Cinque Terre or Sardinia?

The gap is in the shoreline. In the Cinque Terre only Monterosso has proper sand and fine pebble. Everywhere else you get into the sea from rock shelves and slipways at places like Vernazza or Manarola. That is a lovely swim after a walk, but not a day on a towel.

Sardinia is a beach destination first and foremost. There are the granite coves of the Maddalena islands, the white pebble bays under the Orosei cliffs, and the shallow sand at Chia and La Pelosa. When the mistral blows, a calm coast is usually within reach.

Both kitchens are proudly regional, but Sardinia's is broader and less familiar. The Cinque Terre offers a tight Ligurian repertoire: trofie with pesto, focaccia, Monterosso anchovies and the sweet Sciacchetrà. In the busiest villages, plenty of menus are aimed at day-trippers.

Sardinia's shepherd cooking adds suckling pig, pane carasau, culurgiones and pecorino, and the coast brings bottarga and Carloforte tuna. The hill agriturismi are the highlight. Cagliari has the kind of choice that, from the Ligurian villages, means a trip to La Spezia.

In the Cinque Terre the villages themselves are the monument. You see the UNESCO-listed terraces, a few striped parish churches and the Doria watchtower, and a day or two covers it.

Sardinia has a whole prehistoric civilisation to explore, from the nuraghe complex of Su Nuraxi at Barumini to the Mont'e Prama giants in Cagliari's archaeological museum. On top of that come Roman Nora and Tharros and the Catalan old town of Alghero, though you will drive a long way between them.

In the Cinque Terre the evening ends with a glass of white on the harbour wall and an early night, and a proper night out means a train to La Spezia. Sardinia gives you real options, at least in summer: dressy beach clubs and late clubs around Porto Cervo, aperitivo crowds on Alghero's ramparts, and year-round wine bars in Cagliari's Marina and Castello quarters.

Both are excellent outdoors, in different ways. The Cinque Terre is about walking: the Sentiero Azzurro from village to village and the Sentiero Rosso along the ridge, with the train to bring you back. It is all on a compact coast you can explore without a car.

Sardinia is bigger and wilder. It has the Gorropu gorge, the demanding Selvaggio Blu trek, sea-cliff climbing and kayaking at Cala Gonone, diving and sailing around La Maddalena, and kitesurfing at Porto Pollo. It suits more adventurous trips, but you will need to drive.

The Cinque Terre has the edge here because it sits on the main coastal railway. Boats run in season to Portovenere, with Lerici, Sarzana and the Carrara marble quarries close by, and Pisa, Lucca and Genoa are easy return trips by train. Portofino takes one more step: the train to Santa Margherita, then a bus or boat round the headland.

Sardinia's outings are attractive but smaller, and which ones you can do depends on your base. From the north the ferry crosses to Bonifacio in Corsica, the northwest has Bosa and Capo Caccia, and the east has the mountain villages of Barbagia. Each is reached on slow roads.

With small children the Cinque Terre is a struggle: steps everywhere, crowded trains and almost nowhere a pushchair works. Monterosso is the only easy base, and the coast suits older children who enjoy walking best.

Sardinia works well for a family beach vacation. There is shallow sandy water at Chia, the Costa Rei and La Pelosa, and resort villages have pools and children's clubs. The days revolve around the sea, and the midday summer heat and long drives need some planning.

The Cinque Terre is easy to get around without a car. A local train links the villages a few minutes apart, boats join the harbours in season and footpaths connect them all. The difficult parts are the summer crowds and the steep steps.

In Sardinia a hire car is all but essential. Roads wind slowly, buses rarely reach the beaches, and the Orosei coves and Maddalena islands need a boat. Flying into whichever of the three airports is nearest your base saves hours.

In the Cinque Terre the shopping stops at what you can eat or drink: pesto, jarred anchovies, lemon liqueur and the terrace wine to carry home. Sardinia gives you far more to look for, though mostly crafts rather than fashion streets. You can find Alghero's red coral, filigree gold, woven rugs and Pattada folding knives, Porto Cervo's luxury boutiques in summer and everyday shops in Cagliari.

Neither is cheap, but the Cinque Terre's few, much-wanted village rooms push its costs higher. Many travellers on a budget sleep in La Spezia or Levanto and take the inexpensive train in.

Sardinia is easier on the wallet away from the Costa Smeralda. Cagliari, Alghero, the Ogliastra coast and the inland agriturismi are moderate for Italy. Car hire is a cost Liguria spares you, though, and in August everything climbs.

The Cinque Terre has almost nothing to offer here beyond the odd church concert and the bands at saints' day processions. Sardinia has Cagliari's Teatro Lirico for opera and concerts, and something rarer: canto a tenore shepherd singing and launeddas pipes at village festivals, Time in Jazz in Berchidda and the costumed Sant'Efisio procession.

Calm in both places comes from the slow pace rather than any bathing culture. The Cinque Terre's car-free villages feel restful in spring and autumn or early in the morning, but much less so on crowded summer afternoons.

Sardinia has more on offer: thalassotherapy at the large resorts, warm springs at Fordongianus and Sardara, and the unhurried rhythm of Ogliastra and the inland agriturismi.