Piran or Portofino?

Swimming at both means rocks and ladders rather than a town beach. In Piran you step down from concrete platforms below the old walls and around the Punta, or walk to the small pebble cove at Fiesa. Portofino's rock ledges on the path to the lighthouse drop into deeper, very clear water inside a marine reserve.

What differs is the sand nearby. From Piran the shuttle or the seafront promenade takes you to Portoroz, where the beach is small and artificial but has sand and sunbeds, or to the quieter cliff-backed shore at Strunjan. From Portofino the sand at Paraggi is mostly paid beach clubs with a narrow free strip that fills early, and the best alternative is the pebble beach below the abbey at San Fruttuoso, reached by boat or on foot.

Both serve good, simple coastal food without much range. In Piran that means grilled fish, scampi buzara, Istrian olive oil and truffles, with Malvazija or Refosk from the hills and salt from the local pans. In Portofino it means Ligurian cooking: trofie with pesto, pansoti in walnut sauce and cheese focaccia from Recco.

The real difference is what you pay for the view. Piran's konobas are modest places, while Portofino's harbour terraces charge heavily for the yachts in front of them. In both towns, people who care about food head out of town, into the Istrian hinterland from Piran or to Camogli and the hill trattorie from Portofino.

Piran gives more to a curious visitor. Its whole peninsula is a Venetian Gothic town of lanes and small squares around the oval Tartini Square, with St George's campanile and the medieval walls above. A maritime museum, an aquarium and the Minorite cloister fill out a day.

Portofino's main sight is the village itself, a horseshoe of painted houses around the harbour. Add San Giorgio, Castello Brown and the abbey at San Fruttuoso and you have most of it. It is a place for atmosphere rather than history or museums.

Neither suits a real night out, though Piran has a little more going on. Evenings there mean wine on Tartini Square or sunset at a bar on the Punta, and Portoroz is only minutes away for beach bars, a casino and a few summer clubs.

Portofino offers a dressed-up aperitivo facing the yachts and a long harbour dinner, and then the village goes quiet. For anything later you have to go to Santa Margherita, Rapallo or Genoa.

Piran's outdoors is level and unhurried. Slovenia's stretch of coast is short, so a day out here means low cliffs and salt lagoons full of birds, an easy ride among vineyards, or a drive up to the limestone Karst to go underground at Skocjan. On the water it is paddling under the cliffs rather than diving. Little of it needs much fitness, and there are no real mountains anywhere near.

Portofino suits anyone who wants to work harder and go further. Its headland climbs straight out of the sea, so one walk can take you up through woodland to the summit ridge and back down to a cove with no road, with a few airy stretches that need a steady head. The protection carries on below the surface too, and the marine reserve draws divers from far afield, something Piran's calm gulf cannot offer.

Both are excellent bases, and the difference is mainly in how you travel. Piran sits where three countries meet: Trieste is under an hour away, the Istrian towns of Rovinj, Porec and Motovun are across the border, and Ljubljana, Predjama Castle and Lipica are in the other direction. Most of these trips are easiest by car, though summer boats cross to Venice.

From Portofino you travel by sea and rail. Ferries run to Camogli, the Cinque Terre and Portovenere, and trains go to Genoa's palaces and to Sestri Levante. Outside the ferry season this takes more planning.

Piran works noticeably better with children. The old town has no cars, the seafront is flat, the harbour aquarium suits younger children, and Portoroz's shallow sandy beach is close by. Its limits are the steep lanes up to the church and little to keep older children busy.

Portofino is calm and safe, but it is built for adults. The paths are steep steps, there are no playgrounds, and Paraggi's sand is mostly paid clubs. That is why families usually stay in Santa Margherita or Rapallo and take children to Genoa's aquarium.

Piran is much the easier place to reach and to park at. Cars stay in the large garage at the edge of town, and a shuttle bus runs into the centre and on to Portoroz, as does the seafront promenade. Its weakness is further afield: there is no railway, so the Istrian towns and the Karst usually mean hiring a car.

Getting into Portofino is the hard part. A single narrow, winding road runs about 5km from Santa Margherita, parking is very limited and the road jams in summer, so the bus to the station or the ferries from spring to autumn are the sensible way in. Once there, both places are walked end to end in minutes, though Portofino's paths to the church, castle and lighthouse are steep.

Portofino has more to look at, though in a single hour's stroll. Its few lanes hold big fashion and jewellery houses, linen and resort clothes, as well as Ligurian lace and ceramics.

Piran's shopping is smaller and more local: craft shops, galleries and harbour souvenir stalls. The things worth taking home are salt flower from the Secovlje pans, olive oil and coastal wine. For a proper browse, people go from Piran to Trieste or Ljubljana, and from Portofino to Chiavari or Genoa.

Piran is far easier on the wallet. It costs more in July and August, but simple konobas, local wine and rooms in Portoroz or out of season bring it down to a fair level. The swimming and walking cost nothing.

Portofino is among the most expensive places to stay in Italy. Its hillside hotels, piazzetta restaurants, Paraggi loungers and parking are all expensive. The usual way to save is to stay in Santa Margherita, Rapallo or Camogli and come over for the day.

Piran has a modest summer programme, which is more than Portofino has. It honours its violinist with Tartini concerts in churches, in the Minorite cloister and on the main square, and the small Tartini Theatre hosts occasional plays and recitals.

Portofino has only the odd summer concert in the piazzetta or at the castle. For opera or a full concert season you have to go to the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa.

Piran has a real bathing tradition on its doorstep. Portoroz grew up as a spa resort with seawater pools and brine baths, the salt pans have an outdoor thalasso spa where you lie in salt mud beside the lagoons, and Strunjan has a seawater health resort. Add the quiet car-free lanes and the town is made for slowing down.

Portofino has no public spas, only the treatment rooms and pools of its luxury hotels. Its calm comes from shaded paths and long lunches by the water, but mainly early or late in the day, since tour boats crowd the harbour at midday in summer.