The Brighton Palace Pier opened in 1899, and the 1,722 feet of the pier, the deck, the sea, the amusement arcade, the candy floss, and the helter-skelter at the end, have defined the British seaside for 127 years. The pier is the most famous in Britain, the most photographed (the sunset shot from the shingle beach, the iron legs, the pavilion, the most beautiful image of the English seaside), and the most visited (4.5 million visitors a year, the most popular attraction in the UK outside London). Brighton is the belle of the British seaside: the Royal Pavilion (the Indo-Saracenic folly of George IV, the most extraordinary royal palace in Britain, the chinoiserie, the dragons, the chandeliers, and the sense of stepping into a fever dream of the Prince Regent. ~£17, and the essential Brighton experience), the Lanes (the antique shops, the jewellery, the independent cafés, and the best shopping in the south), and the beach (the shingle, the deckchairs, and the sea, the cold, the grey-green, and the swim that is the most bracing in Britain). Here is your guide to Brighton.

Brighton, The Essential Guide

• The pier and the promenade, the classic Brighton: The pier is free (the admission, the walk, and the view, the sea, the coast, and the seafront of Brighton stretching to the marina in the east and Hove in the west), and the amusements, the arcade (the slot machines, the 2p machines, and the sense of the British seaside at its most nostalgic and most joyful), the rides (the helter-skelter, the carousel, and the best view of the pier from the Booster, the ride that flings you into the air, the scream, and the view of the English Channel), and the doughnuts (the hot doughnuts, the sugar, and the taste of a British childhood. ~£4 for a bag of five, the best value on the pier), are the essential Brighton experience. The promenade: the walk from the Palace Pier to the West Pier (the ghost pier, the skeleton of the 1866 pier, the iron frame, the fire of 2003, and the most beautiful ruin in Britain. The West Pier at sunset, the silhouette, the sea, and the birds, is the essential Brighton photograph), the seafront bars (the Fortune of War, the oldest bar on the seafront, the deck, and the best pint in Brighton. ~£5), and the British Airways i360 (the 162-metre observation tower, the “vertical pier,” the glass pod, and the view of Brighton, the Downs, and the sea. ~£17, and the best view in the city). More UK →
• The Royal Pavilion, the Prince Regent’s fantasy: The Royal Pavilion is the most extraordinary building in Britain: the Indo-Saracenic exterior (the domes, the minarets, and the sense of a Mughal palace transported to the English Channel), the Chinese-inspired interior (the dragons, the bamboo furniture, and the chandeliers, the 9 tons of the chandeliers, the gold leaf, and the most opulent interior in the country), and the music room (the most beautiful room in the Pavilion, the red and gold, the dragons, and the sense of the excess of the Regency). The Pavilion was a pleasure palace, the parties of George IV, the scandal, and the retreat from the formality of the court in London, and the experience of walking through the rooms is the most surprising and delightful hour in the city. Entry: ~£17 (the ticket includes the audio guide, and the essential strategy, the guided tour, the first tour of the morning, and the best introduction to the Pavilion). The garden: the restored Regency garden, the café, and the sense of the Pavilion as the centre of the Brighton of the 1820s. Free (the garden is public, and the view of the Pavilion from the gardens is the best in the city)
• The Lanes and the North Laine, the shopping and the food: The Lanes: the maze of the narrow streets, the antique shops, the jewellery, the Snooper’s Paradise (the flea market, the vintage, the furniture, the best 30 minutes of browsing in Brighton), and the pubs, the Cricketers (the oldest pub in Brighton, the Victorian interior, the Graham Greene connection, the author lived nearby and drank here, and the best pub lunch in the Lanes. ~£12 for a main). The North Laine: the independent shops, the retro, the vintage, and the vegetarian cafés, the Infinity Foods (the wholefood shop and the café, the best vegan food in Brighton, and the sense of the Brighton that voted Green and has never looked back), the Komedia (the comedy club, the cinema, and the best night out in the North Laine), and the shops (the record stores, the independent bookshops, and the best shopping in Brighton). The essential Brighton dinner: the Riddle and Finns (the seafood on the beach, the oysters, the champagne, and the best fish in Brighton. ~£40), the Terre à Terre (the vegetarian fine dining, the most creative restaurant in the city, and the best meal in Brighton, the meat-eater will not miss the meat. ~£40), and the Regency (the fish and chips, the haddock, the chips, the mushy peas, and the beach. The queue is 20 minutes, and the fish and chips eaten on the pebbles are the essential Brighton experience. ~£12.50)