Deals of the Week: London to Avignon, The Dana Gloria, discounted leisure travel

A TRAIN

Britain's longest-distance train, direct from London Waterloo to Avignon on the new high-speed line through France, makes its final journey of the summer on Saturday. It is thought the service will be back next year, along with direct trains from the UK to Bordeaux. Meanwhile, there are plenty of fast and cut-price options for reaching the south of France. Trains between Paris and Marseilles cover the 470-mile journey in three hours flat, bringing the Med within seven hours of London, with a change of trains in Lille or Paris. Book two weeks in advance through the French Railways' UK office, Rail Europe (08705 848 848, www.raileurope.co.uk) and you'll pay £115 return from London Waterloo to Avignon or Marseilles. Before you buy, note that the same fare applies to other destinations, including Nice, Cannes, and Perpignan – well placed for Spain's Costa Brava. You can also travel to Biarritz, Toulouse and Lourdes in south-west France for £115.

For comparison, the cheapest trip booking separate tickets to Paris and from there to Nice works out at £160 return.

A BOAT

A month from today, a fast new vessel makes her maiden voyage from Harwich to Esbjerg in western Denmark. The Dana Gloria will cut over two hours from the present journey. The excursion fare of £64 return, for trips of up to six nights, includes a berth in an "economy" cabin. Book through DFDS (08705 333 111, www.dfds.co.uk), which can also sell rail tickets for the three-hour link to Copenhagen, price £46 return. For other fares, including car bookings, consider investing £13 in membership of the Youth Hostels Association (0870 770 8868, www.yha.org.uk), which gives a 25 per cent discount.

A PLANE

From September, the traditional with-frills airlines look forward to increased business travel and are prepared to discount heavily on leisure travel. These fares are increasingly available online, through internet agents. Test bookings for travel this month turn up these bargains (all fares are return, and – as always in The Independent – include all taxes): Heathrow-Paris on Air France, £64 through www.opodo.co.uk; Gatwick-Lisbon on GB Airways, £106 through www.ebookers.co.uk; Birmingham-Madrid on KLM via Amsterdam, £108 through www.expedia.co.uk; Manchester-Munich, £156 non-stop on Lufthansa through www.thomascook.com; and Edinburgh-Milan, £160 direct on British Airways (with one en-route stop) through www.travelocity.co.uk. Birmingham-Toulouse for £98 return is available direct via www.flybe.com.

A BED

For the best deal at the location where The Prisoner was filmed, you need a name, not a number. Rooms at the five-star Hotel Portmeirion (01766 770 000) usually start at £125, but on www. laterooms. com you can find a rate as low as £75 for some nights in September.