Lefkada or Rhodes?

Both islands are built around their beaches, but the swimming differs in kind. Lefkada's west coast is the showpiece: long pale strands below white limestone cliffs at Porto Katsiki, Egremni and Kathisma, with turquoise water, afternoon waves and a steep drop-off. For calm water you cross to the small east-coast bays around Nikiana and Ligia.

Rhodes has its best swimming on the sheltered side. The east coast from Faliraki to Lindos is a chain of wide bays with sand and fine shingle, the softest at Tsambika, and Anthony Quinn Bay has rocky inlets for snorkelling. The swimming is easier but less dramatic, and the beaches have more rows of sunbeds.

Rhodes gives a keen eater more to work with. Away from the resort buffets, there are meze places in the newer parts of Rhodes Town where locals eat. Island dishes include pitaroudia and matsi pasta, and wine comes from Embonas, though there is little fine dining.

Lefkada sticks to the simple taverna. There is grilled fish on the harbours at Lefkada town and Nidri, and the island has its Eglouvi lentils and cured salami. The most traditional cooking is in the mountain villages around Karya. You eat well but with less variety.

This is the widest gap between the two islands. The walled Old Town of Rhodes, built by the Knights of St John, can fill days on its own, from the Street of the Knights to the Palace of the Grand Master and the Archaeological Museum in the old hospital. The acropolis at Lindos and the ruins of Kamiros add more.

Lefkada has the fortress of Santa Maura at the causeway, a small museum and painted Ionian churches in the town, and the Faneromeni monastery above the lagoon. These make pleasant breaks from the beach, not a reason to go.

Rhodes has the bigger nights. In high summer, the bars and clubs on Faliraki's strip stay open until dawn. Rhodes Town has a late lane of bars in the Old Town and more around Mandraki, and Lindos adds rooftop bars for an older crowd.

Lefkada is a place for a drink and a stroll. There are cocktail bars in the lanes of Lefkada town, sailing crews on Nidri's harbour and windsurfers in the bars at Vasiliki. Few places stay open into the early hours.

Lefkada is the more striking island for time outdoors. Its interior rises above 1,100m through olive and cypress, and the west coast drops away in tall white cliffs. Walks lead to the Dimosari waterfall and between the hill villages, and the sheltered channels to the smaller islands make it a classic start for a week of sailing.

Rhodes is gentler: low pine hills, with Mount Attavyros as the one real climb, plus the Valley of the Butterflies and Seven Springs. Both islands are known for windsurfing, Lefkada at Vasiliki and Rhodes at Prasonisi, where a sandbar between two seas also draws kitesurfers.

On both islands the best days out are by boat, and the two are about even. From Lefkada, boats go to Meganisi, Kalamos and Kastos, or to Fiskardo on Kefalonia and to Ithaca. On the mainland there are the ruins of Nikopolis and the Venetian castle town of Parga.

Rhodes has the pastel harbour of Symi with the monastery of Panormitis, quieter Halki, and the ferry to Marmaris, which puts a second country within a day trip. Lefkada has the wider mix, and Rhodes the single standout in Symi.

Rhodes is the easier island for families. Tsambika, Afandou and Kolymbia have shallow, gently sloping sand, and the big east-coast hotels come with pools and kids' clubs. There is also a water park above Faliraki and an aquarium in Rhodes Town.

Lefkada works if you base yourself on the calm east side around Nikiana, Ligia or Agiofili. Little there is made for children. The famous west-coast beaches have surf, steep shelving and long cliff stairs, so keep them for an occasional day out.

Rhodes is easier without a car. Rhodes Town is walkable and the Old Town is car-free. Buses run down the east coast to Faliraki and Lindos, though services thin out towards the south.

On Lefkada you need a hired car or scooter to get between beaches. Buses are infrequent, the roads down the west coast and over the mountains are slow and winding, and Nidri and Porto Katsiki get congested in summer. Arrival is the easy part: the island is joined to the mainland by a causeway, and Aktion airport is about half an hour away, so there is no ferry to catch.

Neither island is worth a trip for shopping, but Rhodes offers more to browse. Sokratous Street in the Old Town has jewellery, leather and sponges, there is high-street fashion around Mandraki, and Archangelos makes ceramics in the Lindian style. On Lefkada, shopping means an evening walk down the main street of Lefkada town for olive oil, honey and lentils, and hand embroidery in Karya.

Overall costs are much the same, with both in the middle of the Greek island range. What differs is where the money goes. On Lefkada it is summer rooms near the west-coast beaches, car hire and boat trips.

On Rhodes, the many package resorts keep prices moderate along the coasts, while Lindos and the Old Town's boutique hotels cost noticeably more. On Lefkada, June or September brings easier prices. On Rhodes, prices rise in July and August, so the quieter resorts or the new town are the better-value bases.

Live performance is thin on both islands, a summer bonus rather than a draw. Lefkada's highlight is its long-running international folklore festival each August, with dance groups on open-air stages. Rhodes has a folk dance company in a small Old Town theatre and summer concerts in historic settings such as the medieval moat and the ancient stadium.

Neither island has a bathing tradition, so rest on both comes from the pace of life more than from treatments. Rhodes has more polished resort spas along the east coast and around Lindos, and quiet southern villages such as Lahania and Asklipio. Lefkada has a few yoga retreats in the hills and slow evenings in its small east-coast harbours.