Brighton

Introduction

Brighton is a seaside resort on the south coast of England, in East Sussex, within the city of Brighton and Hove. It sits roughly 47 miles south of London, and settlement in the area stretches back to the Bronze Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. The ancient settlement of Brighthelmstone appears in the Domesday Book.

The town grew in importance during the Middle Ages as the Old Town developed, then struggled through the early modern period, when it was affected by foreign attacks, storms, a suffering economy and a declining population. Brighton's fortunes turned as improved road transport to London made it easier to reach, and as it became a boarding point for boats travelling to France. It also gained popularity as a health resort, where sea bathing was promoted as a purported cure for illnesses.

Before you go

Brighton grew from a sleepy fishing village, then known as Brighthelmstone, into a resort after Dr Richard Russell of Lewes began prescribing seawater and sea-bathing for his patients, and it boomed further once the railways arrived around 1840. The Prince of Wales's Royal Pavilion, an extravagant Regency building designed by John Nash, dates from the early 19th century. Its closeness to London has made it popular with media and music people who don't want to live in the capital, earning it the nickname "London-by-the-Sea", and it is typically referred to as the gay capital of Britain, with a significant gay district in Kemp Town that adds to the city's Bohemian atmosphere.

Spring is when the city really starts coming to life, with Brighton Festival and Festival Fringe returning in May, while summer brings lazy days and beautiful sunsets on the shingle beach, which runs for more than 5 mi (8.0 km) facing south onto the English Channel. If you hold a working visa, Brighton is a good spot for seasonal and temporary work, partly because it is a student town and partly because it sits on the sea. Before you go, bear in mind that the city centre can get rowdy at weekends and West Street is best avoided after midnight, though you can have a civilised Friday or Saturday night elsewhere; homeless people are common but mostly harmless, and drug-users often gather around London Road and the Level, which are perfectly safe before dark. Same-sex displays of affection generally go unnoticed in Hove, The Lanes and North Laine, and in Kemp Town and Kemp Town Village homophobic abuse would likely be met with outright hostility from residents. Lifeguards patrol the beaches from the end of May until the first weekend in September, with signposts showing which areas are covered; in a sea emergency call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. Seagulls in the town are often quite aggressive and will not hesitate to swoop down and snatch food from your hand.

Getting there

Brighton has two stations. All trains stopping in the city call at Brighton Terminus on Junction Road, which is the one to aim for since it sits closer to the town centre. London Road station, on Shaftesbury Place just off Ditchling Rise, is served only by local trains to Newhaven via Lewes and is really only useful for the northeastern part of Brighton. By car, Brighton is congested and not easy to drive or park in at peak times. The A23 is the principal route from London and Gatwick, becoming the M23 just after Crawley, while the A27 runs along the south coast from Portsmouth to Pevensey, dual-carriageway for much of its length west of Brighton but largely a congested normal carriageway to the east. Central car parks fill up, so don't count on finding a space. For a day at the beach, parking on Madeira Drive and Marine Parade is very limited, and on a warm, sunny day your chances improve the earlier you arrive. As an alternative, you can park at Worthing, Hassocks or Lewes rail stations and continue by train, or use the city's Park and Ride, where you leave your car in a free car park about a 45-minute walk from the main station and take a bus into the centre. Some days are best avoided by car entirely: the children's parade at the start of Brighton Festival, the annual London to Brighton Bike Ride, the Brighton and Hove Pride parade, the Brighton Marathon, and the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run all close or block many central roads.

• By coach, National Express route 025 runs from London Victoria via Heathrow and Gatwick airports; it is the quickest public transport option between Heathrow and Brighton, though from central London the train is much quicker.
• Brighton and Hove Buses run from Eastbourne in the east and Tunbridge Wells in the north, with a range of single, day and network tickets plus discounts and higher-priced night buses; children receive a discount only with a BusID.
• Stagecoach service 700 connects Portsmouth and Worthing with Brighton, and Metrobus hop-on, hop-off services run from Haywards Heath, Ardingly and Three Bridges, with tickets usable on Brighton and Hove Buses too.
• Shoreham Airport, also known as Brighton City Airport, lies to the west of the city and handles light aircraft and sightseeing flights, but has no scheduled flights; the easiest approach is a train from Brighton to Shoreham followed by a taxi.

