Larnaca or Limassol?

Both cities are equally good for a beach stay. Each has easy, gently shelving town beaches of grey sand rather than postcard scenery, and the same warm sea from May into November. The difference is where the better beaches are. Larnaca's Finikoudes sits right in front of the old centre, Mackenzie has beach bars and low-flying planes, and the white sand of Ayia Napa and Protaras is under an hour east.

Limassol's beaches run in a long strip along the hotel coast, with quieter Lady's Mile to the west. Its best swimming spots are short drives away: the chalk cliffs at Governor's Beach, the open bay below Kourion and the sheltered cove at Pissouri.

The basics are the same in both cities: the long meze meal, grilled fish by the harbour and thick Cypriot coffee. Limassol takes it further. Its family tavernas in the old town and the hill villages are a step up, the covered municipal market is worth a visit, and the vineyard villages towards Troodos make Xynisteri, Maratheftiko and Commandaria on the city's doorstep.

In Larnaca the good meals tend to be in fish tavernas towards Mazotos or in inland villages. The promenade is mostly tourist menus, and for more variety people head to Limassol or Nicosia.

Neither city is a culture destination in itself, and you can see the sights of either in a day or two. Larnaca has more that stands out. The ninth-century Church of Saint Lazarus with its carved iconostasis, Hala Sultan Tekke on the Salt Lake and the Phoenician foundations of Kition give it a longer history to explore.

Limassol has its medieval castle museum, the old mixed quarter around it and the hillside ruins of Amathus. Its bigger heritage, such as Kourion, is a drive out of town.

Limassol has the livelier evenings. Bars fill the old-town lanes around Saripolou Square until the early hours, the marina has smarter cocktail bars, and a few large clubs on the tourist strip stay open late in summer. Its big international resident community also keeps things going outside the peak months.

Larnaca is quieter. There are late cocktail bars behind Finikoudes and DJ beach bars at Mackenzie in summer, but the town goes quiet in winter. For real clubbing you travel to Ayia Napa.

Limassol is better placed for the outdoors because the Troodos mountains rise right behind it. Within about an hour you can be on the summit trails near Mount Olympos or walking to the Caledonia waterfall, which stay cool while the coast is hot. There are also cliff walks at Cape Aspro and Pissouri.

Larnaca's surroundings are flatter and drier. Its strengths are the flamingos on the Salt Lake in winter, the Zenobia wreck dive offshore and the sea caves of Cape Greco an hour east. Both cities have their own salt lake with wintering flamingos.

Both cities sit on the south coast with much of Cyprus within reach, but Limassol has more good outings nearby. Kourion and Kolossi are just west, Paphos is under an hour, and the painted churches and wine villages such as Omodos make an easy inland day.

From Larnaca, Nicosia is closer, at about forty minutes. Lefkara, Choirokoitia and Stavrovouni are all near, and Famagusta in the north can be reached through a crossing point. Paphos and the Troodos churches are a long drive from there.

Both work equally well for a family beach vacation built around shallow, calm water, with the same lack of attractions made for children once you leave the sand. Larnaca's advantage is size. Its small, calm town and the paddling beach at Finikoudes sit beside the promenade playgrounds, and the airport is only minutes away, which makes travel days shorter.

Limassol has more to fill the days around the beach. There are resort hotels with kids' clubs, a large waterpark a short drive west and a small zoo in the municipal gardens. Families with older children may find it better for that reason.

Larnaca is the easier town to get around without a car. The seafront, the old town, Saint Lazarus and the fort are all a short flat walk apart, and the airport is a quick ride away. Limassol stretches for many kilometres along the coast. Its old town and marina are walkable, but reaching the hotel strip means taking the coastal buses or a taxi.

Neither city escapes the island's basic limit: there is no railway and inland buses are sparse. Most visitors in either place hire a car and drive on the left.

Limassol has more shopping. It has the main fashion chains on Anexartisias and Makarios Avenue, a few upmarket boutiques at the marina and old-town workshops selling ceramics, leather and local design. Larnaca's Ermou and Zinonos Kitieos streets cover the basics and little more.

The best things to take home from either are much the same: Lefkara lace and silver, halloumi and Commandaria. Larnaca adds pottery from the Skala workshops, and Limassol adds carob syrup and wine bought directly from the villages.

Larnaca is the cheaper of the two. It is moderately priced overall, with generous meze, cheap bakery snacks and free or low-cost sights. Prices only climb along the Finikoudes promenade. Limassol counts among the dearer places on the island, and its marina, beachfront hotels and seafront cocktails charge Western European resort prices in summer.

In both cities, eating away from the seafront and travelling outside July and August cut costs the most. Factor in a hire car, which you will want in either.

Neither city is somewhere to plan a trip around performances, but Limassol has more to see. The restored Rialto and Pattihio theatres put on drama and touring concerts in the cooler months. In summer, ancient Greek plays are staged at sunset in the theatre at Kourion, and the pre-Lenten carnival fills the streets.

Larnaca has its municipal theatre, open-air shows at the fort during the summer Larnaca Festival and bouzouki nights in tavernas. For orchestras and larger concerts, people from both cities go to Nicosia.

The two are much alike here. Neither has a bathing tradition of its own, so in both the spas belong to the resort hotels along the coast, and what each really offers is a slow pace. Larnaca keeps it simple: long coffees on the seafront, an evening walk along Finikoudes and a mild winter with few people about, all in a small town where nothing needs planning.

Limassol gives you more choice if you want treatments as well as rest. Its large resort hotels have well-equipped spas with pools, steam rooms and full treatment menus. When the coast feels too lively, the hill villages and cool pine air of the Troodos are close at hand.