Europe
From Newcastle to Paris, Leeds to Lille, you can now book through-tickets to Europe with East Coast and Eurostar.
Jul/Aug/Sept
Make the most of the long summer evenings in Paris at a variety of open-air events. The Cinéma au Clair du Lune (4-22 Aug) stages free screenings of past and present cinematic masterpieces, projecting them onto natural backdrops such as walls and buildings in different sites around Paris. For music lovers, the Rock en Seine festival (27-29 Aug) features Massive Attack, Paolo Nutini, Blink-182, Cypress Hill and other top bands, while Jazz à la Villette (31 Aug-12 Sept) includes performances from Chick Corea, Alice Russell and Gil Scott-Heron.
Funfairs, fleamarkets and a giant playground dominate Lille this summer. The Gare Saint-Sauveur is transformed into a dazzling free play-area, housing an inflatable maze, 15m-high basketball hoops and loads of fun-filled activities for all the family (2 Jul-19 Sept, Wed-Sun). The Foire aux Manèges, one of the biggest funfairs in France, fills and lights up the Champs de Mars with 180 different rides and attractions (28 Aug-27 Sept). Also hard to miss is Lille’s flea market, the Braderie, which features an astounding 100km of stands, 10,000 sellers and around 2.5 million visitors (4-5 Sept).
Brussels may be landlocked, but that’s no reason not to enjoy a seaside experience. Pack your bikini and head off to Brussels Beach on the banks of the Willebroek Canal, with beach huts, sun loungers, barbecues, live music and plenty of sand (2 Jul-22 Aug). Also in July, the funfair comes to town. Foire du Midi (18 Jul-23 Aug) takes place on the Boulevard du Midi and includes big wheels, merry-go-rounds, carousels, rides and waffle stands. Festival Bruxellons (13 Jul-25 Sept) is a popular theatre, music and cabaret festival that takes place in the stunning setting of Karreveld Castle.