Getting around

Brighton is compact and walkable, and locals often give directions relative to the Clock Tower, which stands due south of the rail station where Queen's Road meets Dyke Road, West Street, North Street and Western Road. The oldest part of the city is the Lanes, bounded by North Street, West Street and East Street, with Middle Street and Ship Street running through it. Don't confuse it with North Laine - meaning "north fields" - the boutique and alternative shopping area on the north side of North Street. Western Road runs east-west from the Clock Tower as a major shopping street, while Eastern Road climbs towards the main hospital from the Old Steine (rhymes with clean), where Brighton Pier sits at the seafront. Heading north from the working pier you pass the Royal Pavilion, the run-down church of St Peter's and The Level; going north-east from there, Lewes Road (pronounced "Lewis") leads out to the city boundary and both universities. Hove lies to the west, and Brighton Marina to the east.

Cycling is growing in popularity despite the hills, and a pay-by-the-minute ebike rental service, Beryl BTN Bikes, has stations across the city - often the fastest way to move around, though the bikes can be challenging on the larger hills. The bus network is extensive, with very frequent city-centre services and real-time information at many stops, mostly run by Brighton & Hove Buses; a CitySAVER all-day ticket is the best option for visitors, children travel at half price, and pensioners travel free after 9AM with a suitable RFID card. The Big Lemon runs weekday routes (and route 52 on Saturdays) between the City Centre and the universities in bright yellow buses. Brighton Station is a major rail terminal with a small suburban network including London Road, Hove, Preston Park, Aldrington, Falmer and Moulsecoomb stations, the last two serving the universities; Southern and Thameslink do not carry bicycles during peak hours. Teal and white taxis with the council logo on the door are plentiful but pricier than in most English towns, with main ranks at the rear entrance of Brighton station and at East Street near the Lanes, plus smaller ranks at Queen Square, the north side of St Peter's Church and the bottom of Montpelier Road; Uber and the FreeNow app also operate. On a few days a year, buses are disrupted by parades and similar events.

Where to stay

Brighton has no shortage of places to sleep, but the budget end of the market rewards caution. Research any hostel thoroughly before you book: some are marketed as hostels but aren't really set up for travellers, and Hostelpoint on the seafront has a rough reputation and is generally considered unsafe. Paying a little more is usually worth it. Kipps Hostel on Grand Parade, near Old Stein, is pleasant and welcoming, with rooms ranging from ten-bed mixed dorms to private rooms and very helpful staff. OYO Gullivers on New Steine puts you in the city centre, a short walk from Brighton Pier.

Mid-range options cluster along the seafront and around Regency Square. The Brighton Hotel is a Grade II listed building on Kings Road directly opposite the Brighton Bandstand, while the Granville Hotel sits right on the seafront with nothing between it and the beach, so half its rooms have sea views; each room has its own decorative style, some with Jacuzzis in the en-suite baths, and breakfast includes a vegetarian or vegan full English. The Mercure Brighton Seafront Hotel is a grand Victorian beachfront building next to the pier, and the New Steine Hotel is in the heart of the centre a few hundred metres from the pier, with its New Steine Bistro earning an AA Breakfast and Dinner Award. For something smaller and more characterful, try the Artist Residence in Regency Square, where graffiti art decorates the walls, A Room With A View in a Regency house on Kemp Town prom, the Art Deco Paskins Town House on Charlotte Street, or Hotel Pelirocco, the original Brighton boutique hotel, with individually themed rock'n'roll bedrooms, its own cocktail bar and art exhibitions. At the top end, the Grand Hotel on Kings Road is the only five-star in Brighton, right on the seafront, and Hotel Du Vin on Ship Street, with its courtyard entry, is where the stars stay. The Claremont is a five-star in Hove, fifty yards from the seafront, while Hotel Una hides away in Regency Square next to the West Pier and Kemp Townhouse offers stylish boutique comfort in the centre. The Queen's Hotel on Kings Road is contemporary and central with Channel views, a pool, steam room, sauna and gym, and Drakes on Marine Parade in Kemptown is an upscale small hotel facing the pier with stylish rooms and great dining.

