ESCAPE IN AN HOUR

BRUSSELS

WHY GO? Boutiques, chocolate, beer - and, er, Tintin! The Hergé Museum opens this week in Louvain-la-Neuve, a 30-minute train ride from Brussels. It's dedicated to the creator of the do-gooder teen who's the subject of an upcoming Steven Spielberg movie. Or save yourselves for the Beer Weekend, on September 4-6, when more than 50 Belgian breweries will present their best wares.

GETTING THERE: You can fly to Brussels from many airports across the UK. Airlines include Brussels Airlines (Brusselsairlines.co.uk), BMI (Flybmi.com) and Ryanair (Ryanair.com). Return flights cost from £91 return.

BUDGET The three-star Hotel Welcome is a hidden gem, with each room decorated to represent a different country - check out Brusselshotel.travel. They have a special rate from July 15 to August 30 of £58 per room, per night during a minimum two-night stay.

BLOW IT The five-star Hotel Amigo has rooms from £158 per night, but visit the website, Hotelamigo.com, for offers.

For more information on Brussels, visit Belgiumtheplaceto.be.

PARIS

Life's a beach in Paris!

WHY GO? Apart from the scrummy food, hot men and heavenly shopping, Paris is home to an urban beach in July and August. Paris-Plages is an annual festival featuring man-made beaches along the river Seine, with music and sports laid on, too. And as many of the French go on holiday in August, there should be fewer of them jumping the queues for bargains in Paris's famous department stores.

GETTING THERE There are frequent flights to Paris from the UK. For example, easyJet (Easyjet.com) offers flights from Liverpool from £46. For more price comparisons, visit Travelsupermarket.com.

BUDGET Superbreak (Superbreak.com) offers three nights at the four-star Hotel Littre, Montparnasse, for the price of two in July and August, at a cost of just £188 per person.

BLOW IT The ultra-chic Hyatt Regency Paris-Madeleine's 'Girls In Paris' two-night package includes a deluxe room,champagne, a visit to Coco Chanel's apartment and two passes to the Museum of Fashion, from £660 for two sharing. Normal rates start from £410 per room per night. Call 00 33 15 527 1234 or visit Hyatt.com.

For more information on Paris, visit En.parisinfo.com or Franceguide.com/uk.

GUERNSEY

Check out the pretty harbour in Guernsey

WHY GO? Familiar British seaside treats with a little French flair are the lure of the postcard-pretty Channel Island ofGuernsey. Loved-up couples can enjoy long strolls on deserted beaches, seaside fish and chips with champagne, and evening boat trips under the stars. Head there from July 17-20 for a salsa weekend and learn how to shake your booty Guernsey-style (Guernseysalsa.com).

GETTING THERE There are up to 15 flights a day from Gatwick to Guernsey this summer. A return flight with Aurigny (Aurigny.com) costs from £75 per person. The airline also flies from Stansted, Manchester, Bristol, Southampton and East Midlands. Or choose Flybe (Flybe.com) from Gatwick, Birmingham, Exeter and Southampton; Blue Islands (Blueislands.com) from Southampton and Air South West (Airsouthwest.com) from Plymouth.

Guernsey's perfect for loved-up couples

BUDGET Auberge du Val in St Saviour is a gorgeous country pub with rooms from just £30 per person per night in summer, including breakfast. The bistro serves delicious dishes made with herbs and vegetables from the hotel's own garden. Call 01481 263862.

BLOW IT Stay at Guernsey's most famous hotel, the Old Government House Hotel & Spa in St Peter Port, once the official residence of the Governor of Guernsey. It has an outdoor pool and terrace, a spa offering Elemis treatments, and a French-style brasserie. Queen rooms from £195, including breakfast. Call 01481 724921, or visit Theoghhotel.com.

For more information, call VisitGuernsey on 01481 723552 or go to Visitguernsey.com.

Additional reporting: Lucy Bulmer Photography: Alamy, the travel library, photolibrary.com, Jupiter