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Super cheap last, last minute breaks in Europe

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hiraethified
Apart from the usual big names, are there any sites where cheapo holidays can be bagged with just days to go? I'm not entirely fussed by the location so long as it's a city with a bit of a life!

All in deals (Eurostar preferred or plane/hotel) preferred for max holiday relaxation!
 
I thought urban would be bursting with tips and advice here!
Or are there no such places online?
 
The dodgy trick I saw today is a cheap rate advertised for a room. Only for a three hour usage though!

(Airport hotel not brothel)
 
Some ferry companies do good deals booking direct.

We used to go to Amsterdam, and various French towns this way. You can, for example, go Newhaven to Dieppe and the get a train to Paris. There's crossings to Scandinavia, Holland, etc for Northern Europe of course. Or Portsmouth Santander/Bilbao, although the crossing takes about a day.
 
Someone told me that when searching/booking flights, to do it via your private browser as each time you go back, the price increases.

No tips as to where you go though!
 
Other than the big names already mentioned, Short Beaks Ltd do good deals under their 'special offers' menu from the home page. Just chose Ghent as an example. Not really last minute specialists, although it might be worth calling them if there is nothing available according to the website. I can't think of any others.

Personally, I would just book train tickets onilne and take a chance on arrival, or pre-book hotels online also at this time of year, rather than go with a package. Paris is always going to be pricey for accommodation last thing unless you get lucky, or have particularly good negotiating skills, but all the smaller cities like Ghent, Lille, Bruges, Leuven, Antwerp etc should be easy enough to find a double room for Two nights for less than €100 on arrival. Often, it can be the more luxurious 3 star places offering better 'on the night' deals.

I don't have the same restrictions most people do. Also, I consider any long train ride on a nice train a holiday in itself. Don't think I have advance booked a train for over 15 years. Just turn up at the station, ask for the cheapest option on the next available train. That may mean a 6 hour wait (or, longer), and often means paying around 30% more compared to booking just Three days earlier. Late night arrival in a strange city can make finding affordable rooms a bit stressful mind. Other than holiday weekends etc, I wouldn't expect finding reasonable prices on the day a problem.
 
google flights is excellent for looking for a cheap destination.

put in your dates and departure city, and it shows you a map with the prices next to each city.
 
Someone told me that when searching/booking flights, to do it via your private browser as each time you go back, the price increases.

That gets said a lot with regards low-cost airlines, however I have never noticed it and have to price up lots of bookings, quote them and then go back a few hours later to actually book them.
 
It’s worth going to airlines websites to see if they have any special offers. I’m going to Slovenia for a weekend for £70 (from Istanbul) which is half the usual price as they’re trying to promote the route.
 
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