Food & drink

Brighton eats well, and vegetarians are especially well served. In The Lanes you'll find Food for Friends, the city's best-known vegetarian restaurant and a fairly expensive one. For something cheaper, takeaways across the city cover pizza, Chinese, Mexican and Indian food, and the beachfront near Brighton Pier has stalls selling crêpes, doughnuts and ice-cream, usually cheap and mostly open late. Preston Street, on the border of Hove and Brighton, has a string of low to mid priced ethnic restaurants.

In the city centre, seafood stalls on the seafront about 100 m west of the pier serve cockles and mussels, crab sandwiches, fish soup and oysters in the daytime. The Small Batch Coffee Company has locations including Brighton and Hove, Foodilic on North Street is a buffet restaurant with vegetarian dishes and some carnivorous options, Grubbs on Western Road is a local legend known for its sauces and toppings, and Pompoko on Church Street is a small, genuine Japanese cafe with reasonable prices and take-away. Elsewhere, Burger Off in the New Oak is family-run. Mid-range options include The Regency, a good-value fish and seafood restaurant on the seafront; The Prince George near the train station, which serves only vegetarian meals and snacks; Shelter Hall on the prom at the foot of West St, where you mix and match from various vendors; Bill's Restaurant & Bar on North Road, specialising in organic food; Bali Brasserie in Hove for Indonesian and Malaysian cooking; Gar's for Chinese; The Eagle for vegan, vegetarian and carnivorous food; The Greys; The Open House, a large child-friendly pub next to London Road train station; Bardsley's for fish and chips and specials; Planet India for Indian vegetarian food; and Moshimo, a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant in the glass-sided "opticon" in Bartholomew Square. Western Road has several Middle Eastern and North African restaurants, including Kambi's and A Taste of Sahara, while the Giggling Squid is a good-value Thai restaurant noted for lunchtime tapas and the Chilli Pickle is a high-concept Indian restaurant in Jubilee Square. For a splurge, try Terre à Terre, a well-respected vegetarian restaurant with a lively crowd and bright décor; English's of Brighton, a seafood restaurant with old-school decor and clientele; the Gingerman, a fine-dining restaurant that has spawned three sister operations; the Ginger Pig in Hove; or Riddle & Finns The Beach, an upscale seafood restaurant on the beach front with another branch on Meeting House Lane.

For drinking, pubs and bars cater for all tastes, and if there's a street in central Brighton there is likely to be a pub on it. LGBT-orientated pubs, bars and clubs are mostly in Kemp Town, around St James's Street and Marine Drive. Look out for Tuaca, a sweet Italian brandy liqueur that almost every bar in Brighton will have — ask for a squeeze of lime — but which is rare elsewhere in the UK. Near the station and Trafalgar Street you'll find the Evening Star, a must for real ale drinkers with a wide selection of tap ales, ciders and bottled beers; the Great Eastern, with a wide range of US bourbons and rye whiskeys; the Prince Albert, a boisterous indie kids' pub with local ales and a mural of John Peel; and the Lord Nelson, a thoroughly traditional multi-roomed pub serving ales from a 200-year-old brewery in nearby Lewes. In North Laine there's the Basketmakers Arms, a traditional backstreet pub with English ales and good-value food, with the Eagle directly opposite; the Heart & Hand, an indie kids' favourite famed for its jukebox; and Ten Green Bottles, a wine bar and merchant. In The Lanes you'll find the Cricketers, Brighton's oldest pub with a plush Victorian interior; the pricey Hotel du Vin; and the Victory, an old-fashioned green-tiled pub with fine ales and gigs upstairs. Near the Pavilion are the cheap Fitz Regent, where all sorts coexist, with a nightclub above, and Ye Olde King & Queen, a faux-traditional pub popular with students, with a fake-medieval interior, portraits of former English kings and queens, and karaoke, televised sport and occasional live music. By Churchill Square and the seafront, the Fortune of War is the most interesting beachside pub, designed to look like a galleon.

