Top 50 Places to Visit in Brighton & Hove, England, U.K : The city of Brighton and Hove on the coast of Sussex, England has been a popular Seaside resort for over 200 years. About just 60 minutes away from Central London, the city of Brighton and Hove is one of the most easily accessible Seaside towns in the whole United Kingdom. Quiet, unhindered by the hustle and bustle of the Metropolitan districts of London, at Brighton and Hove, enjoy its extensive sunny beaches and open-air parks, blend into the refreshingly natural countryside.
While staying at Brighton, also walk through the city’s two centuries long of entanglement with English History since the time King George IV decided to have the Royal Summer Retreat here. Replete with the Indo-Saracenic style Royal Pavilion Palace, that is now a public museum offering tourists full access to the palace and its grounds, and scenic national trails and parks and valleys, Brighton and Hove offers you a world with endless possibilities for adventure or for quiet retrospection. Come here once and carry it with you forever. Also visit Exeter in England.
This article listing the Top 50 places to visit in Brighton and Hove, U.K., lists the unique places that distinguish the newly designated city among other English seaside towns. Home to the famous Brighton Palace Pier, one of the oldest still functioning beach piers in Southern England and the Devil’s Dyke Valley, where often you’ll see a wandering para glider floating high above in the skies, Brighton and Hove has a wide variety of interesting things to do. Arguably known as the “Gay capital of UK”, at Brighton and Hove the rainbow flag of LGBTQ movement flies with pride, come here to soak the city’s groovy, liberal lifestyle and ambiance. Check out the awesome list of the Top 50 Places to Visit in Brighton & Hove, England, U.K. along with the entry fees and opening hours from here. You can also visit York or Cambridge whilst in England.
Top 50 Places to Visit in Brighton and Hove, England, U.K.
Brighton Palace Pier
About: Brighton Palace Pier is the most scenic, historic pier in the City of Brighton and Hove by the English Channel, that has withstood two world wars and countless bad weather days for over a century. Listed as a Grade II pleasure pier, located opposite the city centre, The Brighton Pier was erected in 1899, now is a premier location for entertainment and adventure seekers as it has a wide variety of street food stalls, arcade games, fairground rides to choose from. The overall cheery cosmopolitan ambience and its stone’s throw distance from Central London is the real draw of this place.
Why should you Visit: One of the most laid-back beachside locations in the UK, at the Brighton Palace Pier, in the city of Brighton and Hove, you can choose to do almost any beach activity or nothing at all. With extreme-level-savage to couples love, to kid-friendly and family entertainment rides and shows, Brighton pier is the ultimate package for anyone, young or old.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Free entry. Rides for a charge.
Official Website: Brighton Palace Pier
Royal Pavilion
About: The Royal Pavilion, also known as the Brighton Pavilion is a Grade I listed former Royal Residence built as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales, who later became the Prince Regent George IV in 1811. After Queen Victoria’s last visit to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, who hated the palace for its lack of privacy and her distaste for the locals who she deemed as troublesome, the Government planned to sell the building and its grounds. The town of Brighton then purchased it for a fair amount. Today the palace is a museum accessible to the general public as tourists flock this place as it is a grand example of Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture in Great Britain
Why should you Visit: Visitors can get a glimpse of the grand royal lifestyle of the British imperialist family that literally had the world at their feet when they visit the Royal Pavilion. Owned by the town of Brighton, the Brighton Pavilion reminds the world of England’s almost forgotten but historic involvement in the socio-political scene in India and China during the Colonial era.
Timings: 9:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Entry Fees: Adult: ￡13.50
Official Website: The Royal Pavilion
St. Peter’s Church, Brighton
About: St. Peter’s Church, Brighton, built from 1824–28 to a design by Sir Charles Barry, is arguably the finest example of the pre-Victorian Gothic Revival style. It is a Grade II* listed building. It is near the centre of the town, on an island between two major roads.
