The Best Things to Do in Brighton

The best things to do in Brighton are the ones locals still do on a day off: wander the Royal Pavilion, walk the length of Brighton Palace Pier, go up the Brighton i360 for the view, lose an afternoon in the Lanes and North Laine, and catch the 77 bus to Devil's Dyke when you need some sky. Add Brighton Museum, the Undercliff Walk to Rottingdean and a film at the Duke of York's, and you have a proper long weekend without needing a car. Prices and hours were checked in October 2026, so treat them as a guide and check before you set off.

The Royal Pavilion

Brighton's own museums service sells it as a fantasy palace fit for a king, and for once the marketing undersells it. From October to March the Royal Pavilion opens 10am to 5.15pm, last entry 4.30pm; from April to September it is 9.30am to 5.45pm. Adults pay £21.50 and children aged 5 to 18 pay £13. If you live in a BN1, BN2, BN3 or BN41 postcode it is £16.50, and that covers up to four children too, which is the best deal in town. Book through Brighton & Hove Museums for 5% off. Until 1 November 2026 the DRAGONS trail runs through the palace, free with your ticket. Note it is shut all day on 18 November 2026 for a private event, and over Christmas it closes from 2.30pm on 24 December and all of 25 and 26 December.

Brighton Palace Pier

You will end up on it whether you planned to or not. Brighton Palace Pier charges £1 a head at peak times between March and October. Under 2s, wristband holders and anyone with the free Local Resident Card get in free. Outside those peak windows it costs nothing to stroll to the end with a tray of chips and pretend you will not spend a tenner in the arcade. Ride wristbands are cheaper if you book online in advance. In winter, stay until dusk: the pier says its starling murmurations usually run from November to late February, with the birds roosting under the pier itself.

Brighton i360

The glass pod on the seafront now goes by plain Brighton i360, run by Nightcap. A View 360 ticket is £20.50 for adults, lasts 25 minutes, takes you 138 metres up and includes the Sky Bar. Locals with a BN1, BN2, BN3 or BN41 postcode can walk up and pay £7 with proof of address, which is frankly too good to skip. Late October hours are 10.30am to 4.30pm most days, running to 6pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Under 2s go free. Pick a clear day: on a grey one you are paying to look at the inside of a cloud. More on the i360 here.

Brighton Museum and Art Gallery

Across the garden from the palace, Brighton Museum opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, and on bank holiday Mondays. Adults pay £10.50, children £5, and residents £8 including up to four kids. From 24 October 2026 to 21 February 2027 it hosts Magic Place, an interactive installation that reacts to visitors, free with admission. Football people should find the Brighton & Hove Albion gallery, Stand or Fall.

The Lanes and North Laine

Two different moods, five minutes apart. The Lanes are the tight old twittens south of North Street, all jewellers and little restaurants. North Laine, north of North Street, is louder and scruffier in the best way: Kensington Gardens alone has Snoopers Paradise, an indoor flea market with 90 stalls, and Resident, the record shop half the city relies on, open until 6pm Monday to Saturday. Go hungry. Leave the card at home if you have no self control.

Devil's Dyke and the Downs

The 77 Breeze bus runs from the city to Devil's Dyke every Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday all year, apart from Christmas Day, up to every 75 minutes, with extra buses in summer. A Breeze Return is £5 on the 77, 78 and 79, and up to four under 19s ride free with a paying adult. Once you are up there, walk east along the South Downs Way: the council reckons it is about 30 minutes to Saddlescombe Farm. Bring a layer. It is always windier than town.

The Undercliff Walk

For a sea walk with no traffic at all, take the Undercliff Walk. It starts behind Asda at Brighton Marina and runs just over 5km under the chalk cliffs to Saltdean, with a ramp up at the bottom of Rottingdean High Street if you fancy a pub. Cyclists use it too. The council warns that waves come over the wall in rough weather and sections occasionally close after chalk falls, so skip it in a storm.

A film at the Duke of York's

The Duke of York's on Preston Road opened on 22 September 1910 and is, according to Picturehouse, the UK's oldest purpose-built cinema as verified by the Cinema Theatres Association. You will know it by the giant striped legs kicking out of the roof, which have been up there since 1995. Rain or shine, it is the classiest way to spend two hours in the city.

Saving for summer: Volk's Electric Railway

Magnus Volk opened his little seafront line on 4 August 1883, and Volk's Electric Railway still trundles between Aquarium, Halfway and Black Rock stations every summer. It is closed for the winter now, so put it on the list for spring. Kids love it, and so do grown adults who claim they are only there for the kids.

How to do it

• One day: Pavilion in the morning, the Lanes for lunch, the pier at dusk.
• Two days: add the i360 and Brighton Museum, then a film at the Duke's.
• Three days: give the last one to the Downs or the Undercliff.

Everything above is walkable from Brighton station except the Downs and the Duke's, and the Duke's is only a short stroll up from the Level. Wear shoes you can walk in. The hills are real.