East not fleeced
THE East London Hotel has opened in Bethnal Green – bringing affordable digs to the East End. The 161-room hotel is a short hop from Columbia Road Flower Market and the pubs of Paradise Row and overlooks the V&A Museum of Childhood’s gardens. Due East, the hotel’s bar, serves up local bagels and beer. Rooms from £77pn. See theeastlondonhotel.com. LET the train take the strain in our selection of stress-busting European winter breaks.
First base 1 hour 20 minutes – Lille
Lille is a bit like a mini Brussels but far closer – the first Eurostar stop after the Channel Tunnel.
This is the Flemish part of France, which means it is down to earth while still having great food and pretty surroundings. The combination of both in the narrow cobbled streets is irresistible.
Architecture here is colourful and busy and there are great patisseries, cafes and bistros. It all looks particularly splendid after dark, when coloured lights play on the church belfries and the facade of the town hall. GO: The Lille Europe Hotel is ideally placed half way between the Eurostar station and downtown. A two-night weekend break here, plus return train travel, costs from £382 per person. See eurostar.com.
Capital whirl 2 hours 20 minutes – Paris
If you do not mind spending a bit longer on the train then there is nothing quite like romantic Paris. Although, let’s be honest there is little that is romantic about the gritty Gare du Nord, the Eurostar’s arrival terminus.
Just head off to the artists’ village of Montmartre to sit on the steps of the Sacre Coeur and watch evening fall before heading off in search of a pavement bistro in the Place du Tertre. Or to the trendy Marais district, with its symmetrical showpiece the 17th century Place des Vosges, all red brick and wrought iron, and its sweet narrow streets. Just window shopping here is a cultural experience. GO: The Grand Hotel Dore is close to Gare de Lyon, not far from the Marais. A two-night break, with return rail, costs as little as £147 per person. See short-breaks.com.
Diamond geezers 3 hours – Antwerp
This underestimated Belgian city is a vibrant, fashionable place with its own distinctive identity. In part this is thanks to the diamond quarter, a nest of streets where most of Europe’s diamond traders and cutters work.
Like many other ports, Antwerp has adapted some of its quays to welcome waterside bars and restaurants. You can enjoy Museum an der Stroom, exploring marine heritage, and the Red Star Line museum, all about emigration.
This is also the hometown of 17th-century artist Peter-paul Rubens. Rubenshuis, where he lived, is now a museum and contains a large collection of his paintings. He also contributed to the stunning St Carolus Church. GO: The Leonardo Hotel is right between the architecturally splendid railway station and the diamond quarter. A two-night break, with return rail travel, costs from £183 per person. See superbreak.com.
Cosy glow 3 hours – Bruges
There is a real intricacy about this Belgian city. It is made like a medieval jigsaw, with brick guild houses, stone bridges, narrow lanes and cobbled squares, threaded by inky waterways.
There are tempting shops, historic cafes, artisan chocolatiers and medieval taverns. It all makes for the sort of warm glow that will light up the darkest winter weekend.
If the idea of all that indulgence makes you feel guilty then there is always the Groeninge museum, which runs the gamut of Belgian art from early Van Eyck to the masterpieces of Flemish Expressionism. GO: The Hotel Aragon is a charming family-run hotel in the heart of the medieval centre. A three-night break costs from £395 per person, with return rail travel. See planetrail.co.uk.
Track star Five days in the Rhine Valley Germany
If the idea of a weekend in a city does not fill you with joy, then what about several days exploring Germany’s beautiful Rhine Valley in autumn or spring? You use a variety of trains, in the company of like-minded people.
Based in Remagen, not far from Cologne, this tour introduces you to the spectacular Rhine Gorge, with its fantastic scenery and ancient