Be a crafty traveller

The low season for European city breaks has just started. In tourist hotspots such as Rome, Barcelona and Amsterdam, many hotels drop their rates by as much as a third at the beginning of November, so the savings are not to be sniffed at.

The lower rates are usually on offer until the end of February, apart from the Christmas/New Year period. The winter months are also the time when it's easiest to pick up cheap flights, if you're flexible with dates,

The other big attraction of taking a city break now is that, as it's low season, there will be fewer fellow tourists. So the often dauntingly long queues to get into the Vatican or go up the Eiffel Tower are likely to be shorter and there should be less need to jostle for space in, say, Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum and Barcelona's Picasso Museum.

Consider booking one of the following places to stay. I have personally checked them all out and they offer good quality and excellent value accommodation. For stays this winter, they all come in at under £90 a night. Rates given are for the cheapest double room on a room-only basis in late November/early December; breakfast prices are per person.

AMSTERDAM:Citizenm, Amsterdam City

I stayed at this new hotel by the World Trade Centre some weeks ago and was very taken with it. The purpose-built block has cleverly thought-out high-tech bedrooms with showers and loos in futuristic pods within the body of the room, plus an enticing help-yourself 24/7 cafe and stylish lounges. Given all that, the rates, which start at £77 (Dh473) a night, are amazingly affordable. The only downside is that the city centre is a ten-minute tram ride away. Book online only at www.citizenmamsterdamcity.com

PARIS:Hotel Chopin

Finding inexpensive, characterful lodgings in Paris is much harder than it used to be. But this old-timer - it's been around since 1846 - fits the bill. The simple, old-fashioned rooms, costing from £85 (Dh522) with breakfast at £6.50 (Dh40) extra, are very quiet as the hotel lies at the end of a quirky 19th Century shopping arcade. Chartier, one of Paris's classic budget restaurants, is just round the corner on Rue du Faubourg Montmartre. Full meals are from around £15 (Dh92). Visit www.hotelchopin.fr

Rome:Okapi Rooms

The Eternal City is a good budget city-break option as there is endless free sightseeing (think churches and piazzas) and meals can be cheap (think pizzas). But accommodation in the historic centre is pricey. One of the best, few-frills places to have opened recently is Okapi Rooms, not far from the Spanish Steps. The rooms in question are compact but en suite and attractive, decorated with terracotta floors and neo-classical statues, and if you're lucky you'll get a small terrace too. £88 (Dh540) room-only - no breakfast is offered. www.okapirooms.it

Barcelona:Market Hotel

The Market can be one of Barcelona's very best bargains. Rates for its ever-so-sleek Asian-styled rooms start at just £60 (Dh368).

But rates do vary depending on how full the hotel is (when I checked for late November/early December, prices ranged from £60 (Dh368) to £78 (Dh479), but they can sometimes shoot up to £120 (Dh737).

Skip breakfast - £8.50 extra (Dh52) - and if you're staying on a weekday, come back for the set-price lunch in the Market's elegant, colonial-looking restaurant: it costs just £9 (Dh55) for three courses, including a drink. www.markethotel.com.es

Dublin:Jurys Inn, Christchurch

Hotel rates have plummeted in the Irish capital this year.

This Jurys Inn - part of a growing chain of superior budget hotels - has some of the best deals on offer. If you book online at least a week ahead, a night's stay on a weekday costs as little as £55 (Dh337). Breakfast is £8 (Dh49) per person extra.

The hotel is in an impressively central location, opposite Christchurch cathedral and two minutes' walk from Temple Bar, focal point of Dublin's nightlife. Bedrooms are a decent size and there's an open-plan bar/cafe/restaurant. www.jurysinns.com