Deals of the Week: Eurostar deals, The end for Ostend? Silly money with Germanwings
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Eurostar (08705 186 186, www.eurostar.com) has extended its winter special through February and most of March. Book two weeks ahead, stay over one night (not necessarily a Saturday) and you can get from Ashford to Lille for £39 return, London to Lille for £49 or London to Paris or Brussels for £59. You must buy by 10 March and travel by 24 March.
A BOAT
Ostend: is this the end? The historic link from Dover to the Belgian port is unlikely to re-open as planned in March this year. Hoverspeed (08705 240 241, www.hoverspeed.co.uk) is believed to be on the brink of announcing it will abandon the route to concentrate on its Dover-Calais fast-ferry services.
A PLANE
How silly can no-frills prices get? Germanwings, which is part-owned by the German national airline, Lufthansa, today launches flights for £1, including all the taxes and fees that other airlines usually add on. Since the airline must pay £5 in Air Passenger Duty for every traveller between Stansted and Cologne, it is effectively selling at a substantial loss. You must book online at www.germanwings.com, and travel between 17 February and 9 March.
A FESTIVAL
One of the year's most inspired cultural feasts is due to take place in Vienna in August. Martin Randall, a London-based tour operator (020-8742 3355, www.martinrandall.com) is organising a one-week trip to this important classical music centre.
The Austro-Hungarian Music Festival takes place from 7-13 August, and Mr Randall's programme involves nine concerts (seven of them private) in appropriate historical settings. The price range is £1,620 to £2,760, depending on the grade of hotel; the single supplement is between £135 and £380. Prices include flights from Heathrow or Manchester, transfers, tickets, three dinners (with wine), lectures by a musicologist and a historian, and unlimited city transport.
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