Budva or Thessaloniki?

In Budva you can walk to the beach. Slovenska Plaza runs along the seafront, the Mogren coves sit under the cliffs, and Becici, Jaz and Sveti Stefan are a short ride away. The shore is pebble and coarse sand and crowded with sunbeds in summer, but you can swim every day.

Thessaloniki's waterfront is for strolling, not swimming, and the suburban beaches nearby are ordinary. The clear coves of Kassandra in Halkidiki are excellent, but they are an hour's drive away and take a day out of their own.

Thessaloniki is by far the better place to eat. Its cooking carries Ottoman, Sephardic and Anatolian influences, from meze at the ouzeri to bougatsa for breakfast. The Kapani and Modiano markets have simple tavernas tucked between the stalls.

Budva's promenade menus are aimed at the summer crowd, and quality is uneven. The best things are regional and simple: Njegusi ham, grilled squid at a family konoba and a glass of Vranac. You have to look for them.

The gap is wide here. Thessaloniki has its UNESCO-listed Byzantine churches, such as the Rotunda and Agios Dimitrios, plus the Arch of Galerius and the Roman Forum. Add the Macedonian gold in the Archaeological Museum and the Ottoman-era lanes of Ano Poli, and there is enough for several days.

Budva's walled Stari Grad, with its churches, Citadel and small archaeological museum, fills a morning. The region's bigger heritage is in neighbouring towns such as Kotor and Cetinje.

Thessaloniki's nightlife has more variety and runs all year, thanks to its students and the Greek habit of going out late. Ladadika has bars and meze places, the streets around Valaoritou have louder DJ bars, and the Bit Bazaar fills with outdoor tables, even midweek.

Budva is a summer party town of beach bars and a big hilltop club. It suits groups who want loud nights until dawn, but most of it shuts from October to May.

Both have mountains within reach, but they offer different things. In Budva bare limestone rises straight behind the beaches, and much of the outdoor life is on the water: sea kayaking, boat trips along the cliffs and paragliding over Becici. Lovcen and Lake Skadar are about an hour inland.

Thessaloniki's own green space is the Seich Sou pine forest above the city. The big landscapes need a car, above all Mount Olympus with its gorge and hut-to-hut hiking, and there is winter skiing within about two hours.

Both are good bases, but the trips are different. From Budva you mostly visit coastal towns: Kotor at the head of its bay half an hour away, baroque Perast, the old royal capital Cetinje and the wine villages on Lake Skadar.

Thessaloniki's excursions lean towards ancient history: the royal tombs at Vergina, Alexander's birthplace at Pella and Dion below Olympus. Edessa's waterfalls and the Halkidiki coast add variety, but the distances are longer and a car helps more.

Neither city is built around children, and the difference is in how the day is spent. Budva is a beach vacation, with gently shelving town beaches and a water park, though summer nights are loud. Families often do better staying in Becici or visiting in June.

Thessaloniki offers the seafront promenade with its playgrounds, the Noesis science centre and a small zoo. Against that there are narrow pavements, heavy traffic and no beach in town.

Thessaloniki is the easier city to get around. Its sights lie in a flat strip near the waterfront, a metro line runs beneath the centre and taxis are cheap, though buses crawl in traffic and Ano Poli is a steep climb.

Budva's centre is small and walkable. But there is no railway and the one coast road jams in summer, so reaching Lovcen, Cetinje or the quieter bays means a car, a driver or a tour. Boat taxis from the marina cover the nearby coves.

Thessaloniki is good for a morning's shopping. There are chains along Tsimiski, small independent shops around Valaoritou, and the food markets sell spices, loukoumi and tsipouro to take home. In Budva the old town lanes and promenade stalls offer little beyond souvenirs, beachwear, silver filigree, honey and rakija.

Thessaloniki is the cheaper stay because it is priced for students and locals. Taverna plates are generous, nights out are inexpensive and mid-range hotels are sensibly priced, with car hire the main extra cost.

Budva is Montenegro's most expensive resort, and seafront rooms and sunbeds in high summer show it. You can keep costs moderate by staying a few streets back, eating at bakeries and grill houses, or coming in June or September.

Thessaloniki has a performing season that runs through the year. The State Orchestra plays at the waterfront Concert Hall and the National Theatre of Northern Greece stages plays, mostly in Greek. Its most rewarding music is rebetiko, played late at night in tavernas. Budva has the Grad Teatar summer festival on the old town squares and, outside it, little beyond cover bands.

Neither city has a living bathing culture, so a spa day means a hotel spa in either one. Budva's are in the large resorts at Becici and Sveti Stefan, and the town itself is noisy in high summer and restful only in late spring and late September.

Thessaloniki adds the simple spring-fed baths at Lagadas, half an hour away. Its real calm comes from long hours at seafront cafés and the slow evening walk along the waterfront.