Pula or Zadar?

Neither city has a sandy town beach, and the swimming is about equally good. The difference is where you go for it. In Pula the best water is among the wild coves and cliff ledges of Cape Kamenjak and the pine-backed rocks of Verudela and Stoja, so you need water shoes and some sense of adventure.

In Zadar, swimming is part of town life: people dive off the stone promenade a few minutes from the cathedral. For sand you go out of town, to Nin's long shallow beaches or by ferry to Sakarun on Dugi Otok.

Pula eats better. It belongs to Istria, one of the Adriatic's most distinctive regional kitchens, and truffle pasta, pršut and estate wines from just inland reward anyone who drives out to the village taverns. Around the Arena, though, menus lean towards tourists.

Zadar's Dalmatian cooking is honest and enjoyable, with peka-cooked lamb, black risotto and Pag cheese, and Maraschino is a local speciality to try. But the konobas on the peninsula all serve much the same dishes, so a week here offers less variety at the table.

The two are close, and the difference is one of character. Pula is above all a Roman city: the three-storey ring of the Arena, the intact Temple of Augustus and the Arch of the Sergii, plus Austro-Hungarian forts from its time as a naval base.

Zadar packs more periods into a smaller space. The round ninth-century St Donatus stands beside the Roman forum, the Venetian walls are UNESCO-listed, and the glass and archaeological museums repay a visit. Then come its modern waterfront pieces, the Sea Organ and the Greeting to the Sun.

Both towns are quiet after dark and come alive only in summer, but the night goes in different directions. In Pula it drifts out of town to cocktail and beach bars on Verudela and around Medulin, with a few small clubs.

Zadar's evening starts with the sunset crowd on the Riva and carries on in café-bars along Kalelarga. Anyone who wants real clubbing makes the hour's trip to Zrće on Pag, which has nothing like it near Pula.

Zadar is much the stronger base for the outdoors. The Velebit rises straight behind it, with Paklenica's gorges for hiking and climbing, and at sea there are the stark Kornati islands and the cliffs and salt lake of Telašćica. Krka, Plitvice and the birdlife at Vrana lake are all within a day.

Pula's landscape is gentler: stony coast, pine and olive groves, with Kamenjak's cliffs and dinosaur footprints for walking, cycling and kayaking. The nearest real mountains, at Učka, are an hour and a half away.

Pula has the richer choice of short excursions, because all of Istria is close. Rovinj is under an hour away, Poreč's Byzantine mosaics are about an hour, and the hill towns of Motovun, Grožnjan and Hum add truffles and wine. Brijuni is a short boat ride, and Piran and Trieste even put a second country within reach.

Zadar's best outings are good but more spread out. Šibenik and little Nin are near, while Split and Trogir mean a long day on the motorway. Its strength is the ferries to Ugljan, Pašman and car-free Silba.

Both are safe and easy-going with children, and Pula has a little more to do on rainy or restless days. The aquarium in the Verudela fort, the Arena's underground passages and the dinosaur park and water park within an hour fill the gaps between swims in Medulin's shallow bays.

Zadar has no attractions built for children, but its car-free old town and wide promenade are easier with a pushchair. The Sea Organ and the light-up Greeting to the Sun are a hit after dark, and Nin's sandy shallows are the best beach for toddlers in either place.

Zadar is the easier place to manage without a car. Its flat pedestrian peninsula takes a quarter of an hour to cross, Kolovare beach is a walk away, and island ferries leave from the edge of the old town.

Pula's centre is just as compact, but most of what makes a stay worthwhile, from Kamenjak to the hill towns and the wider coast, depends on a car or scooter, as buses beyond the city are sparse.

Neither is a shopping destination, and in both the best souvenirs are edible. Pula's are Istrian truffle products, olive oil and wine, bought at the market hall or from producers. Zadar adds Maraschino, Pag cheese and Pag lace, and Kalelarga has a few jewellers and galleries to browse.

The two cost about the same: mid-priced, cheaper than the famous towns further south, and expensive in July and August. Where the money goes differs a little. In Pula car hire and boat trips are the extras that mount up, while in Zadar it is national park entry and island excursions. In both, private apartments in June or September give the best value.

Pula comes out ahead thanks to the Arena. On summer nights touring pop and rock acts, classical galas and the Pula Film Festival fill the Roman stands, which makes for a far bigger occasion than anything in Zadar.

Zadar's offer is smaller and more intimate: early and chamber music in St Donatus and klapa singing in squares and churches. Outside summer, both cities have little more than a local theatre performing in Croatian.

Neither has a spa tradition, so wellness in both means resort hotel spas, at Verudela and Medulin for Pula and at Borik for Zadar. Zadar has a slight edge for unwinding, with the mineral mud of Nin's lagoon and the evening sunset ritual on the Sea Organ steps. Pula offers pine-shaded coastal walks and quiet days in the Istrian countryside instead.