Dahab or Tel Aviv?

Tel Aviv has the better beach in the usual sense: an unbroken strip of fine sand along the whole city, calmed by breakwaters, watched by lifeguards and a short walk from most hotels. Dahab's shore is mostly jetties and rocks that drop onto coral. Only the Lagoon has soft sand and shallow water.

Dahab makes up for it underwater. You can snorkel straight from the promenade over clear drop-offs, and the sea is warm enough to swim in every month. Tel Aviv's swimming season runs only from May into November.

Tel Aviv is one of the strongest eating cities in the region. It has Yemenite soups, Iraqi kubbeh and Bukharan pastries, hummus that sells out by lunchtime, markets to graze through and loud, confident chef-led restaurants. Breakfast is treated as a proper meal.

Dahab offers grilled fish chosen from the ice and eaten on cushions by the bay, which is pleasant but plain. The best meals are the cheap Egyptian staples in Assala, and beyond those the menus fall back on pizza and smoothie bowls.

There is almost nothing to visit in Dahab itself. Its Bedouin roots show in Assala and in the tea stops around town, and St Catherine's Monastery is a full day away.

Tel Aviv has a modest but real list of sights. You can walk the UNESCO-listed White City along Rothschild Boulevard and Bialik Street, explore the stone lanes of old Jaffa and the low houses of Neve Tzedek, and visit ANU and the Museum of Art. It is not a city of great monuments, but it has plenty to fill several days.

The two places are opposites after dark. In Dahab most people are up early to dive, so a beer by the water and the odd party night are about all there is, and the town is quiet before midnight.

Tel Aviv treats going out as a way of life. Bars spill onto the pavements around Allenby and Lilienblum, and house and techno basements in the south stay open until dawn. Thursday is the big night, and the gay scene is among the most open in the region.

This is Dahab's great advantage. The Gulf of Aqaba drops into deep water just offshore, freediving is world class, the Lagoon has steady wind, and the granite mountains begin at the edge of town. They offer camel treks to Ras Abu Galum, the Coloured Canyon and the sunrise climb up Mount Sinai.

Tel Aviv's outdoor life is the coastal path, surfing and paddleboarding off the city beaches, and rowing in Yarkon Park. For real landscape such as the Carmel trails or Ein Gedi, you have to drive for one to two hours.

Tel Aviv is an excellent base for day trips. Jerusalem's Old City is about half an hour away by fast train, Caesarea and Haifa's Baha'i Gardens are easy to reach to the north, and Acre, Masada and the Dead Sea all make good days out. Remember that the trains stop for Shabbat.

From Dahab there is really only one day trip worth making, to St Catherine's Monastery, often combined with the night climb. Sharm el-Sheikh and Nuweiba offer little, so most outings go into the desert or out to sea.

Tel Aviv is the easier choice with children. It has lifeguarded sandy beaches, the lawns and Luna Park in Yarkon Park, the drive-through Ramat Gan Safari and the children's museum in Holon. Children are also welcome in restaurants late into the evening.

Dahab works for children who swim confidently. They can splash in the Lagoon, snorkel off the shore and ride camels, but there is nothing built for families. Summer heat is harsh for small children, and serious medical care is in Sharm el-Sheikh.

In Dahab you will walk along the 2km seafront promenade between the Lighthouse and Mashraba. Anything beyond it, including the Blue Hole, the Lagoon and the mountains, means a taxi, a pickup or an arranged transfer, because there is no public transport at all.

Tel Aviv's flat centre is also walkable, and it adds bike-share, a light-rail line, buses and fast trains to Jerusalem and Haifa. The catch is Shabbat, when most public transport stops until Saturday night.

Dahab's promenade stalls sell embroidery, scarves, spices and souvenirs, with some haggling. Diving and freediving equipment is the only thing really worth buying there.

Tel Aviv has far more choice, built around local designers rather than luxury brands. Look in the boutiques on Sheinkin and Dizengoff, at the Nahalat Binyamin crafts market and in Jaffa's flea market and vintage shops. Judaica, tahini and Dead Sea cosmetics make good things to take home.

The two sit at opposite ends on cost. Dahab is cheap enough that many people stay for weeks, with low-cost guesthouses, very cheap local meals and dive courses well below international rates. Only alcohol and the few upmarket hotels push the bill up.

Tel Aviv is among the most expensive cities in the Mediterranean region, for rooms, restaurants, cocktails and even groceries. Falafel, sabich, the free beach and walks through the White City help, but a tight budget needs careful planning there.

Dahab has no stage to speak of. You might hear a band in a promenade bar or Bedouin music around a desert campfire.

Tel Aviv has real institutions: the Israel Philharmonic, the Israeli Opera, the Habima national theatre and, best of all, Batsheva and the dance programme at the Suzanne Dellal Centre. Most drama is in Hebrew, but dance and music need no translation.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, so the difference is pace. Dahab is easier to switch off in. It has slow days on seafront cushions, sunsets over the mountains and cheap yoga and massage, all within a long-stay community built around breathwork.

Tel Aviv is loud and fast for most of the week. Calm comes from quiet Shabbat streets and early walks on the promenade, and for proper restorative bathing people head to the Dead Sea mud spas.