Why should you Visit: St Peter’s Church was founded as a chapel of ease associated with Brighton’s oldest church and its existing parish church, St Nicholas. The church has a selection of stained glass windows, most of which are by Charles Eamer Kempe. The liturgical east side has a window commemorating Queen Victoria, presented to the church on behalf of the people of Brighton using funds raised in the town. Basically, this is a marvel for any tourist, whether they be religiously inclined, or simply architecture or history buffs, as the scenic location will unnerve the beholder’s mind.
Timings: 8:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m. communion sessions on Sunday only.
Entry Fees: Nil.
Official Website: St. Peter’s Church, Brighton
British Airways i360
About: British Airways i360is a 162-metre (531 ft) observation tower on the seafront of Brighton, East Sussex, England at the landward end of the former West Pier. From the fully enclosed viewing pod, visitors experience 360-degree views across Brighton, the South Downs, the English Channel and on the clearest days it is possible to see Beachy Head 17 miles (27 km) to the east and the Isle of Wight 49 miles (79 km) to the west.
Why should you Visit: The British Airways i360 comes with an encompassing tagline, “Discover Brighton, the South Downs and the beautiful Sussex coastline”. Boarding this giant glass viewing pod, you can glide up gently to 450ft above sea level. Share this magical experience with your family or friends, as you’ll be able to see each and every one of the city landmarks, artwork on the rooftops, and across the sea and coastline up until everything ends at the horizon.
Timings: 10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Adult: ￡16.50
Official Website: British Airways i360
Brighton Marina
About: Brighton Marina is an artificial marina situated in Brighton, England. It features a working harbour and residential housing alongside a variety of leisure, retail and commercial activities. The construction of the marina itself took place between 1971 and 1979. It stretches across 127 acres of land area.
Why should you Visit: With an 8 screen cinema, 26- lane recently refurbished bowling alley, glow in the dark golf and casino, there’s never a dull moment. If you love to shop, you’ll enjoy exploring a selection of specialist stores, fashion boutiques, home furnishing stores, gifts, accessories and even designer kitchens. For outdoor enthusiasts, go on a boat trip, learn how to sail or jet ski. For those who prefer dry land, you can even hire an electric bike or enjoy a walk along the east breakwater to watch the fishermen.
Timings: Open 24 hours.
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Brighton Marina
Devil’s Dyke, Sussex
About: Devil’s Dyke is a 100m deep V-shaped valley with walking trails on the South Downs Way in southern England, near Brighton and Hove. The Dyke is formed in rocks of the Chalk Group which originated as marine sediments during the Cretaceous period. During late Victorian times, Devil’s Dyke became a full-fledged tourist attraction, complete with a fairground, two bandstands, an observatory, a camera obscura, all served by a branch line from Hove. During its heyday, Devil’s Dyke was a huge attraction for the Victorians, with 30,000 people visiting on Whit Monday in 1893
Why should you Visit: The Devil’s Dyke V-shaped dry valley is the result of solifluction and river erosion. More than fourteen thousand years ago, the area experienced an intensely cold climate (but not glacial conditions). Snowfields capped the South Downs. Permafrost conditions meant that the chalk was permanently frozen. When the Ice Age ended, the snowfields covering the South Downs melted, and rivers formed across Sussex. Visitors to the area can choose to go for the adventure sport of Paragliding down the valley in Devil’s Dyke.
Timings: Open 24 hours
Entry Fees: Nil.
Official Website: Devil’s Dyke, Sussex
Regency Town House
About: The Regency Town House is a Grade I Historic Townhouse, now a museum. It is located in Brunswick, an area of Hove in the City of Brighton and Hove, Sussex. The house was built in the 1820s. It was designed in the Regency architectural style. It is being developed as a heritage centre and museum, with its activities funded through The Brunswick Town Charitable Trust, a charity set up to support the project in 1992.
Why should you Visit: The Regency Town House, built in the 1820s, is a Grade I listed terraced house located in the heart of Brunswick Town, a Georgian estate in the City of Brighton & Hove on the Sussex coast. Visit this historic Regency Town House, or take the guided tour and experience something unique like Dining like a Servant, which is all about eating historic food, which in turn helps preserve history. It’s about reusing a historic kitchen for food experiences.
