How to get Eurostar seats for just £35 to Paris, Lille and Brussels

Budget rail tickets are available for pre-Olympics Paris

Sports fans arranging last-minute Olympic travel are in luck (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

Eurostar has announced a flash sale for budget summer city breaks across continental Europe – but holidaymakers will have to act quick.

The rail service now has tickets from just £35 each way for thousands of seats travelling between Paris, Lille, Brussels, and London.

Fares for £70 return journeys are live from today, Tuesday 21 May, until 11pm on Thursday 23 May.

The promotion will apply to most Eurostar trains for travel between 4 June and 18 July, so those looking to pitch up in Paris before the Olympics – kicking off on 26 July – are in luck.

With one in three hotel rooms in the city set to be empty during the Olympics, British visitors could also cash in on bargain hotel rates this summer.

Tourism boss Corinne Menegaux told The Independent: “We expect an occupation rate between 60 and 70 per cent.”

The £35 standard class tickets are available for journeys departing London St Pancras International for Paris Gare du Nord, Brussels-Midi/Zuid and Lille Europe.

Standard class tickets are refundable up to seven days pre-departure and include two 85cm bags and one piece of hand luggage with no weight or liquid restrictions.

Eurostar is a travel partner of TeamGB for the games with regular prices for the peak travel period of 26 July to 11 August starting from £49 each way.

Francois Le Doze, Chief Commercial Officer for Eurostar said: “We are preparing for more than one million passengers to travel with us to the French capital during these exciting and unforgettable events.

“We have released Eurostar tickets early to provide our customers with the best chance to plan their trip in the greenest way possible to support their Olympic and Paralympic teams, as well as their favourite athletes. We are very proud to be the official travel partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB for the Paris 2024 Games.”