Brighton

I would definitely recommend a visit to the Royal Pavilion. Other than that I enjoyed just walking along the waterfront and taking in the atmosphere. If you have the option of choosing which day you go try for a good weather day as it will be nicer for being outside.

I would agree that the highlight is the Royal Pavilion.

Have a wander round the Lanes too

You can't miss the pier. That, the pavilion, the lanes and walking along the front should keep you busy for the day.

Are you driving or arriving by train? If you are arriving by train, it's an easy walk downhill to the main part of town and The Royal Pavillion. We thought the audio guide to the Royal Pavillion was one of the better ones.

For clarification, the "lanes" people have mentioned are an area of small shopping streets, now full of hipster stores and cafes. Whether you enjoy it will depend on your feelings towards people in ironic T-shirts and unusual facial hair.

Brighton Pier is great, and also check out the listing pages for events - there's always tons of arts and cultural things happening: http://whatson.brighton.co.uk/

Thanks for the ideas. The trip is just a couple weeks off, so I'm starting to really get things organized now.

Hi Lisa,
here's a reply I gave to somebody asking the same question a few years ago:

Brighton is a great place for a day trip from London as it is so close and has the attraction of the sea. Trains go from London Victoria every 20 minutes and take just 55 minutes. Here's a list of top attractions:
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186273-Activities-Brighton_East_Sussex_England.html
http://northlaine.co.uk/

I'd suggest heading straight out of Brighton station towards the seafront (10 minutes) and explore the pier then heading back into town via the quirky shops of The Lanes (the oldest part of Brighton) then visiting the Royal Pavilion followed by more quirky shops and people watching in the North Laines which is taking you back in the direction of the station

For the authentic experience you could have Fish & Chips on the pier or a pub lunch at my favourite place 'The Basketmaker's Arms".
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186273-d732891-Reviews-Basketmakers_Arms-Brighton_East_Sussex_England.html

It may be busy and you may struggle to find a table depending on the time but it's worth the effort!

Steve.

Sorry to piggyback,

when leaving the station how would you go down to the pier - straight down Queens Road, or over on one of the side roads and then down?

And, if on the front in Brighton is there an easy way over to the Seven Sisters?

I've only driven towards Brighton, never visited by train.

Ta.

Am I correct in assuming that The Lanes are easy to find? It sounds like a fun place to wander around after we check out the waterfront/pier area. Is there a street name we should be looking out for?

To add to Nigel's piggyback, if you like hiking/walking, look into Seven Sisters and Beachy Head to see the beautiful chalk cliffs and enjoy the coastline. We were there last Sunday, which was a gorgeous day. We drove so I don't know the logistics of getting there by public transportation. You are walking on the tops of the cliffs, grassy, easy walking, but up and down. There seemed to be a couple of bus options but not sure about details.

Hi Nigel & Lisa,

sorry for the late reply. To answer Nigel's questions first, as to which way is best to go from Brighton Station to the pier, the easiest way is simply to go straight down Queens Road until you get to the seafront and turn left to the pier. It would be difficult to get lost doing this as you can see the sea in front of you and the pier will be obvious when on the seafront.

The best bus to catch to the Seven Sisters is the 13X which goes from Brighton station and stops both at the Cuckmere Inn pub at Exceat (formerly called the Golden Galleon pub) and the Beach Head Hotel. The walk between those two points is 6.2 miles (although you can extend it to Eastbourne to make a total of 9-10 miles and get the 13X back from there). Here's the route:
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/797322407

and here's a link to the bus service:
http://www.buses.co.uk/travel/service.aspx?serviceid=1233

and lastly here is a link to a special event which happens ONCE a year due to the tide where it is possible to actually walk around Beach Head lighthouse!
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/beachy-head-lighthouse-walk-tickets-17002506956

The views are like this:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=beachy+head+lighthouse&biw=1920&bih=906&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0CCYQsARqFQoTCKGE47q4_cYCFUWd2wodXDkBdw#imgrc=FGeRwIEE65juOM%3A

To answer Lisa's question about the Lanes, yes they are very easy to find. I suggest going straight out of the station to the seafront and then the pier and then go up East Street to the Lanes which are full of small alleyways and shops (lots of jewellery, antiques, restaurants etc) including Choccywoccydoodah (https://www.choccywoccydoodah.com/) which has everything made out of chocolate and creates wedding cakes for celebrities etc.

Then go north into the North Laines (different area and different spelling) to find more arty, retro, hipster and quirky shops and lots of pubs, bars and more restaurants, oh and the Royal Pavilion. Finally this will bring you back towards the station and home.

Enjoy
Steve.

Thanks Steve.

Just what I need - another hundredweight of choccy!!

Thanks for all the advise. I'm flying out tomorrow and the tentative plan is Brighton on Wednesday -- can't wait to explore!

Hi Lisa,

don't forget to report back on your Brighton trip!

Enjoy
Steve.

Steve asked for a trip report, so here goes :)

We (my husband, daughter, and myself) took the train to Brighton from London and arrived on what was to be our "gloomiest" day of our trip. That was OK though because I grew up along the CA coast (Santa Cruz) and kind of expect fog and clouds at the beach. My adult daughter who had been studying in London all summer was starting to give into the ignored exhaustion of her visit so she was a little cranky as we wandered along the shore taking in the atmosphere as we made our way to the Pier. It was exactly what I expected -- just enough tacky fun to make me smile.

It began to drizzle and we were getting hungry so we made our way into the Lanes and had lunch at a small Italian place. (Sorry I can't remember the name or find the receipt) After lunch we made our way through the lanes and to the Royal Pavilion -- which we did not tour in any official way. Continuing our walk we headed into the shops of the North Laines which were fun and we explored some of the funkier ones before arriving back at the train station.

We spent just enough time in Brighton I think given the cool weather. This was also the day before the most recent Tube strike and we wanted to be sure that we'd make it from the train station to the Tube and back to our hotel before the strike started at 18:30. We arrived back in London during the crush of everyone trying to get their final Tube ride completed so all was good.

Thanks again for the input on this thread. I had the responses printed out and in my hand as we walked through Brighton.