Timings: Nil
Entry Fees: Nil
Official Website: Regency Townhouse
Bramber Castle
About: Bramber Castle is a Norman motte-and-bailey castle formerly the caput of the large feudal barony of Bramber long held by the Braose family. It is situated in the village of Bramber, West Sussex overlooking the River Adur. William De Braose, 1st Feudal Baron, constructed this castle in and around the year 1070, along with a Norman church, on a natural mound.
Why should you Visit: This is a strikingly old monument connected to the Norman rule in England, to begin with, which means this area will be visited by history buffs from all across the world. Although mostly destroyed wearing down the ages, the one surviving wall of the tower, standing 14 metres high, provides a glimpse of how imposing the castle once was.
Timings: Open during reasonable daylight hours.
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Bramber Castle
The Lanes
About: The Lanes, once the hub of the old fishing town Brighthelmstone, is a lively neighbourhood packed with upmarket restaurants, quaint tea rooms, and traditional pubs serving real ale. At its heart lies a warren of narrow, twisting alleyways filled with independent jewellers and tiny, high-end antique shops. The Old Police Cells Museum, in the Town Hall’s basement, offers free tours of a 200-year-old underground jail.
Why should you Visit: A walk through these lanes will literally take you through 200 years of Brighton’s history. If you are looking to put a creative edge into your shopping, The Lanes Brighton offers a shopper’s paradise of independent shops and boutiques. Crammed with quaint and wondrous shops and funky restaurants and cafes, The Lanes are best wandered lazily and explored as you find them. You’ll often find street performers from musicians to mime artists to acrobats livening up these streets, making The Lanes a great place for the battle-worn shopper to either grab a cup of coffee or bask in the warm ambience of some live blues and jazz.
Timings: 24 hours
Entry Fees: Nil
Official Website: The Lanes
Brighton Museum and Art Gallery
About: Brighton Museum & Art Gallery is a municipally-owned public museum and art gallery in the city of Brighton and Hove. The building which houses the collection is part of the Royal Pavilion Estate and was originally built for the Prince of Wales, later George IV and completed in 1805. It was initially intended as a tennis court but had never been finished, and later served as cavalry barracks.
Why should you Visit: Brighton Museum and Art Gallery have a vast collection and sections that range from World Art to eclectic pieces of furniture designed by very famous artists like Salvador Dali, to records of the local and social history of the town and its suburbs. An extension of the Brighton Museum, the Royal Pavilion is considered the Jewel in the Crown as it contains some significant Chinese export wares including extremely rare late 18th Century wallpaper hanging in the Adelaide Corridor.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Adult: £5.00 (Free entry for Brighton & Hove Residents)
Official Website: Brighton Museum and Art Gallery
Hove Museum and Art Gallery
Why should you Visit: Hove Museum and Art Gallery is a museum in the town of Hove, now a part of the greater City of Brighton and Hove. Opened in 1927 by the Hove Corporation, the museum is located in a late 19th-century villa originally known as Brooker Hall. The Hove museum features a toy gallery that includes a significant collection of dolls, teddy bears, mechanical toys, toy trains, dollhouses, rocking horses and tricycles. Another focus is on contemporary crafts and fine art. The museum also includes local history displays and a collection of early cinema artefacts from the 1890s and 1900s.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Hove Museum and Art Gallery
SEA Life Brighton
Why should you Visit: The SEA LIFE Centre is situated in the heart of Brighton right next to Brighton Pier. It can be seen from the main route into Brighton; London Road and is situated on Marine Parade, opposite the sea. Visit the SEA Life Aquarium to witness the incredible aquatic life that exists underwater in a way that will amaze you most thoroughly. From watching starfishes to water horses to numerous other forms of marine life forms, come to SEA Life Brighton and ride their Glass Bottom Boat for a completely thrilling experience for you and your family.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Adult: ￡10.50
Official Website: SEA Life Brighton
Brighton Dome
Why should you Visit: The Brighton Dome is an elegant Regency-style building staging music, theatre and dance shows. It is also the venue for the annual Brighton Festival. Visit this beautiful building for great live music and shows as this is almost always on the list of the famous Musicians to consider for concerts when going off on country tours all the time. You might even surprise yourself happening to stumble into a real gem.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Nil.
