Eurostar launches autumn sale – with fares to the Continent from ￡25

Britons looking for a cheap autumn city break have been handed a boost by the launch of a Eurostar sale offering fares to the Continent from ￡25.

The biggest savings are for groups. One-way fares to Paris, Lille and Brussels cost as little as ￡25 per person when buying four or more tickets, rising to ￡27 for three people and ￡28 for two.

For Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the cheapest prices are ￡33 per person when booking two seats, ￡32 for three, and ￡30 for larger groups (up to a maximum of nine).

Premium fares have also been cut, with one-way tickets costing from ￡70.

The sale ends on September 24 and applies to selected departures between October 2 and December 12.

A limited number of cheaper tickets are available for weekend services. For example, a group of four could travel to Paris on Friday, October 12, departing St Pancras at 11:31, and return on Sunday, October 14, departing at 13:13, and pay just ￡50 per person. The cheapest flights available on the same dates, and with far less sociable departure times, cost ￡70.

Full details can be found on Eurostar’s website.

Which city should you visit?

Paris

“The French capital is at once a film set, one of the world’s most beautiful cities, and a vibrant, densely-packed collection of villages,” says our Paris expert, Hannah Meltzer. “But however well you think you know Paris, there’s always something new to discover. Districts change, old ones get restored, whole new areas suddenly becomes the latest hipster hangout. There’s always a new bar or restaurant to check out, a new star baker, the latest gallery. Behind its grand palaces and boulevards, you can discover intimate courtyards and gardens; behind historic fa?ades are craft workshops.”

For tips on what to see and do, see her guide. Or browse our pick of the city’s best hotels.

Lille

As the first major stop on French soil for Eurostar trains, this is one of the easiest European cities to reach from the UK, with travel times from just 88 minutes.

“The charm of this city is that, despite being the largest in northern France, it doesn’t behave like a grand French city – all icy hauteur and spike-heeled arrogance,” says Helen Pickles. “Possibly this agreeableness is because the Lillois feel no need to impress. Who would when the heart of your city is such a pleasing cat’s cradle of streets? Paved with stone and lined with steeply gabled houses, handsome in brick and golden sandstone, its 17th- and 18th-century buildings – now elegant shops – hint at its Flemish roots. The city only became French when Louis X1V captured it in 1667.”

See our guide to Lille’s best hotels, or learn about other underrated French cities.

Brussels

Antony Mason, our expert to the Belgian capital, writes: “Brussels, ‘Capital of Europe’ – it sounds modern, thrusting and perhaps a little soulless. But Brussels is none of these things. Instead it is a city on a human and eminently manageable scale (virtually all you want to see and visit is within walking distance), in touch with its medieval origins, and tweaked by its own distinct, rough-edged character and bubbling conviviality.

“This was the city of Brueghel, Magritte, Victor Horta (inventor of Art Nouveau architecture), Hergé (creator of Tintin) and Jacques Brel, and it does not take long to see why they were attached to it. Beneath its self-effacing veneer lie numerous treasures – first-rate collections of art, supreme cooking, unique beers, and master-chocolatiers.”

Read his complete guide to the city, or see our pick of its best hotels.

Amsterdam

Eurostar finally launched a direct service to Amsterdam this year - 14 months behind schedule - but there’s a catch. “Direct” only applies to the outbound leg; passengers returning to London must change trains in Brussels. Nevertheless, it does bring the Dutch gem a little closer (travel time is three hours and 41 minutes, to be precise).

“Amsterdam somehow manages to have it all,” writes our expert, Rodney Bolt. “It has the buzz of a metropolis, with few big-city drawbacks. It’s small enough to walk or cycle almost anywhere you want, yet is rarely dull.

“Dinky gabled buildings, pretty bridges and quiet canals give it village-like charm, yet you’ll also find top-ranking art museums and one of the best orchestras in the world. Most of all, Amsterdam combines its glittering past with a wry, rough, rebellious contemporary edginess.”

See his guide to the city, or our pick of the best hotels.

Rotterdam

Eurostar services stop in Rotterdam before reaching Amsterdam, making this unsung Dutch city a fine alternative to its overcrowded neighbour to the north.

“Rotterdam has long been something of a back-water in terms of European tourism - lumbered with a grimy image which casts it in the mind’s eye as a grey industrial port where nothing but oil tankers and shipping containers are likely to crop up in your camera lens,” says Telegraph Travel’s Chris Leadbeater. “This is a hugely outdated notion. Highlights include its modern Markthal, a hive of humanity at weekends, when its fruits, vegetables, olive oils, cheeses and other delicacies are in wide demand, impressive art galleries, such as the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, where you can admire Van Gogh, Monet, Kandinsky, Dali and Munch, and the picturesque cafes and bars of the Oude Haven (Old Harbour).”