Lefkada or Santorini?

Lefkada is the stronger beach island by a wide margin. The west coast from Kathisma down to Porto Katsiki and Egremni has long pale strands under white cliffs and water of an extraordinary turquoise, though it shelves steeply and catches afternoon waves. When the open Ionian is rough, the east coast bays around Nikiana and Ligia and the sheltered shore at Vasiliki take over.

Santorini's beaches are striking in a different way: black sand and fine pebble under red and ochre cliffs, at Kamari, Perissa and Perivolos, with sunbeds and gently shelving water. The sand burns underfoot by midday, Red Beach is small, and anyone staying on the caldera rim has to travel down to the coast to swim.

Lefkada feeds you well in the plain Greek way: grilled fish on the harbours at Lefkada town and Nidri, slow-cooked meat in mountain villages such as Karya, and the small lentils of the Eglouvi plateau. Away from the villages, resort menus are fairly standard.

Santorini has a more distinctive table and is the better island for anyone who travels to eat and drink. Its volcanic soil produces fava, tomato fritters, white aubergines and capers, and wine is the highlight, with tastings of Assyrtiko and Vinsanto at wineries around Pyrgos and Megalochori. The trick is to eat inland or at Ammoudi Bay rather than paying for the view on the rim.

Lefkada's sights fill a few spare hours: the fortress of Santa Maura at the causeway, a small archaeological museum, Ionian churches with painted ceilings, the Faneromeni monastery and the embroidery tradition of Karya.

Santorini is in another league. Akrotiri, the Bronze Age town buried by the eruption, is one of the great archaeological sites of the Aegean, and its wall paintings can be seen in Fira. Ancient Thera on its ridge, the medieval kastelli of Pyrgos and Emporio and the cliff villages themselves give a culture-minded traveller two or three full days.

Neither island is a clubbing destination, but Santorini has more of a late night. A few lanes in Fira hold cocktail bars and a handful of clubs that run into the early hours in high summer, with beach bars at Kamari and Perissa, although most evenings there are about sunset and dinner.

Lefkada's evenings are a drink-and-stroll affair in the lanes of Lefkada town, on Nidri's harbour among sailing crews, and in Vasiliki's windsurfers' bars. Outside July and August both islands go quiet early.

Lefkada's outdoors is green and mountainous, with olive and cypress slopes rising above 1,100m, the Dimosari waterfall above Nidri and old paths between the hill villages. Its real strength is the water: steady afternoon winds at Vasiliki, kitesurfing at Agios Ioannis, and sheltered channels that make the island a natural start for a week's sailing.

Santorini has the more dramatic landscape. You walk along the rim of a drowned volcano, about 10km from Fira through Imerovigli to Oia above cliffs of layered ash and lava, then cross the flooded caldera by boat to climb the black cone of Nea Kameni. Away from the cliffs the land is dry and treeless, and a day or two covers the main routes.

Lefkada offers the easier and more varied days out. Excursion boats from Nidri tour Meganisi, Kalamos and Kastos, ferries from Vasiliki reach Fiskardo on Kefalonia and Ithaca, and because the island is joined to the mainland you can drive to Roman Nikopolis or Venetian Parga.

From Santorini everything goes by sea, mostly from the single port at Athinios. Thirasia, Ios and Folegandros are within easy reach, and a long day can take in Knossos on Crete, but the meltemi can cancel crossings and services thin out after the summer.

Lefkada is the more natural family choice. The calm east coast bays at Nikiana and Ligia, Agiofili and the shore at Vasiliki have shallow, safe water for small children, and boat trips to the islets make easy outings. The west-coast beaches are better kept for an occasional day out.

Santorini's caldera villages are steep, crowded and impossible with a pushchair, and some cliff hotels do not accept young children. Families who go should base themselves in Kamari or Perissa, where the promenades are flat and the water gentle.

On both islands a hired car or scooter makes life easier, and summer traffic tests everyone's patience. Lefkada has the simpler arrival, with a causeway from the mainland and an airport about half an hour away, but its sparse buses are no use for beach-hopping and its west-coast and mountain roads wind slowly.

Santorini has a fuller bus network, though every route runs through Fira and the buses are packed in season. Inside the caldera villages you walk everywhere, up and down steps, while Lefkada town is flat and easy on foot.

Neither island is worth a trip for its shops, but Santorini gives more to browse. The cliff lanes of Oia and Fira hold jewellers, galleries of island painters and photographers, ceramics and linen boutiques, and its wineries supply the best souvenirs.

Lefkada's shopping is an evening walk along the pedestrian main street of Lefkada town for olive oil, honey and lentils, plus hand embroidery in Karya.

Lefkada is much the cheaper island. It sits mid-range for the Greek islands, with plentiful family-run studios and few entry fees, and the main costs are August accommodation near the west-coast beaches, car hire and boat trips.

On Santorini the caldera view is the main cost: rooms on the rim at Oia, Imerovigli and Fira, sunset dinners, boat trips and tastings all come at a premium. Staying in Kamari or Perissa and riding the bus closes some of the gap, but not all of it.

Neither island has a theatre or concert season, and in winter both are silent. Each has one summer event: Lefkada town's long-standing international folklore festival in August brings dance groups to open-air stages, while Fira hosts a classical music festival at the end of summer, alongside occasional concerts in old mansions and wineries.

Santorini is the better place for pampering. Its cave hotels at Imerovigli and Oia offer plunge pools, spa treatments and slow days facing the caldera, and boats stop off Palea Kameni for a swim in warm volcanic spring water. The quiet lies in Imerovigli and the wine villages rather than on the crowded rim at Oia and Fira.

Lefkada has little formal spa culture beyond a few better hotels and yoga stays in the hills. Its restfulness lies in the interior villages and the small east-coast harbours, best in June or September.