Dubrovnik or Thessaloniki?

Dubrovnik is the place for swimming. The clear Adriatic laps the rocks below the seaward walls, Banje lies just outside the Ploce gate, and Lapad and Babin Kuk have coves within walking distance of most hotels. The shore is pebble and concrete platform rather than sand, but Lokrum, Lopud's sandy Sunj and Cavtat are all an easy boat trip away.

Thessaloniki's waterfront is for strolling, not bathing, and the nearest town beaches have shallow, unremarkable water. The fine coves are in Kassandra and the rest of Halkidiki, about an hour away by car, which makes a swim a full day out rather than an afternoon.

Thessaloniki is the better city to eat in, by a wide margin. Ottoman, Sephardic and Anatolian influences show in its kebabs, soutzoukakia and meze, the Modiano and Kapani markets have tavernas tucked between the stalls, and the bougatsa at breakfast is good enough to plan a morning around.

Dubrovnik's strength is Dalmatian seafood: black risotto, octopus and the oysters of Ston, with Peljesac reds to drink. But the Old Town tables mostly serve passing crowds, and eating well usually means heading to a konoba in Lapad, Gruz or Konavle.

The two are about equal for sightseeing, but the experience is quite different. Dubrovnik is one complete set piece: almost 2km of unbroken walls, the Stradun, the Rector's Palace and the monasteries, all compact enough to see in two or three days, though crowded on summer afternoons.

Thessaloniki has more depth but less unity. The Rotunda, Agios Dimitrios and the other UNESCO-listed Byzantine churches, the Arch of Galerius and two first-rate museums are spread across a centre largely rebuilt after 1917, with Ottoman Ano Poli climbing above it.

Thessaloniki is the city for going out. A large student population keeps Ladadika, the bars around Valaoritou and the Bit Bazaar tables full well past three, on weeknights too, and in summer the open-air clubs at the edge of the city take over.

Dubrovnik's evenings are gentler and shorter: a sunset drink at the bars on the rocks, a glass of wine in the lanes off the Stradun, perhaps dancing inside Revelin fortress. Outside summer much of it closes.

Dubrovnik's outdoors is the sea and its islands, while Thessaloniki's is the mountains behind it. On the Dalmatian side that means kayaking around the walls and over to Lokrum with its wooded paths and botanical garden, the saltwater lakes and pine forest of Mljet, and the zigzag path or cable car up Mount Srd, all best in spring or autumn.

Thessaloniki has the Seich Sou pine forest just above Ano Poli, and Olympus and the Enipeas gorge within an hour and a half for serious hut-to-hut hiking. In winter there is skiing at Kaimaktsalan and Seli, which Dubrovnik cannot offer, though most of this needs a car.

Thessaloniki has the stronger set of day trips, with ancient Macedonia right on its doorstep. The royal tombs at Vergina, Pella's mosaics and Dion beneath Olympus make a run of first-rate sites, and Edessa's waterfalls and the Naoussa vineyards add variety.

Dubrovnik's appeal is crossing borders: Kotor and Perast in Montenegro, Trebinje and Mostar in Bosnia, plus Ston's walls and the Elafiti islands. Summer queues at the borders can eat into the day.

Neither city is built around children, and families tend to manage the same way, by basing themselves near the water. In Dubrovnik that means Lapad's calm coves, boat rides and the cable car, with the Old Town's stairs a trial for pushchairs.

Thessaloniki offers the long seafront promenade with its playgrounds, plus the Noesis science centre, and children are welcome at tavernas late into the evening. Busy traffic and blocked pavements are the downside.

Both cities are about equally easy to get around, but in very different ways. In Dubrovnik you will probably sleep in Lapad, Babin Kuk or Gruz and take the bus in to the Pile gate. From there the Old Town has no traffic at all, and the effort goes into climbing stairs rather than covering distance. Boats from Gruz and the Old Harbour stand in for a train, and in summer the slowest part of the day is often the queue of traffic at the Pile gate.

Thessaloniki needs less climbing and less planning. The hotels, the markets, Ladadika and the churches all lie along a level strip near the sea, so the promenade links most of them on foot, and the metro covers longer journeys east or west. The drawback is the streets themselves: heavy traffic, slow buses and pavements blocked by parked cars. Only Ano Poli, up on its hill, really calls for a taxi.

Thessaloniki is the better place to shop, though neither is a reason to go. Tsimiski gives it a proper high street of fashion and shoe shops, and the markets are excellent for spices, olives, loukoumi and tsipouro to bring home.

Dubrovnik is mostly souvenir shops, with Konavle embroidery, filigree jewellery and the figs and liqueurs of the Gunduliceva Poljana market as the worthwhile finds.

Thessaloniki is much cheaper. Its tavernas, bougatsa and bars are priced for students and locals, and hotels, museums and transport are all reasonable. Car hire for day trips is the main extra expense.

Dubrovnik is Croatia's most expensive city, with summer rooms near the Old Town at capital-city prices and the walls, cable car and boat trips adding up. Staying in Lapad or Cavtat and travelling in spring or autumn helps, but only up to a point.

Thessaloniki offers more through the year. The State Orchestra plays at the waterfront Concert Hall, the National Theatre of Northern Greece runs full seasons in Greek, and the best night of music is often rebetiko at a taverna.

Dubrovnik comes alive for the Summer Festival in July and August, when Fort Lovrijenac and the Rector's Palace atrium become open-air stages. Outside the festival there is little on.

Neither city is a spa destination, so the calm comes from the setting. In Dubrovnik that means leaving the summer crowds for the Elafiti islands or Cavtat, or coming in spring or autumn.

Thessaloniki's old hammams are monuments rather than working baths, though Lagadas has simple thermal springs half an hour away. The real rest is the slow pace: long iced coffees on the seafront and the evening walk along the promenade.