One day in Brighton: what to visit

Introduction to Brighton

Brighton is a town located on the south coast of England, famous for its beaches, its colorful houses and its diversity.

It is a destination that is often chosen by tourists on holiday in London, as it is very quick and cheap to get off to Brighton thanks to the train and buses, and being a human-sized town, it can be easily visited in a day.

Assuming you arrive in Brighton via the railway, the first place I recommend you visit is the Brighton Toy and Model Museum, located right next to the station. Here you will find more than ten thousand games and models, displayed through Victorian galleries, and it is the ideal first stop that will fascinate both kids and adults.

The North Laine neighborhood

Once the visit is over, direct towards the North Laine district, one of the most famous and visited in the city. Here you will find a multitude of independent shops where you can buy all kinds of food, new and second-hand clothes, home decorations, handicrafts and much more.

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It is advisable to spend a couple of hours in this beautiful neighborhood, small but full of surprises! An iconic shop is Snooper’s Paradise in Kensington Gardens, where you will find a huge collection of various second-hand items. You can not miss the numerous graffiti hidden almost everywhere in the neighborhood and, if you are hungry, you can choose from the many cafes in the area, with a great choice of vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Once you have completed your visit to the neighborhood, walk down Trafalgar Street to St. Peter’s Church, a beautiful pre-Victorian Gothic style church built in the 19th century.

Brighton Royal Pavilion square

The emblematic monuments of the city

Walking south towards the sea, you will arrive in front of the inevitable Royal Pavilion, one of the emblematic monuments of the city. In full oriental style, this palace was built in the nineteenth century under Prince George IV, who in 1802 wanted to modify the external appearance of the palace according to the Indian and Chinese style for the interior, which he was fond of. You can visit the interior of the Royal Pavilion by paying an entrance ticket, where you can admire, in addition to the splendid interiors, objects on display loaned by Queen Elizabeth.

It is worth visiting the park around the Royal Pavilion, very green and full of vegetation, perfect for a relaxing moment in the sun. This park also houses the Brighton Museum, Brighton’s art museum, the entrance has a little cost. You will find various collections inside showing the history of Brighton and the world around us, as well as the various exhibitions that the museum regularly hosts.

Continuing your walk to the sea, you will arrive at Old Steine, but before coasting the promenade I recommend you to head west and go up North Street, one of the main streets of the city center, and then access the famous Lanes by taking one of the small streets that you will find on your left.

Partly similar to North Laine, The Lanes is another of the typical neighborhoods of Brighton, made up of small, mostly pedestrianized streets and characterized by various independent shops of all kinds. Here you will find many restaurants, shops specializing in sweets and clothing stores, including luxury ones, but above all many jewelers.

For shopping lovers there is also Churchill Square, the city’s commercial center, located in the center of Brighton near the Clock Tower, built in 1888 for the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria.

Brighton West Pier

The seafront, Brighton pier

It is finally time to walk towards the place you most expect to see: the seafront, with its pebble beaches. If you arrive at the Seafront from West Street, you will be halfway between the West Pier (west) and Palace Pier (east).

The West Pier was burned in 2003 due to two fires, and what you will see is its skeleton, which in bad weather deteriorates more and more over the years, but remains always fascinating and mysterious to contemplate.

The opening of British Airways i360 was inaugurated recently, a 162 meter high tower from which you can admire the entire city, the South Downs national park and, on clear days, the cliffs located east of Brighton. Entrance is not free, little fee applies.

Brighton main pier waterfront

Finally, you have to see the extremely popular Palace Pier, probably the most emblematic place in the city, with its amusement park, its games and the magnificent view of Brighton that it offers, especially at sunset.

Already been to Brighton? Let us know in the comments about your experiences and if there are other places in Brighton that you think are worth visiting!