Corfu or Naxos?

The two are close on beaches, but they offer different things. Corfu's strength is variety. There are long sandy beaches facing the sunset on the west coast, clear rocky coves under the cliffs at Paleokastritsa and calm pebble bays in the northeast, and the sea gets a little warmer there in late summer.

Naxos has one kind of beach and plenty of it: a chain of fine, pale sand running south from Chora through Agios Prokopios and Plaka to Alyko, shallow far out and roomy even in high season. The trade-off is the meltemi wind, which can make the open stretches choppy for days at a time.

The two islands eat about equally well, but from different traditions. Corfu's cooking carries its Venetian past in pastitsada, sofrito and the peppery fish stew bourdeto, with kumquat liqueur and ginger beer to drink.

Naxos is a farming island. It is known for its potatoes, its graviera and arseniko cheeses and the citron liqueur kitron distilled in Halki, and it is best eaten in mountain villages such as Filoti and Apiranthos. On both islands the resort strips serve the weakest food, so it pays to go elsewhere.

Corfu has more sightseeing packed into one place. Corfu Town's UNESCO-listed old town, its two fortresses, the Liston and its museums, including one of Asian art, make a full sightseeing day on foot. The Achilleion and the cliff-top castle of Angelokastro add more beyond the town.

Naxos goes further back in time but is more scattered. You get the Portara doorway over the harbour, the Venetian kastro, unfinished kouroi lying in their quarries and frescoed chapels in the Tragaea valley. These are rewarding sights, but you need a car and a few days to see them, and they feel intimate rather than grand.

Corfu has far more going on after dark, and you can choose the kind of night you want. Kavos is a full party resort that runs until dawn, Ipsos and Dassia mix beach bars with late venues, and Corfu Town offers a more grown-up evening.

Naxos has a short summer run of harbourfront bars, sunset sessions at the Agios Prokopios and Plaka beach bars and a couple of late clubs. Anyone who wants to dance all night usually takes a ferry to another island.

Wetter winters keep Corfu green and wooded, with old olive groves, cypresses and Mount Pantokrator, where paths pass abandoned stone villages with Albania across the water. The Corfu Trail crosses the island from end to end. There are sea caves to snorkel and dive below Paleokastritsa, and the sheltered channel off the east coast suits sailing and kayaking.

Naxos is higher and barer, the most mountainous island in the Cyclades. The classic walk climbs Mount Zas to a summit cave with views over the whole archipelago, and old mule paths connect the marble villages of the Tragaea valley. The north and east coasts are rocky and empty. On both islands, July and August walks need early starts.

Both islands do their day trips by boat, and the destinations decide it. From Corfu you can cross to Albania for the ruins of Butrint, sail to Paxos and the bays of Antipaxos, or visit Parga on the mainland.

Naxos sits at the centre of the Cyclades, so Paros, the quiet Small Cyclades, and Delos by way of Mykonos are all within easy reach, and Santorini makes a long day. It also has a good drive inland through its mountain villages. Strong wind can cancel sailings from Naxos.

Corfu is the easier family choice. Many of its resorts are built around pools and kids' clubs, there is a large water park inland, and pirate-style boats and the town fortresses keep older children busy. The north-coast sands at Roda and Acharavi are shallow and calm. Avoid Kavos and Ipsos.

Naxos has lovely toddler-friendly sand and lots of space, but almost nothing made for children. Days are beach, boat and ice cream, and on some days the wind makes the open beaches too rough for small swimmers.

Naxos is easier without a car. In summer, buses run from Chora's harbour along the beach coast to Plaka and up to the main villages, so a stay in Chora or Agios Prokopios works fine on foot and by bus.

Corfu is about 60km long and its buses are too infrequent to see much of it, so most visitors hire a car or scooter for the western beaches and hill villages. That means narrow, twisting roads and heavy summer traffic around Corfu Town and the airport.

Neither island is worth a trip for shopping, but Corfu has a little more. The lanes around Nikiforou Theotoki sell olive-wood boards, kumquat sweets and handmade jewellery, and the newer part of town has ordinary clothing chains.

On Naxos, the old market below the kastro and the weaving and marble work in Apiranthos and Halki are pleasant to browse. The best things to take home are cheese, kitron and honey.

The two islands cost much the same, with Corfu a little cheaper overall. Its big package resorts on the north and east coasts keep rooms reasonable, and taverna meals and local wine are fairly priced. Costs go up on the villa coast around Kassiopi and in Corfu Town in July and August, and car hire adds up if you want to see the island.

Naxos is moderately priced too. Its family-run studios and village rooms stay affordable even in summer, while the boutique hotels around Chora and Plaka are at the upper end. August is the expensive month there, when beachfront rooms book up and car hire costs more. On both islands spring and autumn cost less, and on Naxos June and September still have a warm sea.

Corfu has a real musical tradition, unusual for a Greek island. Its historic philharmonic bands play on the Spianada and in village squares all summer and lead the Easter processions, kantades serenades still turn up in tavernas, and there are classical evenings at the Old Fortress.

Naxos has a small summer festival in a Venetian tower and some recitals in the kastro. Its best music comes from the village saints' day festivals, where violin and lute play late into the night.

Corfu gives you more ways to slow down. Its larger resort hotels have spas, there are yoga retreats in the olive groves of the west and north, and a stay in a hill village or on the quiet northeast coast is very restful.

Naxos has a handful of hotel spas and a few small retreats on the southwest coast. Its calm comes from the place itself: the hamlets around Halki and the emptier southern beaches, best outside August.