Limassol or Marmaris?

These two are broadly level for swimming, but the beaches work differently. Limassol's city beaches are grey sand and fine shingle stretched along an open seafront, practical rather than pretty, and the best swimming means driving to Governor's Beach under its chalk cliffs, the long bay at Kourion or the cove at Pissouri.

Marmaris swims in an almost enclosed bay, so the water off the main strip is calm. The better spots are reached by boat or water taxi: coves around the bay, the quieter beaches of Icmeler and Turunc, and the fine sand of Sedir Island. It does get more crowded in high summer.

Limassol eats noticeably better. A long meze in a family taverna in the old town or the hill villages is a meal in its own right, and the wine villages on the slopes of Troodos add Xynisteri, Maratheftiko and the sweet Commandaria.

In Marmaris, much of what you find near the seafront is resort cooking, and good Turkish food means seeking out lokanta, pide houses and the harbour fish restaurants. Its weekly market and the local pine honey are the highlights.

Neither town is a sightseeing destination, but Limassol gives a curious visitor a good deal more. It has a medieval castle museum, an old quarter of churches and mosques from its mixed Greek and Turkish past, a district archaeological museum and the hillside ruins of Amathus on the edge of the city.

Marmaris has a small Ottoman castle above the harbour, an hour's wander through whitewashed lanes and a caravanserai turned bazaar. History lovers there spend their days on excursions.

Marmaris is the livelier choice in summer, though only in one direction. Bar Street packs a lane with clubs, laser shows and foam parties that run until near dawn for a young, mostly British crowd. Most of it shuts from November to April.

Limassol is more mixed and more grown-up. Its evenings centre on the bars around Saripolou Square, where people drink outdoors late, with lounge bars at the marina and a few clubs on the tourist strip. It suits a long evening of drinks better than a club weekend.

Marmaris has the stronger setting. Its bay is ringed by pine-clad hills, and the barely built Bozburun and Datca peninsulas make it one of the great sailing grounds of the Turkish coast, with the Carian Trail, sea kayaking and the turtle beach near Dalyan on land and water.

Limassol's appeal lies more inland and higher up. Within an hour you can walk under black pine near Mount Olympos or to the Caledonia waterfall, and in some winters ski there, while the Akrotiri salt lake draws flamingos. In both places the summer lowlands are too hot for walking.

Limassol has the wider choice of outings, and most of them go deep into the island's history: Kourion and Kolossi to the west, Paphos's mosaics beyond, Troodos churches and Omodos inland, Lefkara and Choirokoitia to the east, and Nicosia with its Green Line crossing.

Marmaris has fewer outings, but they are memorable. The best is the hour's ferry to medieval Rhodes, and Dalyan's river boats under the rock tombs, the boatbuilding harbours of Selimiye and Bozburun and the long road to Knidos fill other days.

Families will find these two much alike: calm, shallow water, hotels with kids' clubs and pools, a waterpark nearby, and warm attitudes to children, with little else made for them and a midsummer heat that pushes everything to mornings.

The differences lie in where to stay and what to add. In Marmaris, families stay in Icmeler or Armutalan to keep clear of Bar Street's noise, and bay boat trips with swimming stops delight older children. Limassol's long promenade suits pushchairs, and it adds a small zoo and late taverna dinners where children are welcome.

Marmaris is easier to get around without a car. Everything that matters lies around one bay, linked by a flat promenade, dolmus minibuses that run all the time, and water taxis to Icmeler and Turunc.

Limassol sprawls for many kilometres along the coast, and only the old town and port area are compact enough to walk. Coast-road buses and intercity coaches help, but there is no railway in Cyprus and inland buses are sparse, so most visitors hire a car and drive on the left.

Neither is a shopping destination, and they appeal to different shoppers. Limassol offers high-street chains, malls and a few marina boutiques, with the best finds being edible or handmade: halloumi, Commandaria and Lefkara lace. Marmaris is all haggling in a covered bazaar full of leather, carpets and copy designer goods, with honest buys in pine honey, natural sponges and cotton peshtemal towels.

Marmaris is the clearly cheaper choice. All-inclusive deals, cheap dolmus rides and simple lokanta meals keep a week affordable, although seafront dining, Bar Street and organised trips are priced for visitors.

Limassol is among the dearer places in Cyprus. Its beachfront hotels and marina dining charge Western European prices in summer. Taverna meze and buses are fair value, and staying away from the coast or outside summer helps most.

Limassol has a modest programme, but Marmaris has almost none. Limassol's restored Rialto and Pattihio theatres host drama, touring concerts and dance in the cooler months, and an ancient play at Kourion at sunset is a real occasion. In Marmaris it comes down to hotel shows, staged Turkish nights and cover bands, with no theatre to plan around.

Marmaris gives more to someone who wants to unwind. Hammams are everywhere for steam, scrub and foam massage, the Dalyan mud baths and hot springs make an easy half-day, and Turunc, Selimiye and Bozburun are properly slow places to stay.

Limassol has no bathing tradition of its own, so relaxing there means a resort hotel spa, a long lunch and an evening walk along the promenade. For real quiet, you would head up into the cool pine air of the Troodos villages.