A pier, a palace fit for a prince and a maze of little lanes: Brighton and Hove is London’s favourite seaside escape, with a character all its own.
Brighton has been a place for escaping to since the eighteenth century, when doctors began recommending sea air and sea bathing, and the future King George IV fell in love with the town. It has been loud, fun, creative and a little bit different ever since. Together with its quieter, more elegant neighbour Hove, it became a city in 2000.
It is one of the most welcoming places in Britain, with a huge student population, a thriving arts scene and a famously open and inclusive spirit. This guide covers the six things we would put on any first visit, along with where to eat, what is on through the year and how to get there, whether you are coming for a day from London or flying in through Gatwick.
1. Brighton Palace Pier
Brighton Palace Pier is the classic seaside day out. It opened in 1899 and stretches more than five hundred metres out over the sea. It is free to walk onto, and it is lined with stalls selling doughnuts, candyfloss, fish and chips and sticks of rock.
Halfway along are arcades full of slot machines and games, and at the far end is a funfair with rides. Some are gentle and some will turn your stomach, with the sea churning far below. On a sunny day the pier is crowded and joyful, and on a stormy one, with waves crashing against the legs, it is dramatic.
Further along the seafront to the west stand the ruins of the West Pier. It closed in the 1970s and was wrecked by storms and fires in the early 2000s, and now only a rusting skeleton stands out in the sea. At sunset, when flocks of starlings swirl over it in winter, it is one of the most beautiful sights on the coast.
The pier is busiest on summer weekends and bank holidays. Early evening is a good time to visit, when the lights come on and the crowds thin out. It stays open late on many evenings, and the view back to the lit up seafront is lovely.
2. The Royal Pavilion
The Royal Pavilion is Brighton’s most famous building, and one of the most extraordinary palaces in Europe. It was built for George, Prince of Wales, who later became Prince Regent and then King George IV. He first came to Brighton in the 1780s and turned a modest farmhouse into a lavish pleasure palace.
Between 1815 and 1823 the architect John Nash transformed the building into what you see today. The outside is inspired by the architecture of India, with domes, minarets and pinnacles. Inside, the rooms are decorated in a fantasy Chinese style, with dragons, lotus flowers, bamboo and glowing colours.
The Banqueting Room is the showstopper, with a huge chandelier held in the claws of a silver dragon, and the Music Room is just as dazzling. The Great Kitchen, with its palm tree columns and rows of copper pans, shows the scale of the feasts the king held. During the First World War, the Pavilion was used as a hospital for wounded Indian soldiers, a story told inside.
Allow at least an hour and a half, and pick up the audio guide. The Pavilion Gardens outside are a pleasant place to sit, and Brighton Museum and Art Gallery is right next door. The Brighton Dome, originally the prince’s stables and riding house, is now a concert hall and arts venue.
3. The Lanes and North Laine
Brighton’s two great shopping areas are right next to each other, but they feel very different. The Lanes are the oldest part of the town, a tangle of narrow alleys that follow the lines of the old fishing village. They are known for their jewellers, with dozens of shops selling rings, antiques and vintage watches.
The alleys are so narrow in places that you can touch both walls at once, and they open onto small squares with cafés and restaurants. It is easy to get lost here, and that is half the fun. The Lanes are busy at weekends but lovely to explore early in the morning.
North Laine, just north of the Lanes towards the station, is the bohemian heart of Brighton. It has hundreds of independent shops selling vintage clothes, records, books, comics, gifts and art. Streets such as Kensington Gardens, Gardner Street and Sydney Street are lined with colourful shopfronts and street art.
North Laine is also full of cafés, bakeries, bars and small restaurants, and on Saturdays Upper Gardner Street hosts a street market. It has a relaxed, creative atmosphere that sums up the spirit of Brighton. Allow a few hours and bring comfortable shoes.
4. The seafront
Brighton and Hove’s seafront runs for miles, and walking or cycling along it is one of the best things to do in the city. The beach itself is made of pebbles rather than sand, so bring shoes you can wear in the water. On warm days it is packed with people swimming, sunbathing and eating ice cream.
The promenade stretches west from the Palace Pier past the ruins of the West Pier, the bandstand and the i360 tower, into Hove. Here the atmosphere becomes calmer, with wide lawns, rows of colourful beach huts and grand Regency terraces facing the sea. It is a lovely stretch for a gentle walk or a bike ride.
