Brighton Travel Guide & Money-Saving Tips

Brighton packs a palace, pier and lively arts scene into a compact seaside city, with practical ways to spend less on rooms, attractions and weekends.

A seaside city with a strange palace and a brilliant pier

Brighton is the sort of place we recommend when you want the sea, good streets to wander and enough character to keep a short break busy. The city feels compact, so you can walk from the station to the Royal Pavilion, through the Lanes and down to the water without spending the day on buses.

The Royal Pavilion is gloriously odd, while Brighton Palace Pier gives you arcades, rides and a great view back towards the seafront. Add North Laine's independent shops and Komedia's comedy rooms, and Brighton has far more going on than its beach suggests. The beach is pebble, but sunset beside the West Pier skeleton is still one of the city's best moments.

This hub brings together what to know before going to Brighton and how to save money while still getting the most out of the trip.

Good to know

Brighton's beach is pebble, not sand, so bring sturdy shoes or a mat for sitting. For sand, Camber Sands is the nearest big beach, about an hour and a half east.

Top tips

Currency: GBP (£)
Daily spend: 35–90 GBP per person
Hotels: 20–280 GBP per night
Plug: British 3-pin
Tipping: Expected · 10–15%
Timezone: GMT+0
Taxis: Uber / Bolt
Food: Deliveroo / Uber Eats / Just Eat

Best time to visit

Weather, prices, crowds and the events worth travelling for.

Spring

Good

Mar – May

Mild days arrive, May brings Festival and Fringe, and prices stay below summer peak before crowds build.

Summer

Great

Jun – Aug

Warmest weather reaches 20–21°C, while seafront crowds peak and Pride weekend sends room rates sharply higher.

Autumn

Good

Sep – Oct

The sea is warmest near 17°C, schools returning thin the crowds, and October brings wetter days and lower prices.

Winter

Good

Nov – Feb

Cool, wet weather brings the quietest streets and cheapest stays, with a short Christmas-week rise in London visitors.

Cost saving tips

Stay midweek: Tuesday hostel rates are much lower than Saturday prices, which can average several times more.
Buy SEA LIFE tickets online from £15 instead of paying the £21.50 walk-up price.
Book the Royal Pavilion at £21.50 for an annual pass, and use its free gardens for a second visit.

Top tips

Use a contactless card or phone on Brighton & Hove buses and at most attractions and businesses.
Buy a rail ticket before travelling from London because Oyster and contactless fares do not apply on the London–Brighton line.
Eat around North Laine for independent food rather than relying on the seafront chains.
Try Pavilion Gardens Cafe for a central lunch close to the Royal Pavilion.
Check the tide before settling on the beach, since high water narrows the pebble strip.
Walk west to Hove Lawns or east to Kemptown when the central beach feels crowded.
Visit the pier after dark, when the lights make the seafront view especially good and evening entry is free outside peak daylight charging.