Corfu or Ios?

Both give an equally strong beach stay, but the beaches themselves differ. Corfu has range across its coasts. The west has long sandy beaches with sunsets and some surf, Paleokastritsa has clear coves under green cliffs, the north has shallow sand and the coast facing Albania has calm pebble bays. Boat trips run to Antipaxos, and the sea is a touch warmer in late summer.

Ios is all sand and more compact. Mylopotas is the social beach, with sunbeds and water sports. Manganari's sheltered coves have shallow, clear water, and the wilder east and north bays take a rough drive. Pick Corfu for variety, Ios for a lively main beach a short bus ride from the village.

Corfu gives the more interesting table, because Venetian rule left it dishes found nowhere else in Greece: pastitsada, veal sofrito and the peppery fish stew bourdeto. Add kumquat liqueur and the island's own ginger beer. The back lanes of Corfu Town and the inland village tavernas repay the effort of leaving resort menus behind.

Ios eats in the plainer Cycladic way, with grilled octopus at the Yialos harbour and the local skotyri cheese, and a few careful kitchens in Chora. In high summer much of what is on offer is late-night gyros and pizza, so anyone who travels to eat will do noticeably better on Corfu.

Here Corfu is in another league. Corfu Town is a UNESCO-listed Venetian old town with two fortresses, the Liston and the Spianada, and the Church of Agios Spyridon. It also has the Asian art collection in the Palace of St Michael and St George and the Gorgon pediment in the Archaeological Museum. Outside town, the Achilleion and the cliff-top ruin of Angelokastro add more.

Ios has the whitewashed beauty of Chora and its windmills, the Early Cycladic walls at Skarkos and the legendary tomb of Homer in the north. Together they make a pleasant half day, not the centre of a trip.

Ios is the island for nights out. Chora packs dozens of bars and a few clubs into its old lanes, crowds drift between them until dawn, and Mylopotas starts the party in the afternoon. The scene is young, loud and cheap rather than stylish.

On Corfu the full party scene is confined to Kavos at the southern tip, with a smaller mix in Ipsos and Dassia and cocktails under the Liston arcades in Corfu Town. That spread suits a group with different tastes, but nowhere on Corfu matches how packed Chora's lanes are on a summer night.

Corfu is by far the greener island. It has old olive groves, cypresses and spring wildflowers, walks on Mount Pantokrator past abandoned stone villages, and the Corfu Trail running the length of the island. There is also snorkelling and diving off Paleokastritsa and birdwatching at the Korission lagoon.

Ios is bare and rocky, crossed by mule tracks to remote chapels and northern bays, with boat trips to sea caves and windsurfing at Mylopotas. It is handsome walking country in spring and autumn, but smaller and with far less variety than Corfu.

Both islands send you out by boat, and both offer a decent handful of outings. From Corfu the trips cross borders: Paxos and Antipaxos, the mainland towns of Parga and Sivota, and a short ferry to Albania for the layered ruins of Butrint.

From Ios they are Cycladic island-hops, above all to Santorini's caldera villages and Akrotiri within about an hour, plus Naxos and quiet Sikinos and Folegandros. On both islands the boats thin outside summer, and on Ios a same-day return may not be possible at all.

Corfu is the much easier family choice. Its north coast and the southern sands of Issos and Agios Georgios shelve gently, and many resorts have pools and kids' clubs. A water park and pirate-style boat trips give a break from the beach, as long as you steer clear of Kavos and Ipsos.

Ios has suitable shallow sand at Manganari and the quieter end of Mylopotas. However, Chora's steps defeat a pushchair, and in high summer the party crowd keeps the island loud late into the night. Families who do go are best in June or September, staying near the southern beaches.

Ios is the easier island without a car, simply because its core is small. The harbour at Yialos, Chora and Mylopotas are linked by a frequent summer bus, or on foot by the old stepped path. The catch is that you can only arrive by ferry, and the outer bays still need wheels.

Corfu is about 60km long, with twisting roads and buses too infrequent to rely on. Beyond the walkable old town, most visitors hire a car or scooter. It does have its own airport, and one resort plus boat trips works for a car-free beach stay.

Neither island is a shopping trip, but Corfu has more to bring home. The old lanes of Corfu Town, around Nikiforou Theotoki and behind the Liston, sell olive-wood bowls, kumquat sweets and liqueur, local soaps and olive oil, and the newer town has ordinary clothing chains.

On Ios, the shops in Chora's lanes stick to beachwear, sandals, jewellery and souvenirs. A few boutiques sell Greek-made clothes and ceramics, but there are no local crafts to seek out.

Costs come out much the same, but the cheap way to do each island differs. On Corfu it means the package resorts of the north and east coasts, with fairly priced tavernas and buses. The villa coast around Kassiopi and Corfu Town in high summer cost more, and car hire adds up.

Ios still has its backpacker roots: hostels, campsites and simple rooms near Mylopotas, cheap grill food and drinks offers in the bars. Comfortable rooms in July and August and the ferry fares push the total up. On both islands, the shoulder months bring the bill down.

Corfu has a real musical tradition, unusual for a Greek island. Historic philharmonic bands play in the Spianada and village squares through the summer and lead the Easter processions through Corfu Town, and kantades serenades still turn up in tavernas. Add the classical evenings in the Old Fortress, and there is a modest programme to plan around.

Ios has little beyond occasional summer events at the open-air theatre by the windmills and the music and dancing at saints' day festivals. Otherwise, its music is what the bars play.

Neither island has a spa tradition, so rest comes down to where you stay. Corfu offers more of it, with resort-hotel spas, yoga retreats in the olive groves and hill villages or the quiet northeast coast, where days slow to long lunches.

Ios can be calm near Manganari or in June and September, and some boutique hotels offer massage and yoga. In peak summer, though, the island runs on late nights and late mornings.