Exploring Brighton: A 24 Hour Itinerary
How are you? Hope you’ve had a great weekend!
Over in my neck of the woods, I’ve decided Brighton is my spiritual home. From the whimsical oddities of The Lanes to the frenetic fun of the pier, it’s the perfect place to spend a weekend away from it all. I took Phil recently for a belated birthday trip, and not only was it our first ever time visiting this seaside city (how?!) but it was also our first ever Air BnB experience. If you’re planning a trip to Brighton or have never been before either, hopefully you’ll find this post interesting!
What to do with 24 hours in Brighton?
The classics
We started where every right-minded person would: fish and chips on the pier. We chose the busiest, most seaside-town-in-Britain looking spot (
) and devoured crispy battered fish and fluffy chips, helped along by smatterings of ketchup and tartare sauce as waves crashed in the distance and seagulls circled overhead in the hopes of leftovers. I feel like fish and chips on Brighton Pier is one of those iconic, bucket-list activities. You’ve just got to do it. As you’d probably guess, there’s plenty of fish and chip spots in Brighton; ranging from nouveau cuisine to traditional and gleefully cheap. Palm Court was definitely the latter. I’m so British, I even went a bit pink in the sunshine.
Talking of the pier – it’s another must-see in Brighton. From the beach, it looks like a post-modernist impression from a Thomas Pynchon novel, a relic from some more innocent past. Well, it was built in 1899. Like a British, budget Disneyland, numerous stomach-churning rides are packed together and intermingled with classic arcade games and naughty-food-vendors (unofficial name). It really is all the fun of the fair. Whether you prefer to fling yourself around on the rides or just enjoy being a bystander with a glass of wine and copious amounts of doughnuts, Brighton isn’t Brighton without it.
We followed this up with a walk along the pebbly beach. Try the sea if you’re feeling brave - there were some courageous souls frolicking in the surf – but the definite nip in the air kept us firmly on the beach.
Next stop was
. Three rotations narrated by Steve Coogan gave us beautiful panoramic views of Brighton and Hove, the endless sea, and the ghostly West Pier. This is a great option for landmark-spotters, and isn’t too pricey at £8 each.
Explore the nooks and crannies…
Still feeling full from those doughnuts and fish and chips, we sauntered along to The Lanes. One of the most famous areas in Brighton, it’s an interlocking mesh of winding alleys lined with jewellers, vintage stores and cute cafes. It feels like stepping back in time, and if you’re in the market for a unique souvenir, this is the place to get it. It’s also home to
, the chocolate shop made famous by the TV programme of the same name. This chocolate-lovers paradise is brimming with thick slabs of weird and wonderful combinations (personal favourite was chocolate and bacon. I’ll try anything once.) The cakes are also the things of dreams.
Once Phil managed to drag me away, we wandered through the main shopping streets and over to the
, a former Royal Residence. Its traditional Indian architecture is striking in its complete disparity from everything else around it. You can go in, but we chose to wander around the gardens in the glorious sunshine instead. By accident, we came across the
Brighton Museum and Art Gallery
, and dashed in half an hour before closing time for a whip around their beautiful new exhibition, The Wildlife Photographer of the Year. I’d highly recommend the exhibition: it’s on until 6
th
September and the photographs are stunning - some have some pretty moving stories behind them. The museum costs £5 to get in – but is free if you live locally.
…and keep walking
For us, Brighton was a city best explored on foot. Our feet took us past street performers, hidden seafood restaurants, and some of the cutest dogs I’ve ever seen (does everyone in Brighton have a dog? The number of dedicated dog clothing boutiques suggests so).
The next place we visited was North Laine – a shopping district recognised as Brighton’s cultural quarter, and my personal highlight. The atmosphere in the bustling streets was definitively bohemian – each shop was gleefully random and incongruous, stuffed to the seams with an array of unique oddities. I loved that at every corner was another potential photograph – from flowers spilling from roofs (rooves?) of cafés to an unexpected fireplace sale in the middle of the street. After darting in and out of the Aladdin’s Cave style stores, we rested our weary feet and whetted our thirst with Blind Pig ciders at
, a cosy pub nestled in Kensington Gardens. Decorated with old maps, wooden floors and unique art, it was the perfect spot to sip on honey, apple and whiskey and poached pear and rum flavoured cider.
Eat, drink, eat, drink and eat some more.
By this time, it was evening and the shops were closing all around us. We stopped for a quick coffee in
, a cute restaurant and bar, to fuel us for the walk back to The Laines where we’d spotted the perfect little Thai restaurant for dinner.
You’ll find
in a beautifully old building in Market Street. It’s a little gem, and is also in a range of other towns in Sussex. We dined like kings in the fading evening sunshine on Tom Kha Gai, seabream curry and Chicken Paeneng (accompanied by a bottle of prosecco, of course). It’s a bit on the pricey side, but if you like your Thai food, you can’t beat it.
Feeling full, sleepy and a bit in love with Brighton, we sauntered back through its streets to our Air BnB accommodation half an hour away. Brighton’s night life was just beginning to wake up, and residing in sleepy Surrey these days, we lost count of the number of stag and hen-do’s we spotted. Brighton is pretty much the perfect place to embrace your inner child. On our way home we passed the pier again, and couldn't resist the flashing lights of the arcade – so popped in for an hour straight out of my childhood. The fact that all we were left with in the end were two strawberry lollies made it all the more nostalgic. We made our way home with the alluring lights of the pier fading behind us in the night.
But not before taking one last pit-stop in the
, a gorgeous little pub in Kemptown. It’s got a great range of local beers and imaginative cocktails. Phil went for an ale, and I chose a Salted Caramel Martini, which as you can imagine, was divine. I don’t think I can be blamed – I did skip dessert after all.
Make the most of bad weather
We walked, ate and drank so much on our first day in Brighton that we slept like logs that night. Although Saturday was a beautifully sunny (albeit windy) early summer’s day, we woke on Sunday to cloud and rain. Never fear, because Brighton isn't all beach huts and deckchairs. We’d already booked tickets to the renowned
, which you’ll find right next to the entrance to the Pier. When booked in advance, you can get in for just under a tenner and there’s plenty to see for animal lovers. We touched starfish, walked through a tunnel as turtles glided overhead, and bought a hilarious fridge magnet with our faces on it. What more could you ask for on a rainy afternoon?
Just before we headed back to Guildford, it was time for lunch. We returned to North Laine in search of good coffee and something to fuel our car journey. We chose
, a café in Kensington Gardens offering a delicious-looking array of cakes and sandwiches. We filled up on flavoured lattes, sandwiches, bagels and muffins before reluctantly making our way back to the car and getting on the road.
I loved Brighton. Vibrancy, energy, creativity – it just oozes it all. Good job then that I’ll be heading back in August.
What are your favourite things/places to go in Brighton? Let me know below and I’ll make sure to include them in the next trip!
J