Official Website: Brighton Dome
Ditchling Beacon
Why should you Visit: Ditchling Beacon is located 7 miles to the north of Brighton and just south of the village of Ditchling. At 248 metres above sea-level, Ditchling Beacon is the highest point in East Sussex and offers commanding 360-degree views from its summit. Look south out to sea, north across the Weald or east-west across the Downs. The site is also of archaeological interest, with remains of an Iron Age hillfort. Neighbouring Ditchling Down lies to the west of Ditchling Beacon and is a prime example of chalk downland.
Timings: All reasonable daylight hours.
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Ditchling Beacon
Old Steine
Why should you Visit: The Old Steine is a thoroughfare in central Brighton, East Sussex. It is also the southern terminus of the A23. The Old Steyne as it was known in the days of yore used to be an open green and was used by local fishermen to dry their nets. When Brighton became fashionable in the late 18th Century, rapid urbanization brought railways and coaches into Brighton, the Old Steine became the centre of the town. The story of Old Steine is as old as the history of Brighton as a popular town.
Timings: Open 24 hours
Entry Fees: Nil
Official Website: Old Steine
Queen’s Park
Why should you Visit: Queen’s Park is a public park in Brighton, England. In 1825, Thomas Attree, a property owner and developer in Brighton, acquired land north of Eastern Road—already known as Brighton Park—to build a residential park surrounded by detached villas, inspired by Regent’s Park in London. Today, an attractive park, the Queen’s Park is also home to a children’s play area, a café, an extensive dog-free area, a scented garden for people with disabilities, a bowling green, tennis courts, and an area that has been left untended in order to encourage wildlife. It has a large pond, frequented by ducks, geese and herring gulls.
Timings: Open 24 hours.
Entry Fees: Free.
Official Website: Queen’s Park | Friends of Queen’s Park Brighton
Sussex Prairie Garden
Why should you Visit: Britain’s largest “Prairie,” or “Naturalistic,” garden, with eight acres of stunning garden to roam around. It is however designed and created in the 21st Century. Our garden encourages exploration using a network of small wood chip paths which snake through the huge borders. Come and visit, please do walk on the grass and in the borders! However it stays open just one half of the year, that is only for the summer.
Timings: Open 24 hours. Closed for the winter season.
Entry Fees: Adult: ￡8.00
Official Website: Sussex Prairie Garden
South Downs National Park
Why should you Visit: Green rolling pastures, wide open spaces, ancient woodlands, river valleys and dramatic coastline truly encompass the South Downs National Park’s ethos of being one of ‘Britain’s Breathing Spaces’. The South Downs Way spans the entire length of the park and is the only National Trail that lies wholly within a national park. Discover the white cliffs of Seven Sisters, rolling farmland, ancient woodland and lowland heaths or enjoy our ‘picture perfect’ villages, traditional country pubs or flourishing vineyards. Take the discovery ticket to gain unlimited access to explore the park by bus.
Timings: Open 24 Hours
Entry Fees: Adult:￡9.00 for the discovery ticket.
Official Website: South Downs National Park
Hove Lagoon
Why should you Visit: Hove Lagoon is home to one of the countries leading watersports centres offering wakeboarding, sailing, windsurfing, Kayaking and Stand-up Paddleboarding on the Lagoon and the sea and well as the Big Beach Cafe. Hove Lagoon is also home to a skateboard park, a playground, a kids paddle pool, kids play area, kids boating pool and a model boat club. Hove Lagoon is a public park that features a boating lake about 200m long and 100m wide set in grassland right next to the Brighton and Hove seafront with direct access to the beach.
