Brighton is a beautiful quaint city on the southern coast of the United Kingdom. Brighton beach is the perfect day trip if you want to get out and get some sun and explore off the beaten path. It’s an excellent alternative to the hustle and bustle of London.
In this post, I will talk about how to spend a perfect day in Brighton. From things to see and do on the most popular Brighton Palace Pier, to taking a stroll along the beach. There are plenty of things to do along this beautiful shorefront, so continue reading as we explore.
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Getting There
It was a nice easy drive on a Saturday morning from Bury St. Edmunds, to Brighton, which took about 2 1/2 hours. We only ran into a little traffic when we actually were in the city. We decided to park in a car park that was close to Brighton Beach. It was only a few minutes walk to the beach.
If you don’t want to drive to Brighton beach, you can travel there by train or bus. If traveling by train, it’s a faster route about (1 hour and 1/2) if coming from London. So if you live near London, this will be a great alternative to driving. I love using this train app to book all my travel in advance. It’s amazing because you can see the train stops in real time, book seamlessly with Apple Pay, and have digital tickets. For more info click here
If your on a budget and would like to take a bus from London, then this is an option as well. It will cost approximately $20 pounds one way on the National Express. Just note that it may take you a little longer to get there, with traffic and other stops it may take.
Brighton Palace Pier
The first thing we did was head over to Brighton Palace Pier. I mean we had to, this is what Brighton is so famous for. And let me tell you, it is incredible. The pier has to be about 1/2 mile walk, (well actually it spans over 1700 feet long).
It is filled with different eateries like ice cream shops, homemade doughnuts, and crepes, as well as coffee shops. Additionally, there are several quick bites options to grab food like burgers, dogs, fish & chips, etc.
We stopped at a Japanese rice and noodle booth and bought my daughter a bowl of chicken Lo Mein/Noodles. I have to say that, it wasn’t the best, but it kept her satisfied for the moment. We later grabbed some milkshakes at Moo Moo’s milkshakes and ice-cream booth.
If you want something a little stronger, then head to the full bar at “Horatio’s Bar” and you can stop by and get a pint of beer or a delicious cocktail. They also serve an array of food such as pizza, fish & chips, etc. You can sit outside on the pier and just people watch or gaze out into the water.
Oh btw, the seagulls out there are not a joke. That bowl of noodles my daughter had was almost snatched up by one of them. One came hovering down on us very closely and was giving us the evil eye.
I started yelling at my daughter, “close the food” because that thing was getting ready to pounce. It was so close, and it was pretty scary. So if you do get food, just be very careful if your eating it outside.
Amusement Park
Next, we continued and made our way down to the end of the pier, where there was a small amusement park with several carnival rides to enjoy. We went to the ticket booth and my teenage daughter had bought a wristband for 22.50 pounds to enjoy all unlimited rides for 2.5 hours.
I know what your thinking, 22.50 pounds for only 2.5 hours?! But honestly, it was plenty of time for us because it wasn’t too crowded and the lines weren’t that long at all. Also, we didn’t want to spend all of our time on the pier.
I didn’t’ get a wristband for my fiance Al’ and I because I knew we weren’t getting on all the rides. So we ended up by individual tickets, however with the awesome technology these days, it wasn’t actual paper tickets. We just put money on a card that they provide for you and then you just hand it to the person that is over the ride.
Most of the rides are between £3-6 pounds. However, you can save a couple of dollars and buy a wristband for the family ahead on time. Go to Brighton Pier and purchase a Supersaver for someone that is a height of 1.2 m and over or Kiddies under 1.2 m for £10 pounds.
Getting on Rides…
Now there is a difference in getting on carnival rides during the COVID-19 era. To combat spreading of the Coronavirus, the employees sanitizes the seats, and handlebars/rails, after every customer would get off a ride.
This does make the process of getting on a ride a little bit longer, however, it is definitely worth the extra precaution to prevent people from not getting sick.
Don’t worry tho, it was still a fun experience and it did not take that long to get on the rides.
