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Brighton

Travoley
Brighton
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Brighton Travel Guide

  • About Brighton
Decamping to Brighton is de rigueur in British summer time. Kitsch, confident and cool, this town has everything you could possibly want from a day at the seaside.On a sunny day, the pebble beach is a merry jumble of splashing swimmers, windy picnics, lively ball games and stripy deckchairs. Jutting out into the water and laden with colourful confectionery, flashing arcade games and classic fairground rides, Brighton Pier is one of the city’s most recognisable icons.The extravagant Royal Pavilion, built to satisfy the whims of King George IV, is Brighton’s other big name attraction. But beyond this gaudy slice of Georgian architecture you’ll find a modern city centred around Jubilee Square. Here you’ll find an impressive library, top notch restaurants and plenty of room for some serious people watching.The boho vibe of North Laine and South Lanes is not to be missed either. Shop for vintage clothes, flick through crates of second–hand vinyl, stock up on vegan treats or duck into a pub for a pint of Harvey’s Sussex Ale.Brighton has a well-earned reputation for its gay-friendly scene too, especially in Kemptown. The summer and winter pride events attract huge crowds from all across the UK.There’s a strong cultural streak here too, with heavyweight acts always passing through the ace Brighton Centre and cutting edge bands and DJs playing at venues such as Komedia. The Great Escape music festival sees the city taken over by independent artists for a weekend in May, turning Brighton into the hippest place in the England.If all that partying gets too much, remember the rolling South Downs National Park is just a short drive or train ride away. And if you don’t fancy a dip in the sea, the soon-to-be-reopened art deco Saltdean Lido will be a great way to soak your bones on a hot day.
  • Brighton History
Sunny and vibrant Brighton was one of Europe’s first great seaside resorts. A fashion for sea-water cures around the middle of the 18th century coincided with the beginnings of seaside tourism generally, and the result was the transformation of the old fishing town of Brighthelmstone into the modern sea resort of Brighton.Prince Regent George IV ordered the construction of the city’s most famous landmark, the Royal Pavilion, during the early 19th century.The Prince Regent’s patronage made Brighton both famous and fashionable. By the time the railway between London and Brighton arrived in 1841, the age of modern tourism had truly descended on the city, bringing an estimated 250,000 annual visitors even before 1850.Brighton’s popularity saw the building of a number of seafront hotels, including the Grand Hotel in 1864, and the Metropole Hotel in 1890.In 1823, the Royal Suspension Chain Pier was built, initially as a landing point for boats. Sadly, it had already been earmarked for destruction when a storm hit in 1896 and saw it crumble.Today, one of the landmarks of Brighton’s seafront is the burnt-out remains of the West Pier, built in 1866 by renowned pier architect Eugenius Birch.The pier closed in 1975, and a storm in 2002 caused a partial collapse. Next, the pier’s main concert hall fell apart, and in 2003 a fire caused further damage. Two more fires followed, and in 2004 the middle of the pier disintegrated. Another chunk dropped off in 2014.The Brighton Marine Palace and Pier, which opened in May 1899, has seen its own fair share of dramas. A storm in 1973 smashed a barge into the end of the pier and it suffered fire damage in 2003, but it’s still going strong today.
  • Did you know?
The Duke of York’s Picture House opened in 1910 and claims to be the UK’s oldest continuously operating cinema. When Fat Boy Slim performed a free concert on Brighton Beach in 2002, a quarter of a million fans turned up; he’d expected 60,000. Brighton elected the UK’s first ever Green MP, Caroline Lucas, in 2010.
  • Weather in Brighton
During the school summer holidays (July and August) Brighton is packed. While this might not be ideal for things like parking and last-minute restaurant reservations, high summer is certainly when the city is at its most lively. May is another busy month, as thousands flock to Brighton for The Great Escape and the Brighton Festival. For a chance of sunny days without giant crowds, September is a lovely time to visit. And while the seafront is a chilly and rather subdued place during winter months, North Laine and The Lanes twinkle with festive cheer in the run up to Christmas.

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