Deals Of The week: Eurostar, InterContinental, London City airport

A TRAIN

Since Eurostar (08705 186 186, www.eurostar.com) cut its lowest fare between London and Brussels to £59, and did away with advance-booking restrictions, the economics of reaching other parts of Belgium through the Channel Tunnel have changed. The lowest fare to Antwerp, Bruges or Ghent, booked direct through Eurostar remains at £79. For most destinations you are better off buying the £59 trip to Brussels Midi, and buying a separate ticket there. The extra return fare to Antwerp is €10.80 (£7.50), to Bruges €21.20 (£15), and to Ghent €13.20 (£9).

Note that Eurostar will not operate at all on 4 May due to maintenance work being carried out on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link at the mouth of the tunnel.

A BED

"The whole world at half-price" is the slogan being used by the InterContinental hotel chain to try to fill up empty rooms between now and 21 September. There are some real bargains in Germany. If you book a week ahead by calling 0800 096 4478, or visiting www.intercontinental.com/halfoff, two people can stay at the InterContinental in Hamburg for a total of £76, the InterContinental Stuttgart for £80 or the Munich Forum for £62, breakfast included. With rates this low, finding rooms can be a problem; you may be offered other promotional deals if the half-price offer is not available.

Eastern European capitals are also looking promising: Budapest or Bucharest for £90 per night, or the Bratislava Forum for £58.

A PLANE

Go to Docklands for the best deals between London and the main airports in France, Germany and Scotland. British Airways (0845 77 333 77, www.ba.com) launched flights from London City airport a month ago. As with any new route, fares are set deliberately low to try to build up traffic.

Fares to and from London City airport undercut those from the airline's main bases of Heathrow and Gatwick. Between Glasgow and London, return fares of £58.70 are widely available on off-peak times in May; London to Paris is £65.20 return; and flights to Frankfurt are £78.30 return. These fares are available for online sales only; a surcharge applies for buying through an agent or booking by telephone.