višegrad mean long drives on winding roads, so most trips need a car or a tour.

Budva works better with children, as long as the trip is about the beach. Gently shelving town beaches, calmer bays at Becici and a water park cover most days. The town is loud and crowded at night in July and August, so families do better in Becici or in June and September.

Sarajevo is warm towards children, and its flat Old Town is easy to walk with them. The cable car, Vrelo Bosne and the small zoo make good outings. Its main sights are about war and history, though, and the steep hillside streets and winter smog count against it.

Sarajevo is simpler without a car. Its trams have run along the valley floor since the late nineteenth century, linking Baščaršija with the centre and Ilidža. Buses, trolleybuses and cheap taxis climb to the slopes, although away from the tram corridor the network is harder for a visitor to follow.

Budva's compact centre and the shore walk to Becici are easy, and boat taxis reach the nearby coves. There is no railway, though, and the one coast road jams in summer, so Lovcen and Cetinje are far easier with a car or a driver.

Neither city is a shopping destination, but Sarajevo has a craft tradition worth browsing. On Kazandžiluk coppersmiths still hammer out coffee sets and trays, and the Bezistan and the lanes around it sell kilims, leather slippers and filigree, though some of it is souvenir stock. Budva sticks to beachwear, silver jewellery, olive oil, honey and rakija, plus a modest centre near the marina for the basics.

Sarajevo is clearly the cheaper stay. Food from the grills and bakeries, trams, taxis, museum entry and central guesthouses all cost little. Only the Old Town and the summer film festival push prices up a little.

Budva is the most expensive resort in Montenegro, and seafront rooms, sunbeds and promenade meals cost most in July and August. Apartments a few streets back, local grill houses and a visit in June or September keep it moderate, and it is still cheaper than most Western European coasts.

Sarajevo has a stage season. The Austro-Hungarian National Theatre puts on drama, opera and ballet, and the Philharmonic gives regular concerts. MESS brings international theatre in autumn, a jazz festival follows in November, and you can hear sevdah in traditional restaurants, though most plays are in the local language.

In Budva live performance comes down to Grad Teatar, the long-running summer festival on open-air stages in the old town, plus cover bands along the seafront.

Sarajevo has a real thermal tradition at Ilidža, at the end of the tram line, where springs used since Roman times feed a spa complex. The shaded walk to Vrelo Bosne is close by, and the habit of lingering over a single coffee slows the pace in the centre. Winter smog makes the city less restful in the cold months.

Budva has no bathing tradition, so wellness means the hotel spas in Becici and around Sveti Stefan. The town is calmest in May, June and late September, when it quietens down and the sea is still warm.