Along the beach front, the arches under the promenade are home to cafés, bars, galleries and artists’ studios. There is also a small fishing museum. East of the Palace Pier, Volk’s Electric Railway, which opened in 1883, is the oldest electric railway in the world still running, and it trundles along the beach towards the marina in the summer months.
Further east, the Undercliff Walk runs beneath tall white chalk cliffs to the village of Rottingdean, a peaceful escape from the city. Sea Life Brighton, near the Palace Pier, is the oldest working aquarium in the world, with Victorian galleries of tanks. The seafront is lovely in every season, even on a wild winter day.
5. The Brighton i360
The Brighton i360 is a slim steel tower on the seafront, beside the ruins of the West Pier. A large glass pod, shaped like a doughnut, rises slowly up the tower to around 138 metres above the ground. It was designed by the same architects who created the London Eye.
From the top you can see for miles along the coast, over the rooftops of the city and inland to the South Downs. On a clear day you can see as far as the Isle of Wight to the west. The pod holds many people at once and has a bar in the middle, so you can enjoy a drink as you rise.
The flight lasts around twenty minutes, and you can walk around the pod freely to see the view in all directions. Sunset flights are especially popular. The tower is built in a way that lets it sway gently in the wind, though you are unlikely to notice it.
Opening times and prices have changed in recent years, so check before you go. There are cafés and restaurants at the base of the tower. It is a good way to understand the layout of the city before exploring on foot.
6. The South Downs
The South Downs, a long ridge of rolling chalk hills, rise just behind Brighton, and they are part of the South Downs National Park. Within half an hour of the city centre you can be walking on open grassland with views to the sea. It is one of the most beautiful landscapes in southern England.
Devil’s Dyke, a few miles north of the city, is a deep, dry valley carved into the hills. Legend says the devil dug it to let the sea flood the churches of the Weald. There is a pub at the top and paths along the rim, and the views across the countryside are wonderful.
Ditchling Beacon, one of the highest points on the Downs, is another great viewpoint. The South Downs Way, a long distance path, runs along the top of the hills for a hundred miles from Winchester to Eastbourne. You can walk a short section of it from either spot.
Further east, the Seven Sisters are a series of dramatic white chalk cliffs beside the sea, with the beach at Birling Gap below and the lighthouse at Beachy Head nearby. They are about an hour from Brighton by road. Public transport to the Downs is limited, and a car or a driver by the hour is the easiest way to reach the best viewpoints and walks.
Where to eat and drink
Fish and chips eaten on the beach is the classic Brighton meal, and there are plenty of places along the seafront to buy them. Watch out for the seagulls, which are bold and hungry. Brighton is also known as one of the best places in Britain for vegetarian and vegan food, with dozens of restaurants and cafés that cater for plant based diets.
North Laine and the Lanes are full of brunch spots, bakeries and small restaurants, and Hove has a growing number of excellent neighbourhood restaurants, particularly around Church Road and George Street. Brighton also has a lively pub and bar scene, from traditional pubs to cocktail bars, and it is known for its nightlife.
What is on through the year
In May, the Brighton Festival and Brighton Fringe fill the city with theatre, music, comedy and art, and together they form one of the largest arts festivals in England. In summer, Brighton Pride is one of the biggest and best loved Pride celebrations in the country, with a parade and a party that draws huge crowds.
Other events include marathons, car rallies along Madeira Drive and food festivals. At big events, the city is extremely busy, trains are packed and hotels book up months ahead, so plan early if you want to be there.
Getting there and getting around
Brighton station is at the top of the town, about fifteen minutes’ walk downhill to the sea. Fast trains run to London Victoria and London Bridge in around an hour, and there are direct services to Gatwick Airport. Hove has its own station a little to the west.
Gatwick Airport is about thirty miles north, around forty five minutes by road along the A23 and M23, and it is one of the most common journeys we make. Heathrow is about an hour and a half away. Parking in the centre of Brighton is limited and expensive, and the streets near the seafront can be slow in summer.
A car booked ahead is the easiest way to arrive with luggage from Gatwick or Heathrow, or to spend a day on the South Downs and the Seven Sisters without worrying about buses or parking.
Ride with ZeroLanes. From your door, the station or the airport to anywhere in Brighton and Hove, at a price fixed before you confirm. Travelling between cities? Get a fixed price for the journey, or keep a car and driver for the day with hourly hire.