What to see and do

Start at the seafront, where Brighton Pier stretches out over the water. It is unashamedly tacky, but no visit is complete without a walk along it: admire the views out to sea and back to the waterfront, try the rides, and browse the arcade attractions. Food stands serve typical seaside treats, and there is also a sit-down restaurant, a cocktail bar and a pizzeria; in summer a large screen shows live sports and films. In winter you may see a murmuration of starlings roosting under the pier. Below it, the pebble beach fills with tourists and locals in summer, with poi twirlers against the sunsets, a designated nudist beach to the east, and surfers beyond the Marina. Time your swim to low tide, when the pebbles give way to a flat sandy seabed. You can also fly a short zipline over the beach, and the wreck of the West Pier makes a good subject for photographs.

Inland, the Royal Pavilion is the city's great architectural set piece, transformed by John Nash for the Prince Regent into a pleasure palace with an Indian exterior and Chinese interiors; guided tours are worthwhile. Nearby are the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, with collections and exhibitions on Brighton and beyond, and the Brighton Toy and Model Museum, tucked under the viaduct by the station and specialising in toys from the first half of the 20th century. Wander the Lanes, a tangle of small streets whose plan reflects the old fishing village, now full of jewellery shops alongside cafés, bars, record shops and Italian restaurants, then cross North Street to the North Laine, a livelier quarter of bright colours, punks, goths and oddballs, selling everything from bongs to magic potions, plus second-hand clothes and cafés. Other stops include the Sea Life Centre, the oldest working aquarium in the world, with a walk-through underwater tunnel; the Brighton Fishing Museum, with photographs, artefacts and restored Sussex clinker boats; the i360 tower for 360-degree views over the city, the South Downs and the Channel; and St Bartholomew's Church, whose gigantic decorated interior makes it worth seeking out. For comedy, try Komedia; theatre and music venues cluster in the Cultural Quarter around New Road, Jubilee Street and parts of North Laine, while Jubilee Square adds the Jubilee Library, upmarket restaurants and café culture. Further out are Preston Manor, an Edwardian house showing upstairs and downstairs life, the art deco Embassy Court, and Roedean School looking out across the Channel. East of the centre, St James's Street and Kemp Town form Brighton's gay village.

When to go

Brighton has a temperate climate, so whichever season you choose, expect changeable conditions. Summers here are cool rather than hot, and cloudy or rainy spells are a regular feature, so plan for unsettled days even in midsummer.

Winters are cool too, with frequent cloud and rain. Heavy snow is rare, though severe falls have occasionally been recorded, so you are unlikely to need to plan around snow.

Festivals & events

Brighton's event calendar fills much of the year. The Brighton Festival takes place in May, the London to Brighton Bike Ride follows in June, and Brighton Pride arrives in August.

Three days in Brighton

Day one: Start in the Old Town, the historic core that grew from the Saxon settlement of Brighthelmstone recorded in the Domesday Book. Wander the Lanes and the seafront, then head inland to the Royal Pavilion, the Regency pleasure palace remodelled by John Nash for the Prince of Wales. In the evening, take in a show or a drink around West Street.

• Old Town
• Royal Pavilion
• West Street

Day two: Explore Kemp Town, whose Bohemian character sits east of the pier, and continue along the coast to Hove for a quieter stretch of the English Channel shoreline. If you are visiting in May, check what is on at the Brighton Festival and the Festival Fringe.

• Kemp Town
• Hove
• Brighton Festival
• Festival Fringe

Day three: Head to the Level and London Road for a slower morning, then decide between a day trip to Lewes in East Sussex or a train up to London. Before you leave, return to the seafront for a last look at the sea.

• The Level
• London Road
• Lewes
• London