Cinque Terre or Ischia?

Ischia is the better place for beach days. It has proper stretches of sand, from the long dark volcanic curve of Maronti with its steaming hot spots to sheltered San Montano and sunset-facing Citara, and water taxis reach the rocky coves in between.

Cinque Terre is mostly cliff. Monterosso's Fegina is the only real beach, and its umbrellas stand in close rows in summer. Elsewhere you swim from harbour slipways and rock shelves at Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore, which is lovely between walks but no good for a lazy day.

Both cook a narrow regional menu, with Ischia slightly ahead. Cinque Terre eats from the sea and the bakery: trofie with pesto, focaccia, farinata, Monterosso anchovies and fried fish in paper cones, washed down with the terraced white wine or a glass of sweet Sciacchetrà.

Ischia's signature dish comes from the hills: rabbit braised in terracotta, alongside clams and grilled fish in Sant'Angelo and Forio, and Biancolella whites from Epomeo's slopes. Its weakness is different, with many visitors on half-board in spa hotels and little street food, while Cinque Terre's tourist menus cluster in the busiest villages.

Neither place has much in the way of formal sights, and the heritage differs in kind. In Cinque Terre the attraction is the whole UNESCO-listed landscape of stacked villages and dry-stone terraces, plus striped Ligurian Gothic churches and the Doria tower above Vernazza.

Ischia has fewer picturesque villages but more set pieces. The Aragonese Castle on its rock off Ischia Ponte is a real half-day visit, and the museum at Lacco Ameno holds Nestor's Cup from ancient Pithekoussai, something Cinque Terre, with no museums of any size, cannot match.

Neither is a place for a night out, but Ischia gives you more to do after dinner. Ischia Porto has wine bars, cocktail terraces and a couple of summer discos that stay open late in July and August.

In Cinque Terre the evening means a sunset glass on a harbour wall, a few bars in Monterosso and Riomaggiore, and quiet villages well before midnight. Anyone wanting more takes the train to La Spezia.

Cinque Terre is the stronger landscape for being outdoors. The cliff path between the villages, the higher ridge route through pine and chestnut, and old mule tracks down to the sea make for several days of walking, and the marine reserve adds kayaking and diving under the cliffs.

Ischia is greener and more volcanic than people expect, with Monte Epomeo's tuff summit, steam vents on the south coast and good snorkelling in the Regno di Nettuno reserve. The island is small, though, and its trails run out sooner.

Both are well placed for outings, and the real difference is how you get to them. From Cinque Terre, boats cross the gulf to Portovenere in season, and Lerici and medieval Sarzana are easy to reach from La Spezia. The coastal railway handles the longer trips: Pisa and Lucca in Tuscany, or Sestri Levante, Santa Margherita for Portofino, and Genoa up the Riviera.

From Ischia, every outing starts with a ferry. Boats go to pastel Procida, to Naples and its archaeological museum, to Pozzuoli for the Phlegraean Fields, and in summer to Capri and Sorrento. Pompeii can be done too, but it makes a long day.

Ischia is much the easier choice with children. Calm, shallow bays at San Montano and Maronti and thermal parks with pools at different temperatures make simple days, and eating out with children is relaxed. Older children may still get restless after a week without boat trips.

Cinque Terre is built of steps. Corniglia sits hundreds of them above its station, summer trains are packed and pushchairs are useless. It suits older children who like walking, and families with small ones usually stay in flat Monterosso.

Cinque Terre is easier to move around. A frequent train links all five villages through tunnels in a few minutes, with seasonal ferries and footpaths as alternatives. The real effort is the summer crush on platforms and the climbs.

Ischia depends on buses looping the single coast road, which reach every village but are slow and full in summer, so microtaxis and water taxis fill the gaps. You also need a ferry from Naples or Pozzuoli just to arrive. Leave the car behind in both.

Ischia is clearly the better place to shop, though nobody chooses either for it. Cinque Terre has only small produce and souvenir shops, and the best buys are edible: pesto, jarred anchovies and a bottle of Sciacchetrà.

Ischia has a proper shopping street. The long walk along Via Roma and Corso Vittoria Colonna, between Ischia Porto and Ischia Ponte, has resort fashion, linen, leather sandals and jewellery, with shops open into the evening. Elsewhere on the island you can find thermal cosmetics made with the local spring water.

Ischia is the cheaper stay. Hundreds of family-run spa hotels sell half-board with thermal pools at ordinary resort rates, and spring and autumn bring costs down further. The extras are what add up: sunbeds, thermal park entry and boat trips.

In Cinque Terre the problem is the rooms, which are few and in heavy demand, and walkers also pay for path access. Food and trains are reasonable, which is why many budget travellers sleep in La Spezia or Levanto and ride in.

Ischia offers a little more. Summer chamber concerts in the Mortella gardens, laid out by William Walton, and film screenings and concerts at the Aragonese Castle give a few evenings out in the warm months.

In Cinque Terre live performance is limited to the odd church concert and the bands at saints' day processions. For theatre or an orchestra you go to La Spezia or Genoa.

This is where the two are furthest apart. On Ischia, taking the waters is the main reason to visit: terraced thermal parks at Citara, Lacco Ameno and Casamicciola, hotel pools fed by hot springs, mud treatments, and wild bathing at Sorgeto's steaming sea pools and the Cavascura steam caves.

Cinque Terre has no spas, just the odd guesthouse massage. Its calm comes from car-free villages and a terrace above the sea in the early morning or out of season.