Crete or Lefkada?

Both islands have outstanding beaches, so the choice comes down to the kind of shore. Crete offers more variety across its length: the pink-tinged lagoons of Elafonissi, the bay at Balos, Vai's palms in the east, long easy resort sands on the north coast, and pebble coves on the south coast reached by boat or on foot, such as Preveli.

Lefkada's best beaches are more dramatic but less easy. Porto Katsiki, Egremni and Kathisma lie under tall white cliffs on the open west coast, with steeply shelving water and waves in the afternoon. For calm swimming you cross to the small east-coast bays around Nikiana and Ligia, or go south to Agiofili.

Crete is the island to choose for food. Its cooking is one of the most distinctive in the Mediterranean, based on its own olive oil, wild greens, graviera and mizithra cheeses, and dakos. There are rewarding backstreet tavernas in the old towns of Chania and Rethymno, a market street in Heraklion and wine villages to its south.

On Lefkada you eat well but simply, with grilled fish on the harbours at Lefkada town and Nidri, Eglouvi lentils, a local cured salami and traditional cooking in villages such as Karya. It is good taverna food, but there is no food scene to travel for.

There is a large gap here. Crete was the centre of the Minoan world, and Knossos, Phaistos, Malia and the frescoes and the Phaistos Disc in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum would justify the trip on their own. Venetian Chania, Ottoman-era Rethymno, Spinalonga and the monastery at Arkadi add many more layers of history.

Lefkada's sights are pleasant breaks from the beach rather than reasons to come. They include the fortress of Santa Maura at the causeway, a small museum, painted church ceilings in the town, Faneromeni monastery and the cliff at Cape Lefkatas linked to the legend of Sappho.

Crete has more choice after dark, in two very different scenes. Malia and Hersonissos are loud, late club strips aimed at young groups. The harbour at Chania, the waterfront at Rethymno and the old centre of Heraklion offer cocktail bars and late terraces, where Greek students help keep things lively.

Lefkada has no clubbing to speak of. Summer nights mean strolling and drinking in the lanes of Lefkada town, on the Nidri harbour strip among sailing crews, or at Vasiliki's relaxed windsurfers' bars, and outside July and August the island goes to bed early.

On land, Crete is the bigger adventure. The White Mountains and Psiloritis rise above 2,400m. The Samaria gorge leads down to the Libyan Sea, the E4 path crosses the island, and vultures and the wild kri-kri goat live in the western cliffs. Lefkada's interior is greener but lower, with walks to the Dimosari waterfall and between hill villages.

On the water, however, Lefkada is a match for Crete. The afternoon wind at Vasiliki is among the best known in the Mediterranean for windsurfing, and the sheltered channels to Meganisi and the islets beyond are classic sailing waters.

Both islands offer plenty of days out, but they point in different directions. On Crete the outings are mostly within the island itself: the other old towns, the wine villages around Peza and Archanes, Anogia and the Amari valley. There are boat trips to Chrissi and Gramvousa, and a long day on the fast ferry to Santorini.

Lefkada looks outward. Boats from Nidri visit Meganisi, Kalamos and Kastos, ferries from Vasiliki reach Fiskardo and Ithaca, and the mainland offers the Roman ruins at Nikopolis, the oracle at the Acheron and Venetian Parga.

Crete is better set up for children. The north coast and the area around Chania have long sandy beaches that shelve gently, resort hotels with pools and children's clubs, waterparks and the aquarium at Gournes, and Elafonissi's warm lagoon is ideal for toddlers. Long, winding drives and midsummer heat are the main drawbacks.

Lefkada can work for a simple beach vacation if you stay on the east side, where the bays at Nikiana and Ligia are calm. There is little built for children, and the famous west-coast beaches, with surf, steep shelving and long cliff staircases, are hard work with small children.

On both islands a hire car is the realistic answer, but the challenges differ. Crete is large and mountainous. Driving from one end to the other takes most of a day, the north-coast highway is busy and demanding, and the roads to the south are steep. A reliable bus line along the north coast at least links the main towns.

Lefkada is compact and needs no ferry, and the airport is about half an hour away. Its buses are too infrequent for visiting several beaches, though, the west-coast roads are slow, and summer brings congestion through Nidri and at Porto Katsiki.

Crete has more worth buying. Chania's leather-makers' lane, its knife-makers and covered market, together with Heraklion's market street selling cheese, herbs, honey and raki, make for a rewarding morning's browsing. Pottery from Margarites is also worth bringing home.

On Lefkada shopping is mostly part of the evening walk along the pedestrian main street in Lefkada town, with olive oil, honey and lentils for sale. Karya's hand embroidery is the one local craft to look for.

The two islands cost much the same. Both are mid-priced for Greece, and both are easiest on the budget in the months either side of high summer. On Crete, family-run rooms and generous village meals with free raki keep costs down, and prices rise in Chania's old town, near the western beaches and around Elounda's luxury resorts.

On Lefkada, accommodation near the west-coast beaches in August is the main cost, and boat excursions add up over a week of island-hopping. On both islands, car hire is a cost you can rarely avoid.

Neither island has much formal theatre or concert life, but Crete's music has deeper roots. The lyra and the lute, with improvised verses and circle dances, are still a living tradition in the music tavernas of Rethymno and Chania, at village saints' day festivals and in Anogia. In summer, Heraklion and Chania also stage festivals in their fortresses.

Lefkada's highlight is its long-running international folklore festival in August, along with a few village festivals in summer. For the rest of the year there is very little to see.

Neither island has a bathing tradition, but Crete has more for a spa stay. The most serious resort spas are around Elounda and the Gulf of Mirabello, while Lefkada's treatments are limited to its better hotels and a handful of yoga retreats in the hills.

On both islands, the slower pace is the real way to unwind. On Crete that means Loutro, which you can reach only by boat or on foot, and hill villages among olive groves. On Lefkada it means quiet evenings in the small east-coast harbours.