To do this you will still have to change trains in Paris though, but it isn’t too far from Paris Gare du Nord to the Gare de l’Est, in fact I would certainly walk it, even with some luggage on my back or trailing on wheels. The two stations are in the same quarter of Paris, it’s just a few streets really. Or you can go one stop on the metro, which is a bit silly, after all the stairs and corridors you have to walk around, you might as well do it at street level. From Gare de l’Est you can get the TGV fast train to Strasbourg making a total journey time from London to Strasbourg of around 5 hours. Five hours and nine minutes is the exact minimum time according to the official Eurostar deals booking website.

By booking your Eurostar deals to Strasbourg direct in one transaction, the best price is a low as £99, which is getting you right into the heart of the continent, a suitable base for exploring Southern Germany, Bavaris Switzerland and Eastern France.

Eurostar Deals to Strasbourg via Lille

Alternatively you can take a Eurostar train from London St Pancras to Lille and then from Lille Europe station make a simple change to board a high speed TGV all the way to Strasbourg, making a slightly simpler journey but a little longer at 5 hours and 30 minutes. I’m not sure if it would be possible to book this right through with one ticket so the total cost could be a little more than the through ticket Eurostar deals to Strasbourg.

Strasbourg - France

For Eurostar Deals to Amsterdam up until now, the advice has been to take the Eurostar train from St. Pancras International in London to Brussels Midi Station and then catch a connecting train to Amsterdam. But starting this winter, there are changes which will make the through route a lot more conveient. In December, a new high-speed rail connection between Brussels and Amsterdam opens, cutting the journey from London to Amsterdam by a whole hour, making short city breaks to Amsterdam by train much more practical.

More about Fyra, the Brussels to Amsterdam High Speed Train

New Fyra train for Eurostar deals to Amsterdam

Fyra is the name of the new high-speed train which will start duties between Brussels and Amsterdam in the autumn of 2010, and means `four’ in Swedish. The name is derived from the fact that it will link up the four major cities in Belgium and the Netherlands, Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. How this will affect the kind of Eurostar deals available from London, I’m not exactly sure yet – the best thing to do probably will be to have a good look around on the Eurostar Planet booking website for now.

Fyra is a project of cooperation between the national rail network NMBS and Hispeed, a consortium of the Dutch railways NS and the Dutch airline company KLM. By 2010 the high-speed train will travel between Brussels and Amsterdam sixteen times a day using 19 trains, three of which will belong to NMBS and sixteen to Hispeed. The rail infrastructure of the high-speed train has been finalised in Belgium and in the Netherlands, but Fyra’s safety system must still be checked by the European ERMTS. Over the next few weeks test drives will be conducted across the entire route. If the tests prove successful, the Italian company AnsaldoBreda can start the production of the trains. The Fyra will not be the only high-speed train on the route, with the Thalys travelling from Paris six times a day from December to Amsterdam. The Fyra will only take to the tracks a year later, when competition for Eurostar deals through the channel tunnel will become very interesting indeed.

Photo credit Arnold de Vries

Book a two night hotel stay through the Eurostar website before June 2009 and they’ll give you a third night completely free. This deal is valid on loads of different hotels including the four star Villa Beaumarchais in the fashionable Marais district, ideal for romantic Paris breaks. You can stay for three nights for £300 per person, including the Eurostar train tickets. These Eurostar deals are valid if you book before 1 June 2009 and take your trip before 31 October 2009.

** book 3 for 2 Eurostar Deals **

Eurostar trains hurtle at high speed straight to the heart of Europe and the current Eurostar deals make international rail travel through the channel tunnel the best option by far. Taking you direct from one major European city centre to another, Eurostar deals puts the convenience, ease, and sheer pleasure back into travelling. Onboard a Eurostar train you will enjoy excellent service and regular, reliable schedules. With no long check-ins or tedious airport transfers, Eurostar deals often prove faster than flying – and you get to see the country you are travelling through. You can leave from London St Pancras or Ebbsfleet International in Kent to travel directly to

• Paris
• Lille
• Brussels
• Calais
• Disneyland Resort Paris
• Avignon
• The French Alps (on the Eurostar Ski Train, which runs from end of December to the beginning of April)

Great Eurostar deals

London to Paris Eurostar deals in just over 2 hours from just £59 return Lille Eurostar Deals from Lonsdon in under 1½ hours* from just £55 return Belgian Eurostar Deals to Brussels in under 2 hours* from just £59 return

Faster Eurostar Deals This Year

Journey times were cut by up to 20 minutes when Eurostar moved to St Pancras International in November. As well as the improved high-speed service, the new stations at St Pancras and Ebbsfleet provide better and easier access to Europe from more of the UK. Plus – watch out for a new Eurostar stations at Stratford, east London which is already completed.

Upgrade your Eurostar package deal to Leisure class

Why not treat yourself? Travel in style with a Eurostar Leisure Select ticket from just £119 return to Paris, and you can enjoy:

• a meal and drinks served at your seat
• a carriage just for Leisure Select passengers
• power sockets at your seat
• free newspapers and magazines

Find out for yourself why more seasoned cross channel travellers than ever this year are switching from airport misery to Eurostar deals.

I would book as far from the travel date as possible for the best rate. I booked the eurostar about 3 months in advance and it only cost approx £50.