Positano or Sarajevo?

Here the gap is total. Positano lives on its beaches: Spiaggia Grande and quieter Fornillo below the town, Arienzo and Laurito down long stairways, and boats running out to coves and Capri. The shore is steep and pebbly, so bring water shoes, but the sea is clear and warm all summer.

Sarajevo has no coast, and the Adriatic is too far away for a day trip. Swimming there means cold mountain rivers, Jablanica lake or a pool, so beach lovers should add a few days on the Croatian or Montenegrin coast.

Sarajevo eats better and far more broadly through the day. Grills in Baščaršija turn out ćevapi in somun bread, pita bakeries sell burek by weight, and older eateries serve slow-cooked lamb and begova čorba, all rounded off with Bosnian coffee and baklava.

Positano's strength is the long seafood lunch on a terrace, with clams, scialatielli and lemon desserts. Menus repeat themselves, though, there is little casual or market food, and much of it closes over winter.

Sarajevo is far richer for sightseeing. Within a short walk you pass the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque, the Orthodox and Catholic cathedrals, the Old Synagogue and the Latin Bridge, where the shots of 1914 were fired. The siege years are present at the Tunnel of Hope and the War Childhood Museum.

In Positano the town itself is the sight. The majolica dome of Santa Maria Assunta and the buried Roman villa beneath it fill a morning, and serious museums mean going to Naples.

Neither city is a party destination, but Sarajevo gives you more evenings out. Its café-bars around Ferhadija fill up from the afternoon, and students keep cellar bars and small clubs busy at weekends, with cheap drinks and a sociable crowd all year.

Positano offers aperitivo with a view, a few bars by the beach and one dressy club in a cave, and even that winds down after the summer.

Both are mountain landscapes of real quality, but they are very different kinds. Positano's is vertical and maritime: the Path of the Gods above terraced lemon groves, woods climbing to ridges over 1,000m, and kayaks nosing into grottoes along the cliffs.

Sarajevo's mountains are wooded and open, from the Trebević cable car and its abandoned Olympic bobsleigh track to the grassy ridges of Bjelašnica, the stone village of Lukomir and rafting on the Neretva. It also has proper winter skiing, which the coast cannot offer.

Positano has the stronger list of outings, and most of them go by boat. Amalfi, Ravello's gardens, Capri and Sorrento are close by, and Pompeii, Herculaneum and Paestum make full days, although ferries mostly stop in winter.

From Sarajevo, the train along the Neretva gorge to Mostar is the highlight, with Konjic, Blagaj and Počitelj on the same route. Travnik and the Višegrad bridge are good too, but slow roads mean you will usually need a car or a tour.

Neither city is easy with small children, but Sarajevo is the gentler of the two. Its flat Old Town takes a pushchair, and the cable car, the carriage rides to Vrelo Bosne and the small zoo give you a few outings, although much of the sightseeing deals with war.

Positano is made of stairs and has nothing aimed at children except the sea. Older swimmers who love boats will enjoy it, while toddlers struggle.

Sarajevo is much simpler to move around. Its valley shape means a single tram line links the bazaar with the centre and Ilidža, the core is flat enough to walk, and taxis are cheap for everything beyond.

In Positano every walk involves hundreds of steps. The coast buses crawl in summer, cars are more trouble than they are worth, and the seasonal ferries are the most comfortable way to reach the next town.

Both offer one distinctive kind of shopping, and in each case it is a narrow one. Positano sells a look, with white linen and printed resort wear in the lanes above the beach and sandals made to measure while you wait.

Sarajevo sells craft. Coppersmiths hammer coffee sets on Kazandžiluk, and the Bezistan offers kilims, slippers and filigree, although you need to sort the real work from the souvenir stock. Away from the bazaar it is mostly malls.

This is where the two are furthest apart. Sarajevo is among Europe's cheapest capitals: meals, coffee, trams, museums and central rooms all cost little, and only the Old Town and the summer film festival push prices up.

Positano is at the other extreme. Sea-view rooms, loungers, terrace dinners and boat transfers all cost a lot. Staying in Praiano or Sorrento, or coming in May or October, softens the bill.

Sarajevo has an actual stage life. The National Theatre puts on opera, ballet and drama through the season, the Philharmonic plays regularly, MESS and the jazz festival fill the autumn, and sevdah can be heard in traditional restaurants.

Positano itself offers little beyond occasional church concerts. The real draw is an evening at Ravello's summer festival along the coast.

Both offer about as much rest, but they get there differently. Positano relies on its upscale hotels: spas and cliffside pools, slow lunches above the sea, and calm in May, June and late September, before and after the crowded, noisy peak.

Sarajevo has the older bathing heritage, with thermal springs at Ilidža used since Roman times and shaded walks at Vrelo Bosne. Lingering over one coffee for an hour is a local habit, though winter smog takes away some of the calm.