Istanbul or Yerevan?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Istanbul at least has the sea. Long sandy strands at Kilyos and Sile on the Black Sea are about an hour away, with strong currents to respect, and the Princes' Islands have pebbly coves within a ferry ride.

Yerevan is landlocked, so in summer people swim in park and hotel pools. The nearest beaches are on Lake Sevan, high, clear and cool, a pleasant outing but never the reason for the trip.

Istanbul is the bigger eating destination by some way. Dishes from every region of Turkey come together here, from Black Sea anchovies to south-eastern kebabs, and you can eat at lunchtime lokantas, long meze evenings in Beyoglu meyhanes and the market streets of Kadikoy.

Yerevan's table is narrower but generous: khorovats over vine cuttings, lavash, herbs and cheese, with the GUM market for dried fruit and sujukh. Its own strength is drink, with brandy tastings and Areni reds that Istanbul cannot match.

Here the gap is wide. Istanbul's historic peninsula puts Hagia Sophia, Topkapi, the Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern within a short walk of each other, and the Chora mosaics, Süleymaniye and the Bosphorus palaces lie beyond them. You could spend a week and not finish.

Yerevan's essentials take two or three days: the Matenadaran's illuminated manuscripts, the museums on Republic Square, the Genocide Memorial at Tsitsernakaberd and the Cascade with its view of Ararat. The appeal is a coherent Soviet-era townscape in pink tuff rather than layers of empire.

Istanbul's nights are bigger and later. Beyoglu's side streets and rooftop bars, the younger bar streets of Kadikoy and the summer clubs on the Bosphorus shore at Ortakoy often keep going until dawn, though heavy alcohol taxes make it an expensive night.

Yerevan goes out in a gentler way: wine bars around Saryan Street, long dinners and crowded café terraces past midnight in summer, with only a small club scene. It suits drinking and talking more than dancing.

Yerevan has the better landscape to get out into. Within an hour or so you can hike Mount Aragats from the lake at Kari, see the basalt columns of the Garni gorge or walk the wooded hills around Dilijan, though the trails are basic.

Istanbul's nature is tamer and tied to water: the wooded Bosphorus shore, the tulip parks in April, Belgrad Forest and cycling on the Princes' Islands. There is pleasant greenery, but no wild country close by.

Yerevan is the better base for days out. Echmiadzin, Garni, Geghard and Khor Virap below Ararat all lie within about an hour, and Noravank, Sevanavank and Gyumri make fuller days. The common thread is churches and monasteries, and most trips need a driver or a tour.

Istanbul's best outings go by ferry, to the Princes' Islands or up the Bosphorus to Anadolu Kavagi, with Bursa the strongest town trip. Edirne and Iznik make long days, and simply getting out of the city takes time.

Both cities make a fuss of children. Istanbul gives you more to do with them, though: ferry rides, the ships and submarine of the Rahmi M. Koç Museum, Miniaturk, aquariums and seaside parks on the Asian shore. Crowds, steep cobbles and long transfers are the price.

Yerevan is calmer and compact, with the fountains and Cascade steps for an evening, but little is built for children beyond a modest zoo and a children's railway. Its monastery drives suit older children better than toddlers.

Istanbul's network does more of the work. One card covers the metro, the T1 tram through the old city, the Marmaray tunnel and the ferries, which are a pleasure in themselves, though rush hours are crushing and road traffic is slow.

Yerevan's centre is small enough to walk, but its single metro line reaches little and the minibuses are hard to decode, so most visitors rely on cheap ride-hailing taxis and need a driver for the countryside.

Istanbul is one of the great shopping cities. It runs from the covered streets of the Grand Bazaar and the craft trades around it to designer Nisantasi, the antique shops of Cukurcuma and the flea markets of Kadikoy, so it can carry a whole trip.

In Yerevan, shopping means a weekend at the Vernissage for obsidian jewellery, carved backgammon boards and Soviet curios, plus brandy and dried fruit to take home. Beyond that it has malls and chains.

Yerevan stretches a budget further. Grills, cafés, local wine and brandy, museum tickets and taxis all cost little, and only central hotels in summer feel expensive.

Istanbul can be cheap too if you stay in Kadikoy and eat in lokantas, and ferries and simit cost next to nothing. But hotels and menus in Sultanahmet and Galata, high alcohol prices and steep entry fees at the big monuments soon add up.

Istanbul has the broader stage. The Ataturk Cultural Centre houses the state opera and ballet, summer festivals put jazz and classical concerts in historic courtyards, and Sema ceremonies and fasil musicians in the meyhanes give you the traditional side.

Yerevan's round Opera and Ballet Theatre, with Khachaturian's ballets and the Philharmonic, is easy to get tickets for. Its long jazz tradition and duduk ensembles make a smaller but distinctive scene.

Istanbul is far ahead. Sinan's sixteenth-century hammams are still working, and lying on the heated marble under a star-pierced dome while an attendant scrubs you is one of the city's essential experiences.

Yerevan has hotel spas and local bathhouses but no tradition a visitor can join, and Jermuk's mineral springs are an overnight trip away. Its calm comes from slow coffees on shaded terraces and evening walks in the ring of parks.