Capri or Lake Garda?

Neither has sandy beaches, and both offer about as much swimming. What differs is the water. On Capri it is the sea, very clear and deep blue, entered from rock platforms, the small pebble coves at the marinas, or a boat moored under the Faraglioni. Punta Carena below the lighthouse is the best spot, but space is tight.

Lake Garda offers lake bathing from pebble shores, jetties and grassy lidos on the south and east, at places such as Sirmione's rock shelves, Bardolino and Lazise. There is much more room to spread out, but the water lacks Capri's colour and drama.

Lake Garda eats and drinks better. Its strength is wine, with Bardolino and Chiaretto on the east shore, Lugana in the south and Amarone just beyond. Add the lake's own olive oil, lake fish with risotto, and agriturismi in the hills above the shore, and there is a real food culture to explore, provided you avoid the harbour-front tourist menus.

Capri has a few famous dishes of its own, insalata caprese, ravioli capresi and torta caprese, and plenty of seafood. Beyond the family trattorias of Anacapri, though, the eating is mostly view-priced and soon exhausted.

Neither is a museum destination, but Lake Garda has more to see. Sirmione's moated castle and the Roman villa at its tip, d'Annunzio's eccentric Vittoriale with its warship in the hillside, and a chain of castles from Malcesine to Riva make a good run of half-days around the shore.

Capri's heritage is smaller and more concentrated: Tiberius's Villa Jovis on its headland, Villa San Michele and the Certosa. Two days covers it, though the setting of each is spectacular.

Capri has the more memorable evenings. The Piazzetta fills with dressed-up people at aperitivo once the ferries leave, and the piano taverns carry Neapolitan songs into the early hours. It is a glamorous scene, though a short one with no clubs.

Lake Garda's evenings are mostly a harbour-front drink, dinner and a stroll. The real exception is Desenzano, which has lakefront bars and a few large clubs that fill on summer weekends. Anyone who wants to dance rather than be seen will find more there.

Lake Garda is the far bigger outdoor destination. Its northern end is a fjord-like trench walled by mountains. A cable car from Malcesine climbs Monte Baldo to around 1,760m, Arco's limestone draws climbers all year, and Torbole's afternoon wind makes it a classic for windsurfing and sailing. Weeks of hiking, biking and water sports are possible.

Capri's scenery is more famous and more concentrated: the Faraglioni, the Arco Naturale, sheer cliffs and sea caves. The walks and a boat trip round the island fill a few rewarding days, then the island runs out.

Lake Garda makes the stronger base for outings because the railway runs along its southern shore. Verona is well under an hour from Peschiera or Desenzano, and Venice, Padua and Vicenza lie on the same line. Mantua and the Valpolicella wine country are close by road.

Capri's trips all go by boat across the Bay of Naples, to Sorrento, Naples, Positano or Ischia. Pompeii is a long day out. The scenery on the way is superb, but rough seas cancel sailings and the coastal routes thin out outside the season.

This is the widest gap between the two. The south-east shore of Lake Garda is built for families, with Gardaland and its aquarium, water parks, Parco Natura Viva, and resort campsites with pools and children's clubs. The lake itself has shallow pebble shores, shady lidos and ferries for small adventures.

Capri has nothing made for children. It means steps everywhere, deep-water swimming and packed buses. Only older children who swim confidently get much from the boat trips and snorkelling.

Capri is easier because it is so small. The funicular lifts you from Marina Grande to the town in minutes, small buses and open taxis link everything else, and nobody needs a car. The catches are steep walking and long summer queues.

Lake Garda's towns are walkable on their own, but the lake is long. The ferries are lovely but slow, the train touches only the south, and the shore roads clog in summer. Many visitors end up driving and hunting for parking.

Capri is a real shopping stop for its size. Via Camerelle and Via Vittorio Emanuele are lined with luxury labels and resort fashion, and the island's own crafts, sandals made to measure while you wait, linen, and perfumes distilled from local flowers, make good souvenirs.

Lake Garda's shopping is the weekly lakefront market, plus olive oil, Lugana and Bardolino wine, and climbing gear in Arco. For fashion, people go to Verona or Milan.

Lake Garda costs considerably less, though it is not cheap in high summer on the prettiest harbours. Campsites, agriturismi in the hills and villages in the Valtenesi bring the cost down, and spring and autumn are cheaper still.

Capri is among Italy's most expensive places to stay, from its few hotel rooms to its sunbeds and boat hire. The free walks, cheap buses and Anacapri bakeries help. Staying in Sorrento instead saves money but costs you the island's evenings.

Lake Garda has the better claim, mostly thanks to its neighbour. The summer opera festival in Verona's Roman arena is under an hour from the southern shore, and the open-air theatre at the Vittoriale stages concerts in season.

On Capri the music amounts to occasional summer concerts in the Certosa cloisters or at Villa San Michele, and Neapolitan song in the late-night taverns. For anything more, you take the boat to Naples.

Lake Garda has a genuine thermal tradition. Warm sulphurous springs rise off Sirmione's peninsula to feed pools overlooking the water, and a historic villa park near Lazise has open-air thermal basins among old trees. The western Riviera at Gardone and Salò adds hotel spas and quiet promenades.

Capri's calm is a matter of timing rather than facilities. It comes from hotel spas and the hushed early mornings and evenings in Anacapri once the day crowds leave. For thermal water, you cross the bay to Ischia.