Hip, liberal Brighton has been a hot spot for tourists ever since Dr Richard Russell of nearby Lewes started prescribing the local sea water as a cure for various ailments in the 1740s.
The Prince Regent (later King George IV) fell in love with the town after his first visit in 1783 and spent much of his leisure time there, making it the most fashionable resort for the English aristocracy. The blue bloods are now long gone, but their grand houses remain, albeit chopped into dozens of small flats perfect for Brighton’s many students and young people.
Modern Brighton is a relaxed, easygoing city, where you can still enjoy typically English treats like fish and chips on the beach, but also find concerts by internationally famous bands and DJs, one of Europe’s largest arts festivals and, of course a long, pebbly beach.
Here are ESL’s top tips for a trip to Brighton, as recommended to us by a longtime Brighton resident:
North Laine
A grid of streets, running from North Street in the middle of town to Trafalgar Street, the North Laine area of Brighton is full of independent shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. You can find a huge array of jewellers, clothes shops for all budgets, antiques shops and book shops to suit all tastes. Vegetarians are particularly well catered-for.
If you sit down for a cup of tea or beer on the roof terraces along Kensington Gardens you can watch all kinds of people walk past… Brighton is one of the few places where a 6’6 punk with a bright pink Mohawk won’t attract a second glance. It’s the norm!
The Komedia Theatre is one of Brighton’s most important venues and has everything from club nights to second hand fairs. The Krater Comedy club each weekend is a Brighton institution and offers discounts on Sunday nights. Beware of sitting in the front row, as the comedians are famous for using guests seated there as part of their acts.
North Laine was once the favoured haunt of Brighton’s large number of DJ’s, who would bounce between the numerous record shops picking up piles of vinyl. Sadly, most of the record shops are now gone, but shops such as Borderline, Resident and the Punker Bunker are keeping the spirit alive.
Sunday Lunch in a Brighton Pub
Brighton has some excellent restaurants, including the UK’s top vegetarian restaurant Terre a Terre. But, for a real English experience, the pub is the place to go on a Sunday afternoon. Many pubs in Brighton offer a selection of roast meats and vegetarian options as a Sunday lunch, best enjoyed with a pint of local ale.
A typical roast includes: meat (or a vegetarian alternative), roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips, a Yorkshire pudding, mashed swede and other vegetables as the chef sees fit. It’s then covered in a nice, thick coating of gravy. The Sunday Roast is a British tradition going back generations and Brighton’s pubs are among the best places to try it!
Royal Pavilion
The Price Regent had a reputation as a playboy and possibly the best example of his indulgence is Brighton Pavilion. His luxurious palace sits on the edge of the North Laine area, just a short walk from the Palace Pier.
A slightly bizarre but charming mishmash of Chinese and Indian styles – Chinese on the inside, Indian on the outside – the Pavilion was used by the Prince (later King George IV) to entertain friends, girlfriends and nobility from around Europe.
A century later, Queen Victoria didn’t have the same high opinion of Brighton, especially since a train line had enabled normal Londoners to visit, and sold the Pavilion to the council. Local legend has it that the council thought it had purchased the palace and everything in it, only to find an empty building when they arrived. They’ve spent the last century slowly replacing the original contents with exact copies!
Brighton Beach
With Brighton’s beach, it’s not so much a case of “must see” as “can’t avoid seeing”. But then you wouldn’t want to avoid the beach, which has long been at the heart of Brighton life.
When locals are discussing where to meet after work for a barbecue, where is top of the list? When you fancy a swim in the sunshine, where do you go? After a couple of beers and a nightclub, where can you stumble for some fresh air? That’s right: the beach.
There are bars, cafes and nightclubs all along the beach, some of which keep going until six in the morning. For sunbathing and swimming, our insider’s tip is to head slightly further along the beach towards Hove, where it’s much quieter and there are plenty of nice cafes to enjoy. In the autumn and winter, the sun goes down over the sea, which makes for some spectacular sunsets.
At the far ends of town – by Brighton Marina in the east and Portslade in the west – there are nudist beaches, which can catch walkers unaware.
Festivals
Photo: shufgy
Brighton has many festivals throughout the year, but two stand out: the Brighton Festival and Pride.
The Brighton Festival takes place in May each year and sees hundreds of thousands of visitors attending an array of theatrical, musical, artistic and comedic events in the city. Brighton has a long theatrical history and has a large artistic community.
During the festival, artists open up their studios for visitors to see their work (and often snoop around their houses). The Brighton Festival shouldn’t be confused with the Brighton Comedy Festival, which takes place in October and is also great fun.
Brighton’s Pride festival in August is an incredible experience, whether you are gay or not. A parade through the city centre during the day makes its way out to Preston Park in the suburbs, where the most almighty party goes on late into the evening. Afterwards, the city is alive with house parties, open air raves and much debauchery.
Lewes
Photo: Snyx508
Ok, so it’s not Brighton. But neighbouring Lewes offers a completely different experience of English life to cosmopolitan Brighton and Hove. Quaint terrace houses, a charming town centre and the chance to enjoy cream tea in quintessentially English surroundings are just a train ride away.
Lewes is also a great place to try proper English ale: local brewer Harvey’s has won various awards for their beers.
What do you think?