Larnaca or Nicosia?

This is where the two differ most. In Larnaca the sea is part of every day. Finikoudes sits beneath the palm-lined promenade with shallow water you can wade far out into, Mackenzie has beach bars under the flight path, and quieter strips run east towards Dhekelia.

Nicosia has no shore of its own. The nearest sand is Larnaca's, about 45 minutes away, or the Kyrenia coast over the mountains, so swimming is an outing and a hotel pool fills the gap in between. Larnaca is also the shorter drive to Nissi Beach and Fig Tree Bay.

Both kitchens are built on meze, halloumi, souvla and kleftiko, and both take coffee seriously, from thick Cypriot cups to iced frappé. Nicosia eats better because it has two cuisines. There are tavernas in the old lanes around Faneromeni and Chrysaliniotissa, and across the Green Line there are kebab grills, lahmacun and syrupy pastries near the Selimiye Mosque.

Larnaca's strengths are fresh fish near the old harbour and along the coast to Mazotos, and village tavernas inland. Its seafront menus lean towards visitors, though, and fine dining is thin, so people looking for variety drive to the capital.

Nicosia is the place for sightseeing. Its Venetian walls with their heart-shaped bastions enclose a city cut in two by the Green Line. On the two sides you find the Cyprus Museum's antiquities, the Byzantine icons of the Archbishop's Palace, and the Gothic cathedral that became the Selimiye Mosque beside the Büyük Han caravanserai. It fills two or three days well.

Larnaca's list is shorter: the ninth-century Church of Saint Lazarus with its carved iconostasis, Hala Sultan Tekke by the Salt Lake, the foundations of ancient Kition and the potters of Skala. A day or two covers it, and many visitors add Nicosia's museums as a day out.

Neither is a nightlife destination, but Nicosia has more of a going-out scene. Students and young professionals fill the pavement bars around Faneromeni Square from about midnight, and a few clubs on the avenues outside the walls carry on later.

Larnaca's evenings are mostly a summer affair, with cocktail bars along Finikoudes and DJs at Mackenzie Beach, and the town goes quiet in winter. From either city, anyone who wants proper clubbing heads to Ayia Napa.

For time outdoors the two are about even, but the activities differ. Larnaca's nature is at sea level: flamingos on the Salt Lake in winter, the Zenobia wreck offshore, one of the best-known dives anywhere, and the sea caves of Cape Greco for kayaking and snorkelling.

Nicosia looks to the hills. The Kyrenia range has trails along its ridge with views to the sea, and the pine forests of the Troodos are closer, about an hour away. In both cities summer pushes walking into spring and autumn.

Both make good bases for touring a small island, and the difference is direction. From Larnaca the easy days lie inland and along the south coast. Lefkara, Choirokoitia and Stavrovouni are close, Nicosia is forty minutes up the road, and Limassol and Kourion lie further west.

Nicosia is the better base for the north. Kyrenia's harbour, Bellapais Abbey and St Hilarion are about forty minutes over the hills, Famagusta and Salamis lie to the east, and the painted churches of the Troodos are nearer. From either city Paphos is a long day, and a car helps.

Larnaca is the easier choice with children. Finikoudes shelves gently enough for small children to paddle, the promenade has playgrounds and ice cream, and the airport is so close that travel days are short. The camel park near Mazotos and the Ayia Napa waterpark add a couple of outings.

Nicosia is welcoming, and families eat out together late into the evening, but it has no zoo, aquarium or theme park, and every swim needs a car. July and August are hard work with little ones, so it works best as a day trip from the coast.

Neither is easy without a car, but Larnaca is simpler. Its small, flat centre puts the seafront, Saint Lazarus and the fort within an easy walk of each other, and the airport is a short ride away, so a beach stay works on foot.

Nicosia's walled old town is just as walkable, and the Ledra Street crossing takes you north in minutes. Beyond the walls, though, the suburbs are built for driving, local buses are of little use and pavements are patchy. Both cities rely on intercity buses and hire cars, with traffic on the left.

Nicosia has more to browse. Ledra and Onasagorou streets have the chains and some small independents, the avenues outside the walls carry the designer brands, and across the line the covered Bandabulya market sells spices, textiles and copperware.

Larnaca has little beyond a couple of high streets and a mall, though its local buys are good: pottery from Skala, lace and silver from nearby Lefkara, and bottles of Commandaria. Neither city is a reason to travel for shopping.

Costs are much the same in both, and the savings come in different places. In Larnaca the promenade cafés charge more than the streets behind them, beachfront rooms cost more in high summer, and winter brings much cheaper stays.

Nicosia's hotels are fewer and aimed at business travellers, so rooms stay mid-range. Meals are good value, though, and crossing to the northern half makes eating and shopping cheaper still. In both cities a hire car is the main extra cost.

As the capital, Nicosia has the island's formal stage: the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, the state theatre company, and old-town bars playing rebetiko, jazz and indie. In summer there are open-air concerts in the moat. Most drama is in Greek, so music is the better bet for visitors.

Larnaca has much less: the summer festival at the fort, a municipal theatre and weekend bouzouki in some tavernas. Music lovers staying there travel to the capital for concerts.

Rest in Larnaca comes from the pace of the place rather than from any bathing tradition. The town has no baths of its own and leaves spas to the resort hotels east of town, but long coffees on the seafront, evening walks along the promenade and a mild, quiet winter make for an unhurried stay.

Nicosia offers steam rather than sea air. The domed 16th-century Omeriye Hammam, beside a former church, still gives steam and massage, and the Büyük Hamam carries the Ottoman habit on across the line. For cooler, deeper rest, the pine villages of the Troodos are about an hour away. Both cities suit a slow trip better than a dedicated spa vacation.