1. Brighton Beach & Palace Pier

Brighton’s shingle beach is the city’s heart — a mile-long stretch of rounded pebbles that absorb the sun and stay warm in the evening. The Palace Pier, built in 1899, extends 525 metres into the English Channel and is one of Britain’s finest surviving pleasure piers — with arcade games, roller coasters, fish-and-chip restaurants, and a helter-skelter. The piers also have two funicular railways (the Volks Railway, built 1883, is the oldest public electric railway in the world) and the BA i360 observation tower (a 162-metre glass pod offering panoramic views).

2. Royal Pavilion

The Royal Pavilion is Brighton’s most extraordinary building — the seaside palace of King George IV, designed by John Nash in the Indian-Saracenic style with onion domes, minarets, and a Chinese-inspired interior. The building is pure architectural theatre — the banquet room is dominated by a 12-metre chandelier weighing a ton, and the music room is one of the most ornate interiors in Britain. The surrounding Royal Pavilion Gardens are free to explore and host the Brighton Festival in May.

Entry: £17.50. Ticket includes excellent audio guide.

3. The Lanes & North Laine

Brighton’s shopping streets are a delight of independent stores, vintage shops, and antique bazaars. The Lanes (the narrow alleys between East Street and North Street) are a maze of jewellery shops, art galleries, and fine dining restaurants built on the site of the original 18th-century fishing village. North Laine is the bohemian heart — vintage clothing, record stores, comic shops, vegan cafés, and the Brighton Open Market. The Saturday farmers’ market on London Road is the best for local produce.

4. Seven Sisters Cliffs & South Downs

The Seven Sisters are the iconic white cliffs of Sussex — a 7-mile stretch of chalk cliffs rising 160 metres above the English Channel. The most dramatic section is from Seaford to Eastbourne, with the Cuckmere Valley providing the classic photo viewpoint (the meandering river with the cliffs behind). The South Downs Way (100-mile National Trail) passes through this section. The walk from Seaford Head to the Birling Gap and Belle Tout Lighthouse is one of Britain’s finest coastal walks — 4 hours of pure sea air.

Getting there: Bus from Brighton to Seaford (1 hour, £8.40 return).

5. Brighton Festival & Culture

Brighton’s cultural scene is one of Britain’s most vibrant. The Brighton Festival (May) is the largest annual arts festival in England after Edinburgh, with theatre, music, dance, and street performances across the city. The Brighton Fringe runs alongside it, with hundreds of smaller shows. The Brighton Museum (free) in the Royal Pavilion Gardens is excellent, covering local history, fashion, and world art. The Duke of York’s Picturehouse (the oldest cinema in continuous use in Britain, 1910) screens art-house and mainstream films in a beautiful Edwardian setting.

6. Brighton’s Food — Seafood, Vegans & Everything

Brighton has one of Britain’s best food scenes, reflecting its diverse population. The city is a vegan paradise — Terre à Terre (vegetarian, multi-award-winning) and Purezza (the UK’s first vegan pizzeria) lead the way. Seafood is exceptional — the Brighton Seafood Bistro at Rock Hall and the Regency Restaurant on the seafront serve locally-caught fish. The Open Market has excellent Korean, Ethiopian, and Caribbean food stalls. Sunday lunch at the Flint House (roast with all the trimmings, £16) is a Brighton institution.