Other activities on the pier…
If you have an itch for gambling, then there is a casino that’s in the middle of the pier to stop and enjoy for adults only.
There is also an arcade inside called “The Palace of Fun” for the kids to enjoy playing games, etc. I mean honestly, this entire pier was giving me major carnival vibe s…we had a blast.
Oh while on the pier, don’t forget to soak in the views of the water it’s so gorgeous and take some awesome pictures for Instagram. The water in the backdrop is amazing.
In essence, this pier has something fun to do for everyone. So you must visit.
Download this Ultimate FREE travel checklist PDF here.
Brighton Beach
Next, walk off of the pier and head on over to Brighton Beach. First off the water is gorgeous . However, if you are expecting a beach full of sand, this is not it. It’s a pebbled beach. So you will definitely want to bring your tennis shoes if you would like to walk along the shore.
So, the water is looked like 2-3 different hues of blue. To be honest this is the first beach I’ve been to in the UK and I was surprised that this gem was so close to me. Even though the sun was shining, there was still a little cool breeze outside, so we did not get in the water (such a shame I know).
We did spend some time walking along the beach though. You should also take a stroll down the boardwalk.
This stretch of beach and boardwalk goes for miles, so you will definitely get a workout…LOL.
Just strolling along…
It was a beautiful day out in the UK and the beach/boardwalk was filled with a lot of people. Everyone was enjoying their nice day out. I really enjoyed seeing people out, especially after being cooped up in the house for so long due to the pandemic.
Walking along the boardwalk we passed several cute stores full of beach accessories such as buckets/pails for kids, sun hats, beach balls, and souvenirs, etc. There was also unique pics and paintings in the Artists’ Quarter.
You will also see plenty of restaurants, ice cream shops, and bars lined up along the boardwalk.
There was this cool little spot called “Shooshh” It was located right on the beach and it’s an outside Hookah place and bar. Now any other time pre-COVID I would’ve been “geeked” to try some hookah, but because of the times, I was a little skeptical and wanted to be very cautious. But I do love some hookah on occasion.
For those of you that don’t know a hookah is a water pipe that is used to smoke flavored tobacco that is put on a tray that has water in the base and is fired with coals. Since it’s smoked through a pipe and shared with other people I didn’t do it. But, I was first introduced to hookah when I was deployed to a middle-eastern country of Oman. The hookas was very popular there in that country.
Anywho, come to find out, Shoosh is actually a very popular nightclub on Brighton’s seafront. If you want to experience some nightlife out here then, this could be a place for you to go.
Upside-Down House
Visit the upside-down house. While walking along the boardwalk, we came upon the upside-down house. It’s very unique and cute. You can have fun taking pictures inside and having an optical illusion experience of standing on ceilings and looking like you are actually upside down. This is an excellent attraction for the entire family.
British Airways i360
Next, you can visit and ride along the British Airways i360 Viewing Tower, don’t worry its not a roller coaster. It goes slowly. It’s a dome-shaped observation tower that climbs up to 450ft, and it takes you up. It allows you to see panoramic views of the city, Brighton beach, and South Downs.
If your feeling bougie, then you could also purchase and enjoy a glass of wine while int the tower observing the views of the city. This attraction lasts approximately 25 minutes.
There are several time slots during the day and you can purchase the tickets in advance here.
Oh, make sure you arrive at least 20 minutes before your flight time.
Other places along the Boardwalk
Another place to visit is Hove Plinth (another artistic section), which displays sculptures from local artists. Then from there you will see a beautiful array of colorful beach huts.
You can also visit, Sea Life Brighton, which is an (Aquarium) to enjoy for the entire family.
That’s it guys, I hope you enjoyed this post on how to spend a perfect day in Brighton.
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[…] to The Pier Cave, etc. I gotta tell you tho, so far this is nothing in comparison to the Brighton Palace Pier though, but it was still cute and something to do and see for a day […]
I love Brighton so much! I’ve not actually been in the upside down house, one on the list for next time! x
Such pretty photos! Love this post!
Thank you.
This sounds like a great day trip with children!