How you can get to to Paris, Lille and Brussels for as little as £35 with the Eurostar summer flash sale

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

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

Fares for £70 return journeys are live from today, Tuesday 16 July, until 11pm on Thursday 18 July.

The promotion will apply to most Eurostar trains for travel between 13 August and 23 October 2024, so those looking to pitch up in Paris after the Olympics – from 26 July until 11 August– are in luck.

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

This cheaper fare, usually from around £49 each way, will not be available from London to Paris on some dates including 17, 23 and 24 August.

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.

Last month, The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder said: “Eurostar is now cutting fares from London to Paris in late July as British travellers shun the Games. Some fares have fallen by more than one-third in just two weeks.”

Francois Le Doze, chief commercial officer for Eurostar said in November: “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.”

For more travel news and advice listen to Simon Calder’s podcast.