This may seem weird to people in the northern hemisphere but I wanted to visit a beach that has rocks instead of sand, and so I included Brighton in my London itinerary.

Download my 4.5 week Paris and London itinerary for free in this post.

Of all the cute British seaside towns to choose from, Brighton was an easy 1 hour train ride, seemed to have a few attractions to see (not just wander around a town like some of the other options I considered). So if you’re also thinking about visiting Brighton, I hope you find this post helpful!

London day trip to Brighton

How to visit Brighton from London

The easiest and fastest way to get to Brighton from London is via train. There are multiple departures per day. I visited on a weekday and the train carriages were only about 1/4 full.

The train I took departed from London Blackfriars Station which is on top of the river Thames. If you’re lucky, your platform might be on the end where you’ll get a good view out the windows.

The train is very easy to catch, the signs on the platform (both at Blackfriars and Brighton) tell you which stations the train is stopping at.

Things to see and do in Brighton

It’s a 30 minute walk from the Brighton train station to the beach, with some photo spots on the way. The main things to see and do are:

• The Lanes
• The Royal Pavilion
• The view from Brighton i360
• Walk along the Brighton beachfront and the Brighton Pier
• Have some fish and chips and a soft serve ice cream

I’ve included a list of photo spots later in this post.

To add this to your Google Maps, click the star button in the maps window above (beside ‘Brighton’ on the top left).

Royal Pavilion

1.5 hours should be enough to see everything. Visiting on a weekday it was mostly old people and school kids so I managed to get photos of the rooms mostly empty.

The rooms were not what you’d typically expect of British royalty. There is a huge oriental influence in the wallpaper and furnishings, a unique palace that’s worth a visit!

Opening hours:

• April – September, 9.30am – 5.45pm (last admission 5pm)
• October – March, 10am – 5.15pm (last admission 4.30pm)

Official website with more information: https://brightonmuseums.org.uk/visit/royal-pavilion-garden/plan-your-visit/

Brighton i360

You don’t need to pre-book this, just show up and join the next available time-slot. It goes up quite high so you can see quite far. Unfortunately the round shape of the viewpoint is completely impractical for taking photos – so much glare! It also looks horrendously ugly from a distance when the ‘pod’ is down reloading people – looks like a random massive steel pole that is very out of place with the surrounding buildings.

It is the only viewpoint to get a good look over Brighton (unless you have a drone). As someone who loves a viewpoint, I still consider this a ‘must do’ attraction.

The i360 viewpoint is about 20 minutes walk, one way, from the Royal Pavilion and Brighton train station.

Good to know info:

• £18 pre-selected time-slot, £20 for anytime ticket
  • You can pre-purchase tickets here: https://brightoni360.co.uk/tickets/
• Arrive at least 20 minutes before your chosen timeslot
• 25 minutes to queue, go up the pod and come back down
• Opening hours vary throughout the year https://brightoni360.co.uk/opening-hours/

The view from Brighton i360

Brighton Pier

Brighton Pier has some rides that were operating even if they were only a handful of people on them. There were also free bathrooms (unheard of in Europe!) on the pier and plenty of free places to sit and have a snack while enjoying the view.

How long do you need to see the highlights?

I pre-booked these train tickets:

• Depart London 9:39am, arrive Brighton 10:48am (takes approx. 1 hr 10min)
• Depart Brighton at 6:44pm, arrive London Blackfriars station at 7:51pm
• (Sunset in May is around 8:45pm)

Tip: train tickets are cheaper if you can travel during an off-peak time

My schedule was slightly out. I rushed through the lanes (as they’re on the way to the beach), grabbing a yummy almond croissant for a snack because other things were still opening up in the morning. I then went straight to the Royal Pavilion, followed by the beach.

What I should have done instead was go back and explore the lanes after the Royal Pavilion, then go to the beach. Instead there was a bit of doubling back.

I had takeaway fish and chips on the beach (there are plenty of places to choose from) which saved time not having a sit down lunch at a restaurant.

I could have gotten a train departing for London about an hour earlier. So I think 7 hours is a good amount of time if you like a packed itinerary like I do, 8 hours if you like to travel at a more relaxed pace, sit in a coffee shop for a bit etc.

If you only have half a day, you could skip the Hove beach huts and Brunswick Square.

6 hours is enough to see the highlights of Brighton

Hove’s colorful beach huts

Photo spots

• The Lanes
• The Royal Pavilion
• Kemp Street and the surrounding streets near Brighton train station (for colorful classic British row houses)
• Hove Beach Huts
• The view from Brighton i360
• Brunswick Square
• Brighton beachfront
• View looking back at Brighton from the Brighton pier
• Brighton Bandstand
• Street art – Trafalgar Lane, Gloucester Street, Kensington Street

‘The Lanes’

Best time of year to visit

I visited mid May (UK’s spring). Feels a bit weird typing that, as their spring is like an Aussie winter. The maximum was 14 degrees on the day I visited Brighton – too cold for swimming!

The weather was nice (no rain), and it wasn’t crowded at all. May was a good time to visit.

I don’t care if it’s cold, I still eat 1 ice cream or gelato a day when I’m in Europe. Don’t miss the soft serve when you visit Brighton!

Do you need to pre-book attractions?

No.

I normally pre-book attractions but I felt confident going on a weekday that I wouldn’t need to pre-book anything, and also wanted some flexibility in my schedule. I had to wait a few minutes at the i360 viewpoint for the viewpoint to go up, give people at the top 10 minutes or so to take in the view, and then it comes back down.

There was no queue at the Royal Pavilion.

View from the Brighton Pier

Do I recommend Brighton for solo travelers?

Yes! It was a very easy day trip from London – logistically to get there, and also easy to walk everywhere and find your way around Brighton.

There is plenty of public space on the beach and the Brighton Pier where you can sit and do your own thing. There are a lot of takeaway food places too, so no need to feel awkward eating in a restaurant alone.

Daily trip cost

Here’s everything I spent during my visit in May 2023 (approximate costs):

• Return train ticket from London = £22.60 (booked 1 month in advance via Trainline)
• Fish and chips = £12.50
• Soft serve ice cream = £1.50
• Almond croissant from Flint Owl Bakery = £3.50
• Entry to the Royal Pavilion = £18 (purchased on the day, there is no discount if you pre-purchase)
• i360 viewpoint = £17.95

Total cost: £76.05

More Europe posts

• 4 Week Paris and London Itinerary (plus thoughts from my first time trying slow travel)
• Bruges & Ghent Day Trip from Brussels (via the Train)
• Visiting Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi – is it worth it when there’s no snow?

Travel planning

• Travel Planning: How to choose a hotel (my step by step process)
• Travel Planning: 50 Things to consider when planning an itinerary 
• How I make my travel photobooks using Blurb (detailed tutorial, review and download a copy of my workflow printable)

Download a copy of my itinerary template

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