Piran or San Marino?

Piran is the place for actual sea time. You climb down ladders from the seafront platforms around the Punta into clear water, and Fiesa cove is a short walk away. Sand is scarce, though, and the nearest is at Portoroz.

San Marino has no shore of its own. Its beaches are the long, organised strips of Rimini and Riccione, with sun umbrellas in rows and shallow water. They are easier for toddlers than Piran's ledges, but they mean a drive or bus ride every time.

Neither is a place to come for the food, and they differ mostly in what is on the plate. Piran's konobas serve grilled fish, squid and scampi buzara with Istrian oil and Malvazija. San Marino cooks inland Romagna food: hand-rolled pasta, passatelli, grilled meats and piadina. In both, the better meals are away from the main tourist streets, in the Istrian hinterland or in the trattorias of Borgo Maggiore.

The two are evenly matched, and in both the town itself is the main sight. Piran is a seaside Venetian Gothic peninsula, with lanes leading down to oval Tartini Square and St George's campanile above the bay.

San Marino is more dramatic and has more history behind it: three towers on the cliffs of Monte Titano, a ceremonial Palazzo Pubblico and the story of one of the world's oldest republics. Neither has major museums, and either can be seen in half a day to a day.

Both are quiet at night, but Piran has a little more going on. There are sunset drinks on the Punta, and Portoroz's beach bars and summer clubs are a few minutes away. San Marino's summit is close to silent once the coaches leave, and any real night out means driving down to the Riviera clubs of Rimini.

Piran has more varied scenery close by. There are the flysch cliffs and clifftop path at Strunjan, wading birds on the Secovlje salt pans, kayaking along the coast and the Parenzana cycle route through the vineyards. The Karst and the Skocjan caves are about an hour away.

San Marino's outdoors is the ridge itself, with woodland paths between the towers and wide views to the Apennines. The Montefeltro hills are good for a drive or a gentle ride, but there is less to fill several active days.

Both make strong bases, and they open up different kinds of trip. From Piran you can cross borders: Habsburg Trieste, the Istrian coast at Rovinj and Porec, the hill towns of Motovun and Groznjan, Predjama Castle, and summer boats to Venice.

San Marino keeps you in Italy, with Renaissance Urbino, the fortress of San Leo, Ravenna's mosaics and Rimini's Roman remains. From both places the hill towns really need a car.

Both work for a short family stay, in different ways. Piran is flat along the water, free of cars, and has calm swimming and a small aquarium. San Marino has the castle side, with battlements, towers and a cable car ride, while the theme parks, waterparks and sandy beaches are down on the coast.

Pushchairs struggle on San Marino's steps, while in Piran it is the swimming spots without sand that limit the youngest children.

Piran is the easier place to settle in. You can cross the whole peninsula on foot in about a quarter of an hour on almost level ground, and a shuttle and promenade take you to Portoroz.

San Marino's centre is also car-free but almost every street climbs, often by steps. Getting there without a car depends on the bus from Rimini. Neither has a railway, so at both a hire car is the practical way to explore further.

San Marino has more to buy. Its streets are lined with duty-free perfume, watches, leather and spirits, it has a large outlet centre, and collectors come for its stamps and coins.

Piran is better for a few local things to take home: salt flower from the Secovlje pans, Istrian olive oil and coastal wine. Beyond that, a real shopping day there means going to Ljubljana or Trieste.

San Marino comes out a little cheaper. It is priced like provincial central Italy, with moderate hotels and fair trattorias, and lower taxes also bring down the cost of fuel and spirits.

Piran costs more in July and August, when old-town rooms are scarce and the harbour restaurants charge for the view. In both, staying just outside the centre brings costs down, in Portoroz for Piran and the lower villages for San Marino.

Piran's music belongs to the violinist Giuseppe Tartini, who was born here. Each summer the town holds classical concerts in his honour in its churches, in the Minorite monastery cloister and out on the square, and the small Tartini Theatre puts on the occasional play or recital. Outside summer there is very little on.

San Marino offers even less as formal performance: a small theatre and occasional concerts by local ensembles. Its best-known summer event, the Medieval Days festival, is costumed pageantry with crossbow contests and flag-throwers rather than a concert. For opera or a proper season, you go to Rossini's Pesaro or to Bologna.

For rest and treatments, Piran is clearly ahead. You can lie in brine and salt mud at the thalasso spa out on the salt pans, Portoroz has its spa tradition, and Strunjan has a seawater health resort. Add the seafront and the car-free lanes, and the whole stay feels unhurried.

San Marino offers only a few hotel spas. Its calm comes in the evening, walking the walls after the crowds have gone.