Lefkada or Paros?

Both are first-rate beach islands, but the swimming is very different. On Lefkada the stars are on the west coast: Porto Katsiki, Egremni and the long sweep of Kathisma, where turquoise water meets white cliffs. These beaches face the open Ionian, so expect afternoon waves, a steep drop-off and, in places, long staircases. The calm water is on the east coast, in small bays around Nikiana and Ligia.

Paros is an island of sand. The beaches range from the granite boulders and little coves at Kolymbithres to the wide, gently shelving Golden Beach and Santa Maria. The meltemi wind decides your day, because you swim on the sheltered south or west coast when it blows, and Antiparos adds quieter coves a short crossing away.

Paros eats noticeably better. Its tavernas do clay-pot chickpeas, grilled octopus, local graviera and souma, the island makes its own wines from Monemvasia and Mandilaria grapes, and Naoussa adds a few more polished modern Greek kitchens around its fishing harbour.

Lefkada keeps to simple taverna cooking: fish on the quays of Lefkada town and Nidri, and slow-cooked meat in the mountain villages. Its Eglouvi lentils and cured salami are worth seeking out, but the resort strips lean on standard tourist menus.

Paros has the one sight worth travelling for. The Panagia Ekatontapiliani in Parikia is among the oldest surviving churches in Greece. Add the Frankish castle built from reused ancient marble and the old quarries at Marathi, and you get several good half-days.

Lefkada's heritage is slighter. You can see the Santa Maura fortress at the causeway, the painted Ionian churches and quake-proof timber houses of Lefkada town, the Faneromeni monastery and the cliff at Cape Lefkatas linked to Sappho's leap. These make good breaks from the beach rather than sights to plan around.

Paros gives you more to do after dark. In high summer, Naoussa's harbour and back lanes fill with cocktail bars that stay busy past midnight, Parikia's seafront draws a younger crowd to its bars and late clubs, and a few beach bars hold parties.

On Lefkada, nights mean a drink and a stroll. Young Greek visitors fill the lanes of Lefkada town, sailing crews gather on Nidri's harbour and windsurfers meet in Vasiliki, and outside July and August the island turns in early.

Lefkada is the more rewarding island outdoors. Olive and cypress slopes climb to a mountainous interior, you can walk to the Dimosari waterfall and along old paths between the hill villages, and the road along the cliffs to Cape Lefkatas is a sight in itself. Sailors get sheltered channels among the satellite islands, and Vasiliki's bay is one of the Mediterranean's best-known windsurfing spots.

Paros matches it for wind sports, with the meltemi making Golden Beach and Pounta top windsurfing and kitesurfing spots. Otherwise its dry Cycladic hills have no mountains or forests, and the best walking is the marble-paved Byzantine path from Lefkes to Prodromos.

Both make good bases, but the trips are different. From Lefkada you mix sea and land: boats from Nidri to Meganisi, Kalamos and Kastos, ferries from Vasiliki to Fiskardo on Kefalonia and to Ithaca, and drives to the Roman ruins at Nikopolis, the Acheron oracle site and Venetian Parga.

From Paros, every trip is by boat. Antiparos with its cave is a short hop, Naxos's Chora is under an hour away, and in summer fast boats reach Mykonos, Sifnos and Delos. The catch is that a strong meltemi can cancel smaller boats, and services thin out after September.

Paros is the easier island with children, because its sandy, shallow bays are spread all round the coast. Livadia, Golden Beach and Logaras are all good choices, and distances and bus rides stay short.

Lefkada works too if you base yourselves on the east coast or near Vasiliki and Agiofili, where the water is calm. Its famous west-coast beaches are harder with small children, given the surf, the steep drop-off and the long cliff stairs.

Paros is simpler once you are there. You can drive across it in under half an hour, summer buses from Parikia's port reach Naoussa, Lefkes and the main beaches, and small boats cross the bay to Kolymbithres, although you need a ferry or a flight to get there in the first place.

Lefkada is easier to reach, by causeway from the mainland with Aktion airport about half an hour away, but harder to get around without a car. Buses are infrequent, the mountain and west-coast roads wind slowly, and Nidri and the parking at Porto Katsiki jam up in August.

Neither is a shopping destination, but Paros has more to browse. Naoussa's whitewashed lanes and Parikia's old market street sell linen, resort wear, Greek designer jewellery and ceramics, at a price in Naoussa. Lefkada's equivalent is the evening walk along the pedestrian main street of Lefkada town, plus hand embroidery in Karya.

Lefkada is the cheaper of the two. It sits mid-range among Greek islands, with plenty of family-run studios, sensibly priced tavernas and few entry fees. The costs to plan for are car hire, boat trips and August rooms near the west-coast beaches.

Paros costs more in high summer, with expensive rooms in Naoussa, resort prices at the harbour bars and ferry hops adding up. Staying in Parikia or the inland villages helps. On both islands, June and September are noticeably cheaper than August.

Neither island has much organised performance, and both go quiet outside summer. Lefkada's highlight is the long-running international folklore festival in August, with dance groups from abroad on open-air stages. Paros's live music is rooted in island custom: violin and lute at village feast days, the great mid-August feast of the Virgin at the Ekatontapiliani, and Naoussa's pirate-raid re-enactment with fireworks.

Neither has a bathing tradition, and spa options on both are limited to hotels and a few yoga retreats, with Paros adding massages near the beaches. On both islands you rest by slowing down, though the settings differ. Lefkada offers green hill villages and the small, calm harbours of its east coast.

Paros offers long lunches in Lefkes, Marpissa and Prodromos, or a quiet stay across the water on Antiparos. On either island, avoid the busiest resort in August.