Timings: 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Hove Lagoon
Preston Park, Brighton
Why should you Visit: Whether you want to take part in sports or sit and enjoy a picnic on a summer’s day, Preston Park is the perfect place to go. Due to its size and location, the park is also used as a venue for concerts, circuses, fairs, family days and other events. You can find out more about these, and how you can be involved with the park community, below. Preston Park is also home to the ‘Preston Twins’ – widely considered the largest and oldest Elm trees in the world.
Timings: Open 24 hours.
Entry Fees: Free, except for car parking which is chargeable.
Official Website: Preston Park, Brighton
Jubilee Clock Tower
Why should you Visit: The Clock Tower sometimes referred to as the Jubilee Clock Tower is a free-standing clock tower in the heart of Brighton Town, in the city of Brighton and Hove. Built in the year 1888, this tower stands as a commemoration of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Due to this historic connection to one of England’s most beloved Queens, the city’s residents retain a nostalgic affection for the venue, and many market activities and events happen around the tower, including hostings for charity.
Timings: Open 24 hours
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Jubilee Clock Tower
Booth Museum of Natural History
Why should you Visit: This is a municipally owned museum of Natural History of the City of Brighton and Hove. Its chief focus is on Victorian taxidermy especially of British birds, butterflies among other insects as well as fossils, bones and skeletons. It is a part of Brighton Museums alongside the Royal Pavilion, Brighton Museum and Preston Manor.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Free.
Official Website: Booth Museum of Natural History
Preston Manor, Brighton
Why should you Visit: Preston Manor is the former manor house of the ancient Sussex village of Preston. Currently open as a part of Brighton and Hove’s Museums is now open to general public visitation for being a charming historic house, decorated and furnished in the Edwardian style. Its elegant reception rooms and functional servants’ quarters reveal the ‘upstairs and downstairs’ of life at the manor.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Adult: ￡7.00
Official Website: Preston Manor, Brighton
Brighton Toy and Model Museum
Why should you Visit: Step into a world of toys and models that extends over four thousand square feet of floor space, under four of the early Victorian arches which support Brighton Railway Station. Founded in 1991, the Museum has over ten thousand toys and models in its archive. The displays have toys of all types including priceless model train collections from different time periods, antique toys from Great Britain and all over Europe and the U.S. The Museum foyer houses the shop and Tourist Information Point.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: ￡6.50
Official Website: Brighton Toy and Model Museum
Chattri, Brighton War Memorial
Why should you Visit: The Chattri is a memorial built to honour the Indian dead of the First World War. It stands on the Downs near Patcham at the place where Hindu and Sikh soldiers who died in Brighton war hospitals during 1914-1915 were cremated. It was unveiled by the Prince of Wales on 21st February 1921. The structure has Grade II listed status, reflecting its architectural and historic importance. India was part of the British Empire during the First World War, and more than 800,000 Indian soldiers fought for the Allied Powers.
Timings: Open 24 hours
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Chattri, Brighton War Memorial
- #26. Undercliff Walk
- #27. Saddlescombe Farm and Newtimber Hill
- #28. Brighton Fishing Museum
- #29. Kings Road – Fish and Chips and Shopping
- #30. King Alfred Leisure Centre
- #31. Old Police Cells Museum
- #32. Brighton Naturist Beach
- #33. Brighton Pier Rides
- #34. Volk’s Electric Railway
- #35. Hove Lawns
- #36. Hove Park
- #37. Regency Square, Brighton
- #38. Hove Beach Huts
- #39. Woods Mill Wasbrooks Family Farm
- #40. The Level
- #41. Culture24 Charitable Museum
- #42. Kemptown Village
- #43. Churchill Square Shopping Centre
- #44. Marina Square Waterfront
- #45. The Birdcage Bandstand Cafe Bistro
- #46. Choccywoccydoodah, The Lanes
- #47. Snooper’s Paradise
- #48. Pecksniff’s Fragrance House
- #49. She Said Erotica Boutique
- #50. Oliver’s Wandshop, Brighton
Love Brighton & Hove? Check out other wonderful places to visit nearby Brighton & Hove from the links below.
