Brighton - Colourful, cosmopolitan and with more cheek than a nudist beach, Brighton attracts a year-round crowd. However, it’s during the warm, summer months that this Regency resort really sparkles.
That’s where the Naked Bike Ride comes to town followed by the British Heart Foundation London to Brighton Bike Ride in June, now in its 40th year.
Touch down
Direct trains to Brighton Station take 52 minutes from London Victoria, stopping at Clapham Junction and East Croydon en route. Trains also run from Gatwick Airport in about half-an-hour. There are regular rail services from Hastings, Portsmouth, Bristol and Bedford. National Express services run from other towns and cities to Pool Valley coach station on the seafront.
Get your bearings
Brighton is a small and walkable city despite the undulating hills that ripple from the South Downs. The briny English Channel peeks in and out of view as you go. From the station, you can be stocking up on hessian smocks and hemp fudge in the bohemian North Laine quarter in less than five minutes.
The beach is a 10-minute romp down Queens Road, while the city’s signature “Taj Mahal”, the Royal Pavilion is a 15-minute stroll. Visitor information points are dotted throughout, including in the Pavilion shop and at 64 King’s Road where you can also book a “Brighton greeter” – locals who host free tours of the city. Hove lies west of the city centre and favours wide avenues of Regency townhouses and red-brick mansion blocks. It is overrun with posh delis, gastro pubs and fancy interiors shops.
Check in
Whether you’re on a Champagne or a cider budget, there’s no shortage of places to stay. YHA Brighton has recently taken over the former Regency-era Royal York hotel at the Old Steine, and now offers modern, budget accommodation just steps from the beach.
Overlooking Regency Square and the rippling waves of the Channel, the Artist Residence, a chic 23-bedroom boutique hotel at 33 Regency Square, is a far cry from the B&Bs and boarding houses still remaining from Brighton’s “dirty weekend” legacy. Themed rooms are stacked with local art, while a cool cocktail bar and restaurant sets it apart.
For those out to impress, you can book a sea-view suite at The Grand at 97-99 King’s Road, the empress of Brighton hotels. Beneath its ornate Victorian exterior, the once dour rooms now have a contemporary, seaside decor, thanks to an extensive overhaul, while the glitzy New York-style Champagne and oyster bar, and the heavenly day spa seal the deal.
DAY ONE
Take a view
For a gull’s-eye view, take a spin on the Brighton Wheel on Madeira Drive. On a clear day you can see the green sweep of the South Downs and as far as the Isle of Wight. (Next summer, the i360, the world’s first vertical cable car opens further west along Madeira Drive. Rising 162m, it promises dizzying views along the coast.)
Lunch on the run
Grab a posh saveloy and chips from new gourmet chippy Fish + Liquor on Madeira Drive. Match it with a Brighton gin and tonic, distilled right here at the seaside, or grab a growler (a 1.9-litre flagon) of Sussex ale from the Bison Beer Crafthouse on nearby East Street.
Window shopping
Antique hunting in Kemptown is de rigueur for Brightonians, but you can cut out the middle man at Moderne, 30a Upper St James Street. This cavern of fancies is divine, if not for the timid wallet.
Hope and Harlequin at 32 Sydney Street is the place to go for hand-picked finds from Victorian wedding dresses to Seventies lamé bomber jackets. The Bluebird Tea Company on Gardner Street is revered as the UK’s only tea mixologist, flogging a cornucopia of fine leaf teas from ice cream float flavour to pineapple mint.
An aperitif
Head to the beach and underground caves of the new Tempest Inn at 159-161 Kings Road Arches for a Seagrog, a glass tankard of Kraken rum and ginger ale topped with a pale ale foam. Don’t leave without a shot of Tuaca, a vanilla-and-citrus spirit that’s a key ingredient to any night out in Brighton.
Dining with the locals
The Salt Room (at the Metropole Hotel, 106 King’s Road) is one of a slew of new, modern fish restaurants. Bag a seat on the terrace and feast on octopus salad and the surf board: a platter of coal-roasted oysters, prawns, scallops and squid.
The Urchin at 15-17 Belfast Street is a shellfish and craft beer pub which opened in Hove in February. There are more than 100 beers to wash down your razor clams in lemongrass, chilli and coconut broth, or moules marinière. Alternatively, push the boat out with fresh lobster, lime and coriander butter.
Plan ahead and book a rare-as-hen’s-teeth table at The Little Fish Market at 10 Upper Market Street. Owned by former Fat Duck chef, Duncan Ray, this intimate restaurant already has two AA rosettes and is well on the way to earning Brighton’s first Michelin star.
DAY TWO
Sunday morning: go to church
The Renaissance-style St Andrew’s Church on Waterloo Street is no longer used for religious worship. It’s now home to the Sunday Assembly, a godless congregation that meets monthly to hear inspiring talks, belt out pop songs, and enjoy tea and cake.
Take a hike
Start facing the West Pier, bear left and wander past the Brighton Centre and West Street. Hang left up Middle Street and wind through the narrow, Victorian Lanes crammed with antique jewellers, boutiques and sweet shops. Stroll past the rainbow flags of gay bars and through to Kemptown village.
Out to brunch
Refuel in Kemptown’s Busby & Wilds, a pub at 9 Rock Street. Decked out in nautical hues, it does a cracking Sunday roast.
Take a ride
Hop on the Volks Railway, the world’s oldest operating electric railway, which rumbles between the marina and its terminus near Palace pier.
Cultural afternoon
Built for George IV in the 18th century, the Royal Pavilion is like a grand Indian palace. Opposite is the Brighton Museum.
Icing on the cake
Eight kilometres away, Devil’s Dyke is best reached by bus. This 1.6km chasm amid rolling moors was described by Constable as “the grandest view in the world”.
Travey Davies, The Independent