Brighton

Arguably Britain’s most famous seaside resort, Brighton is the living image of the English seaside. In summertime, there is barely space to move on the long pebble beach, as thousands of holidaymakers promenade along the seafront to Brighton Pier. Twinned with neighboring Hove, Brighton has long been a getaway for city-weary Londoners. The first day-trippers were lured here by the sea air, but Brighton soon acquired a reputation as a prime destination for a naughty weekend. Even the Prince Regent, later King George IV, maintained a summer palace here - the famous Royal Pavilion - while he engaged in a string of illicit romances. The ...

Arguably Britain’s most famous seaside resort, Brighton is the living image of the English seaside. In summertime, there is barely space to move on the long pebble beach, as thousands of holidaymakers promenade along the seafront to Brighton Pier. Twinned with neighboring Hove, Brighton has long been a getaway for city-weary Londoners. The first day-trippers were lured here by the sea air, but Brighton soon acquired a reputation as a prime destination for a naughty weekend. Even the Prince Regent, later King George IV, maintained a summer palace here - the famous Royal Pavilion - while he engaged in a string of illicit romances. The Georgians gave Brighton its grand Regency terraces, but it was the Victorians who developed the city into the quintessential seaside resort. Since then, Brighton has emerged as one of Britain’s most bohemian cities, helped by a vibrant gay scene and a huge student population. Its winding lanes are lined with organic cafés, vegetarian restaurants, trendy shops and cutting-edge bars, as well as some of the most hedonistic nightclubs in the country. To escape the noise and bustle, head inland to the rolling green hills of the South Downs.

About the Expert

Joe Bindloss has written more than 30 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, Time Out and other publishers, with a focus on Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and island nations.