Hallstatt or Pula?

These are very different kinds of water. In Hallstatt a swim means a short, bracing dip in the deep, dark green lake from a jetty in the village or the lido at Obertraun, and it only warms enough for that in high summer. The shores are steep and there is little space to lie out.

Pula is a real sea destination, though without sand. You swim from rocks, platforms and pebble coves around Verudela, Stoja and Medulin in very clear water, and the wild inlets of Cape Kamenjak are the best of it. Water shoes are a good idea, and families do best in the sheltered, shallow bays near Medulin.

Eating in Hallstatt is limited to Austrian standards in guesthouse dining rooms, with smoked or pan-fried char from the lake as the one local speciality. Kitchens close early, and anyone hungry for more goes to the patisseries of Bad Ischl.

Pula has much more to offer because it sits in Istria, one of the most distinctive kitchens on the Adriatic. Fuži with truffle, cured pršut, grilled squid, Teran and Malvazija all turn up on menus, and the covered market shows what is in season. The best meals are often in the konobas of the inland villages rather than near the Arena.

Hallstatt's history is deep but compact: salt mining going back thousands of years, the Iron Age finds that named the Hallstatt culture, the salt mine itself and the Beinhaus with its painted skulls. The village scene is the main attraction, and a day covers it.

Pula has more to see and more layers of history. The Arena is one of the finest surviving Roman amphitheatres, and the Temple of Augustus, the Arch of the Sergii and the mosaics in the backstreets make the Roman town easy to follow. The Venetian fortress and the Austro-Hungarian naval buildings add later chapters, enough for a day or two.

Hallstatt has no nightlife. Evenings mean dinner, a glass of wine by the lake and a dark, silent walk along the water once the day visitors have left.

Pula is no party town either, but in summer there is a proper evening: terrace drinks around the Forum, then cocktail and beach bars on Verudela and around Medulin, some open late on weekends, plus a few small clubs. Out of season it quiets down to a handful of student bars.

Hallstatt is the stronger choice by a wide margin. It sits in a glacial trough under the Dachstein, with the Five Fingers platform over a sheer drop, the giant ice caves, hut-to-hut routes, via ferratas, and freeride and ski touring in winter. The weather is often wet, but the scenery is real high mountain country.

Pula's landscape is low and coastal: macchia, pine and olive groves, the car-free cliffs of Kamenjak with dinosaur footprints, sea kayaking, windsurfing and wreck diving. For proper hiking you have to drive to the Učka range, and summer heat makes midday walking hard.

Both make good bases, but Pula has more variety within reach. From Hallstatt the outings are lake towns such as Bad Ischl with the Kaiservilla, St Wolfgang and Gmunden, with Salzburg as a long day out.

Pula reaches Venetian Rovinj, the Byzantine mosaics of Poreč, the hill towns of Motovun and Hum with truffle and wine estates, and the Brijuni islands by boat. Opatija, Piran and Trieste are each a longer drive away. In both places a car makes these trips much easier.

Hallstatt has a few memorable outings for children, the salt mine with its slides and underground lake and the ice caves for older ones, but the steep, crowded lane is hard going with a pushchair. Families usually stay in Obertraun and visit for a few hours.

Pula works better for a longer family stay because the sea fills most days, with the shallow bays at Medulin and Premantura best for small children. The aquarium in an old fort, climbing around the Arena, the Brijuni safari park and the water and dinosaur parks nearby add variety, although rocky shores and summer heat take some managing.

Hallstatt is a little easier on the ground because there is so little ground to cover. The village is a few minutes end to end and largely closed to traffic, although steep steps and the boat from the station across the lake add some effort.

Pula's flat centre is equally walkable and city buses reach Verudela, but the wider area of coves, Kamenjak and the hill towns depends on a car or scooter. Both places have limited regional buses, so plan on driving for anything beyond the centre.

Neither is a shopping destination. Hallstatt has a single lane of souvenir shops, where salt from the local mine is the one thing worth buying.

Pula offers a bit more, mainly to eat and drink: Istrian olive oil, truffle products, wine, rakija and pršut from the market hall, delicatessens and farms, plus everyday chains on the main old-town street.

Hallstatt is the dearer place to stay. Rooms are few and in worldwide demand, meals are priced at Alpine resort level, and the salt mine and cable car fares add up, so budget travellers sleep in Obertraun, Bad Goisern or Bad Ischl.

Pula is mid-priced, with private apartments and simple konobas keeping costs reasonable, especially in spring and autumn. High summer and car hire push the total up, but the gap remains.

Hallstatt has little beyond a brass band at feast days and the odd summer church concert. For real performances you go to Salzburg, or to Bad Ischl for its summer operetta.

Pula has one outstanding stage: in summer the Arena hosts pop and rock concerts, classical galas and film festival screenings under the Roman arches. The rest of the year the Istrian National Theatre puts on drama in Croatian, but there is no regular opera or classical programme.

Hallstatt has the edge for a restorative stay. It sits in an old spa region, with the brine baths and thermal complex of Bad Ischl half an hour away and more spa towns at Bad Aussee and Bad Goisern, and the misty mornings and empty evenings by the lake are deeply calm, as long as you avoid the midday crowds.

Pula has no spa tradition, only pools and saunas in the resort hotels on Verudela and in Medulin. Its way of slowing down is long coffees on the Forum and walks along the pine-shaded shore outside high summer.