Izmir or Plovdiv?

This is the widest gap between the two. Izmir's own waterfront is not for swimming, but an hour west the Cesme peninsula offers the shallow sand of Ilica and clearer coves around Altinkum, with long family beaches at Gumuldur and Ozdere to the south, so beach days are easy outings.

Plovdiv lies on the Thracian plain about 250km from the Black Sea. Cooling off there means the rowing canal, outdoor pools or a Rhodope reservoir, and anyone who wants the sea has to plan separate days on the coast.

Izmir eats better and with more range. Its Aegean cooking of olive oil, wild greens and fish comes to the table as long meze spreads with raki, and the street food is distinctive, from boyoz and gevrek to the kumru sandwich. Kemeraltı's market lanes and the seafood places of Alsancak give plenty of choice.

Plovdiv keeps to hearty Bulgarian dishes such as kavarma, kebapche and banitsa, served in Old Town mehanas or the bistros of Kapana. Its strong suit is Thracian wine, Mavrud and Rubin above all, though Urla's vineyards mean Izmir has local wine too.

Plovdiv has the richer set of sights, and more of them survive. The Roman theatre in the hillside, the stadium under the main street, and the mosaics in the two basilicas sit just below an Old Town of painted National Revival merchant houses, and all of it is close enough to see on foot.

Izmir lost much of its old fabric in the fire of 1922, so it is a modern city with good fragments: the Roman Agora, Kadifekale above the gulf, the Clock Tower on Konak Square and the hans of Kemeraltı. Its greatest antiquities lie outside the city rather than in it.

Izmir goes out more and later. Drinks on the Kordon at sunset lead into Alsancak's packed back streets of bars, pubs and rock bars, and in summer the bigger nights move west to the beach clubs of Alaçatı and Çeşme.

Plovdiv's evenings are smaller and gentler, centred on the craft beer and wine bars of Kapana with a few clubs along the river. A night there usually ends over a glass of local red rather than on a dance floor.

Both are good for getting outdoors, but in opposite settings. Izmir's outdoors means the coast: the gulf promenade, flamingos in the Gediz Delta, the cliffs and olive groves of Karaburun, and some of the Mediterranean's best windsurfing and kitesurfing at Alaçatı.

Plovdiv looks to the mountains. The Rhodopes begin about 20km away with forested gorges and trails, the Central Balkan range offers higher hiking, and the city's own rocky hills give short climbs. Both have skiing within reach, at Bozdağ and Pamporovo.

Izmir has the stronger set of outings, because it sits among some of the great sites of the ancient world. Ephesus is an hour away by train, Pergamon and Sardis about two hours, and Priene, Miletus and Didyma make a full day by car, with Alaçatı, Şirince and Old Foça for lighter days.

Plovdiv is a fine base for central Bulgaria, with Bachkovo Monastery half an hour away and the Thracian tombs of Kazanlak, the Valley of Roses and Koprivshtitsa further out. Both cities really need a hire car for most of these trips.

Izmir gives children more to do. The Sasalı Wildlife Park, the fun fair in Kultürpark, ferry rides across the bay and the shallow sandy water at Ilica make for easy days, and the flat Kordon is good for scooters.

Plovdiv is welcoming but has less aimed at children: the singing fountains in the Tsar Simeon Garden, Lauta park and the playgrounds by the rowing canal. Its steep, polished Old Town cobbles are hard work with a pushchair.

Both are easy, in different ways. Izmir is a long city wrapped round its gulf, so it relies on a network of metro, İZBAN suburban trains, trams, buses and the bay ferries on one card, with a flat walk from Konak to Alsancak at its heart.

Plovdiv is small enough that a visitor barely needs transport. The long car-free main street links the station side, Kapana, the Roman ruins and the Old Town, and taxis cover the rest.

Izmir is the better place to shop. Kemeraltı is a working bazaar quarter of lanes and old hans selling copperware, leather, spices and olive oil soaps to locals, and Alsancak and the malls add fashion and Turkish chains.

Plovdiv's shopping is mostly high-street chains on the main street, with more character in Kapana's small design studios and the antique stalls on the climb to the Old Town. Rose oil cosmetics and embroidery are its typical buys.

Izmir is fair value rather than cheap. Mid-range hotels in the city are reasonably priced, and one transport card covering the metro, trams and bay ferries keeps getting about inexpensive. The costs rise when the trip moves to the coast: in summer the Cesme peninsula charges resort rates for rooms and meals, so a week split between city and beach costs far more than a week in the city alone.

Plovdiv comes out cheaper on almost every count, and it has no resort season to inflate the bill. Rooms in the historic centre cost less than their equivalents in Izmir, the compact centre means you hardly spend anything on transport, and the painted museum houses of the Old Town charge only small fees. The money you save in town can go on a hire car for the Rhodopes or the wine estates of the plain.

Both scenes are modest and mostly in the local language, with Izmir slightly fuller. It has a state opera and ballet in the historic Elhamra, a symphony orchestra and the long-running International Izmir Festival, which puts concerts in the ancient theatre at Ephesus, plus live music in Alsancak bars.

Plovdiv's best moment is a summer night of opera or concerts in its own Roman theatre, in the middle of town. Its opera, philharmonic and jazz festival fill the rest of the year.

Izmir has bathing on its doorstep. The Balçova springs, known in antiquity as the Baths of Agamemnon, feed thermal pools on the city's edge, Ilıca has warm springs near the shore, and old hammams in Kemeraltı still offer a scrub and steam.

Plovdiv has no thermal baths of its own, so a proper soak means a trip to Hisarya or Velingrad. Its calm comes from aylyak, the local art of taking things slowly over coffee under the plane trees.