Cheap city breaks and weekend breaks

How do I find the best deal for a city break?

Finding the best deal for a city break is easy if you can be flexible. Visit summer cities that are busy in spring and autumn when crowds are thinner, prices lower and queues shorter.

For summer bargains, look for midweek city breaks instead of weekend breaks. Be flexible with travel dates and look at using a low-cost airline, and you're likely to make even bigger savings on your city break.

Know of a major event in your destination? It’s best to avoid them if you’re after a city break bargain. Places such as Venice are busy in summer, but the annual carnival (Feb/March) here also sees tourists flooding the city streets, pushing up hotel prices.

How do I find the best deals for a last-minute city break?

When is the best time to book a cheap last-minute city break? Well, according to TravelSupermarket data, it’s two weeks before your departure date.

Most people tend to look for deals between four and two weeks before the day of departure, while some leave it as late as one week before. Quick and easy, city breaks make for great late escapes – especially if you’re travelling to a European destination.

Generally speaking, the closer you get to the date, the cheaper it gets – taking a risk here can pay off. However, if you leave it to the absolute last minute (as in the week of), there’s likely to be a jump in price.