Ohrid or Split?

Split is the stronger swimming base because it has the sea, warm and clear, a short walk from the palace. There is the shallow sandy bay at Bačvice, quieter pine-shaded coves around Marjan, and ferries to Brač, Šolta and Hvar for longer beaches. The water stays pleasant into October.

Ohrid offers something different: fresh, very clear, calm lake water, reached from jetties, concrete platforms and short pebble strips at Kaneo, Potpeš and further south at Lagadin and Gradište. The beaches are smaller and the season runs only from about late June to mid-September.

Split eats better and more widely. Its Dalmatian table runs from grilled squid and black risotto to pašticada and octopus slow-cooked under the peka bell. The fish market and the Pazar green market show what is in season, and Plavac Mali and Pošip wines go with all of it.

Ohrid's cooking is honest Macedonian home food, such as tavče gravče, stuffed peppers and belvica from the lake, but the same menus repeat along the waterfront. In both places the best meals are in family-run spots away from the main promenade, and neither has much fine dining.

The two are evenly matched, but in very different ways. Ohrid is a whole hillside of Orthodox churches: the medieval frescoes of St Sophia, St John at Kaneo on its rock above the lake, the Plaošnik site linked to Cyrillic learning, and Samuel's Fortress at the top.

Split's draw is a single Roman monument that people still live in. Diocletian's Palace holds the cathedral that was once the emperor's mausoleum, and the vaulted halls beneath it show the original plan. The Meštrović Gallery adds sculpture. Either city can be seen properly in about two days.

Split has the livelier evenings. In summer, the crowd moves from the Riva into small bars tucked into the palace stairways, then on to beach bars and a few late clubs around Bačvice.

Ohrid's summer nights centre on the stroll along the lake, with café-bars by the old bazaar and some beach clubs on the southern shore, and there is no real club scene. In both towns, going out shrinks to a glass of wine with locals once autumn comes.

Both have fine settings, but Split gives you more kinds of outdoors from one base. Marjan's pine woods and cliffs start at the edge of the old town, and Mosor, Kozjak and Biokovo offer proper ridge hikes. You can raft or go canyoning on the Cetina at Omiš, see the waterfalls at Krka, and sail or kayak among the islands.

Ohrid's outdoors centre on its lake. Galičica rises steeply above it, with trails to summits above 2,000m, a viewpoint over both Ohrid and Prespa, and paragliders launching from the same ridge. Kayaks and the lakeshore path south of town cover the gentler side.

Split is much the easier base for outings. Trogir is about half an hour away and Šibenik's cathedral about an hour, and Salona and Klis Fortress are on the edge of the city. In summer the harbour ferries make Hvar, Brač and Vis simple to reach.

From Ohrid the choice is good but harder to reach: St Naum by summer boat, Bitola and the mosaics of Heraclea, and cross-border days to Pogradec and Korçë in Albania. Roads are slow and buses are sparse, so you will need a car or a driver.

Split works a little better with children. Bačvice is shallow enough for paddling, Marjan has shade and room to run, and a ferry ride to an island is often the highlight. The catch is the heat and crowds of July and August.

Ohrid is calmer and very safe. Children can spend whole days in the lake, and the prehistoric pile village at the Bay of Bones is a good outing. Its steep, cobbled lanes are hard work with a pushchair, and neither city has zoos or theme parks.

Split is simpler to manage without a car. Its car-free centre puts the palace, the markets, Varoš and Bačvice within about fifteen minutes' walk, and the ferry port, bus station and railway station sit together at the harbour.

Ohrid's centre is just as easy on foot, and taxis are plentiful for short hops. Once you leave town, though, the buses and boats to the southern beaches and St Naum are infrequent, so many visitors hire a car. Both old towns mean stone steps.

Neither is a shopping destination, and they are broadly level, but they sell different things. Ohrid's speciality is a craft: the Ohrid pearl, best bought from an old family workshop in the bazaar, along with filigree silver, carved wood and icons.

Split's best buys are edible, such as figs, honey, brandies, olive oil and wine from the Pazar market. Marmontova street also has the mainstream fashion chains that Ohrid lacks.

Ohrid is far cheaper. Guesthouses, meals with wine, taxis and church entry fees all cost little, and only lakefront rooms on summer weekends rise noticeably.

Split is mid-priced for most of the year but expensive in July and August. Old town rooms then cost Western European big-city rates, fish is priced by weight on the waterfront, and island ferries add up for a family. In both places, late spring and early autumn give the best mix of price and weather.

Split offers more to see over the year. The 19th-century Croatian National Theatre stages opera and ballet through its season, the Split Summer Festival uses the Peristyle as an open-air stage, and klapa singers often perform in the palace's domed vestibule.

Ohrid's offer is mostly its summer festival, held since the early 1960s, with concerts and opera in St Sophia and the ancient theatre. These are memorable settings, but there is little else outside the season.

Neither has a bathing tradition. Split has a little more for relaxing, with resort spas along the coast east of the centre, the Dalmatian habit of fjaka over long coffees on the Riva, and quiet islands close by when the old town gets loud.

Ohrid has only a few hotel spas, and its nearest thermal springs are a long drive away near Debar. Its strength is the stillness of the lake in May, June and September, when slow mornings by the water are the main way to unwind.