Istanbul or Antalya?

Antalya has two kinds of city beach. Konyaaltı is a long pebble shore with clear water that deepens quickly, and Lara has sand for easier paddling. You can also swim off the rocks below Kaleiçi. Kemer and Belek add more choice, and the sea is far warmer than anywhere near Istanbul.

Istanbul lives beside the water without really swimming in it. Its proper beaches at Kilyos and Sile are about an hour north. They are sandy but cooler and known for undertow. The coves on the Princes' Islands make a pleasant half day, not a beach trip.

Istanbul is one of the great eating cities, with cooking from every Turkish region. You can have lunch from the trays at a lokanta, a fish sandwich by the Galata Bridge, an evening of meze and rakı at a meyhane in Beyoglu or Kumkapi, and a day grazing through Kadikoy's market streets.

Antalya's food is narrower but honest. The best meals are piyaz with şiş köfte, tandır lamb and Gulf fish, eaten in plain local places away from Kaleiçi and the hotel buffets. Its weekly markets are piled with citrus and pomegranates from the coastal plain.

Istanbul's historic peninsula alone outweighs everything Antalya has to see. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi and the Basilica Cistern are within a short walk of each other. Further out are the Süleymaniye, the Chora church and the palaces of the Bosphorus.

Antalya's sights are compact. Kaleiçi's Ottoman lanes, Hadrian's Gate and the Yivli Minare fill a pleasant morning, and the Antalya Museum's statues from Perge are first-rate. The region's great antiquity, though, lies outside the town.

Istanbul's nights are bigger and later. There are rooftop bars and singing meyhanes off Istiklal Avenue, polished cocktail bars in Karakoy and Cihangir, and cheaper, packed bar streets in Kadikoy and Moda. In summer the clubs on the Bosphorus at Ortakoy run until dawn.

Antalya's nightlife is mostly a summer thing: courtyard bars in Kaleiçi, beach clubs at Konyaaltı and Lara, and resort discos. The venues are spread out, so you need taxis between them, and the scene shrinks to a few local bars in winter.

Antalya's setting is far wilder. The Taurus range falls straight into the sea, and the cable car up Tahtalı Dağı climbs to about 2,365m. The Lycian Way runs past Phaselis and Olympos, and there is rafting in Köprülü Canyon, diving along the coast and winter skiing at Saklıkent.

Istanbul's outdoors is gentler and more urban. You can walk along the wooded Bosphorus, see the April tulips in Emirgan, follow the trails in Belgrad Forest and cycle on the car-free Princes' Islands. There are no mountains within easy reach.

Antalya is ringed by ancient cities. Perge, the great theatre at Aspendos and Termessos on its mountain peak are all close. Side pairs its temple of Apollo with a seaside town, and Myra and the sunken city at Kekova make a longer but rewarding day.

Istanbul's easiest outings are by ferry, to the Princes' Islands or up the Bosphorus to Anadolu Kavagi. Bursa, the first Ottoman capital, is the best town trip. Edirne and Iznik make long days, and just getting out of the city always takes time.

Antalya is the easier choice with children. The resorts in Lara, Belek and Kemer have pools, slides and kids' clubs, Lara's shallow sandy water suits toddlers, and a water park and a walk-through aquarium fill the hottest hours. July and August heat and the steep lanes of Kaleiçi are its weak points.

Istanbul is just as warm towards children, and ferry rides, the Rahmi M. Koç Museum and Miniaturk all go down well. But the crowds, cobbled hills, traffic and stairs tire small legs and defeat pushchairs.

Istanbul moves visitors more smoothly. One card covers the metro, the T1 tram, the Marmaray tunnel, the funiculars and the ferries, and the ferries are a sight in themselves. The price of its size is crowded rush hours and slow taxis.

Antalya's tram links the airport, Kaleiçi and the Konyaaltı side well enough. But the resort coast stretches for tens of kilometres, and buses barely reach the ruins and trails, so most visitors who want to explore hire a car or book tours.

Antalya is a place to pick up souvenirs, while Istanbul is a place to go shopping. In Antalya you buy practical things: chain-store basics in the malls, the usual crafts in the old town, and produce from the weekly markets, which is often the best thing to take home. Be wary of the factory-outlet stops that organised tours build in. If you want fashion, design or anything unusual, you will find little.

Istanbul has the same Turkish crafts in far greater depth and quality. They are sold in covered markets that have traded for more than five centuries and are worth a visit even if you buy nothing. It also has Turkish fashion labels and international designers, antique dealers and Kadikoy's second-hand stalls, so a keen shopper can fill several days and find good pieces as well as bargains. In the old markets of both cities, haggling is expected.

The two cost much the same overall. Both are cheap if you live like a local and dearer where visitors gather, so the difference lies in what you spend on. In Antalya, köfte houses, markets and the tram cost little, and all-inclusive packages can suit families. Kaleiçi restaurants, beach clubs and boat trips cost noticeably more, and rooms are cheaper in spring and autumn.

In Istanbul, ferries, simit and lokanta lunches are cheap. Hotels in Sultanahmet and Galata, entry fees at the monuments and heavily taxed drinks add up quickly, and staying in Kadikoy saves a great deal.

Istanbul has much more on stage. The state opera and ballet perform at the Ataturk Cultural Centre, concert halls bring in orchestras and touring stars, and summer music and jazz festivals fill historic courtyards. Add Sema ceremonies in old dervish lodges and small rock and folk venues in Beyoglu and Kadikoy.

Antalya has its own state opera, ballet and theatre in winter, and one magnificent event: the summer festival on the Roman stage at Aspendos. Beyond that, live music means bar bands and hotel shows.

Istanbul has the more memorable bathing. Sinan's sixteenth-century hammams, such as the Cemberlitas and the Haseki Hürrem, still work under their star-pierced domes. A long tea on a terrace in Kandilli or a slow ferry ride makes up for the noise of the city.

Antalya relaxes you in a different way. There are a few old hammams in Kaleiçi, large resort spas in Lara, Belek and Kemer, and an easy rhythm of long breakfasts and evenings by the sea. It is calmest in spring and autumn.