WHERE TO STAY IN BRIGHTON, UK

If you are interested in where to stay in Brighton, you may also be interested in where to stay in York, Oxford, Birmingham and London.

Seafront and city centre, the best areas to stay in Brighton 

Waterfront

The Brighton beachfront is probably one of the most used icons for tourism and therefore is one of the first images that comes into your head. Brighton Beach is a long and pebbly beach that gets very busy during the summer months, when locals and visitors flock to the seafront to sunbathe and go for a swim.

The beach is where you will find the most beautiful views, especially at sunset or sunrise and there is also a Ferris wheel that is situated along it. Close to the marina there is a good area for surfing and fishermen congregate here sometimes, so do watch out if you are paddling out.

Once you get down to the seafront, as well as the beach, you will notice the famous Palace Pier, which is home to typical arcade attractions and a fairground as well as various drinking establishments, restaurants and souvenir shops. From the pier you will also see the remains of the old pier, West Pier, which was derelict for some time before being burnt down. Right by Palace Pier, you will find the Sea Life Centre, which has the world title for being the oldest aquarium in the world and has a decent number of species in the vicinity.

The aquarium is rightfully praised for one of its distinct features, which is its walkthrough underwater tunnel and gives you an interesting perspective of the fish. From here, you can take the Volks Railway, which is the first public electric railway in the world and runs from the aquarium all the way down to the marina. At the marina, there are a whole host of shops that sell jewellery as well as supermarkets, restaurants and art galleries.

The Lanes is another good area for shopping and this was the location of where Brighton first started out and today the area has many small jewellery shops as well as music shops, cafes and a good range of Italian restaurants.

At night, there are a load of fine restaurants along the seafront that offer cuisines like Thai, Indian and Chinese, though you cannot go to Brighton and not try the local fish and chips. There are also a great amount of pubs and clubs, which can be insanely busy in the summer though if this is the case a good idea would be to head to St James’s Street, which is where you will find the centre of the gay village. Even if you are not here for the drinking side of things, there are plenty of decent restaurants and cafes, where gay and straight people mingle in this ultra-friendly area. The seafront part of the city has an extensive collection of high quality hotels that provide some of the most impressive views overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and range from budget prices to expensive.

City Centre

The city centre always has a friendly bustle to the place and there is never a dull moment. The Royal Pavilion is up there with the pier and beach in terms of iconic images, which was ordered by King George IV and built in the early 19th century. This attraction is one of the most popular and this is due to the architecture as its exterior has Indian influences whilst the inside has Chinese décor.

The Old Steine is a large park and features beautiful flowerbeds and hosts Brighton’s biggest festival, Brighton Fringe Festival. This area is also home to many museums with the best ones being Brighton Museum, which is obviously all to do with the history and culture of the city and has excellent exhibitions on international artists. St Bartholomews Church is one of the tallest churches in Europe and has dominated the city centre landscape for a very long time, though won’t win any awards for looks. Fabrica, Grand Palace and Phoenix are all spectacular art galleries and exhibit works from artists far and wide.

Theatres and music venues litter the city centre and there are many chances to see the hottest shows and bands. There are also many pubs that sell decent pub grub as well as various restaurants that offer Thai, Indian, Chinese, English, seafood and vegetarian dishes. Hotels are found all over the area and therefore are at competitive rates with most of them offering spacious rooms and good service.

Other neighborhoods to stay in

North Laine

This area is as fun as it looks and is well-known for being alternative even in Brighton, which is full of hippies, goths and other “out there” kind of people. The area has many types of shops and has many cafes, pubs and restaurants. There are also various art galleries and is also home to the best comedy club in the city called ‘Komedia’. Hotels are a little harder to come by and are not of the same quality as the city centre and the seafront.