United Kingdom · England
Where to Stay in Brighton, England
Sea spray blows over the front at Brighton, a seaside resort in East Sussex, England, known for the Royal Pavilion and the long deck of Brighton Pier.
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Where to stay in Brighton
Where you base yourself shapes the visit — here's the character of each area.
Where to stay in Brighton comes down to how near you want to be to the sea and the Royal Pavilion. The seafront and the Old Town make the natural first base, with Brighton Pier and the Brighton i360 in easy reach and Volk's Electric Railway running along the shingle below. St Nicholas' Church stands on the rise behind the front, the oldest church in the town.
Stay near the water first. Rooms here put the Royal Pavilion, the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, and the lanes of the Old Town within a short walk. Inland, the town climbs away from the shore toward Preston Park and its church, quieter than the crowded front.
St Bartholomew's Church and St Michael's Church rise among the streets on the higher ground. For calm and space, base yourself uphill. West along the coast lies Hove, joined with Brighton into a single city, holding the County Cricket Ground and All Saints Church.
The British Engineerium and the Booth Museum of Natural History sit among its streets. Whichever part of Brighton you choose, the sea is never far, and the front ties the whole place together from the Old Town out to Hove.
About Brighton
What is Brighton known for?
Brighton is known as a seaside resort on the coast of East Sussex, and it grew famous as a place for sea bathing. The domed Royal Pavilion stands back from the front, and Brighton Pier reaches out over the water. Rising tall above the shore, the Brighton i360 looks down on Volk's Electric Railway, which still runs along the beach.
Brighton owes its rise to the sea. Brighton draws people to its front and its front-facing streets. They stand above the shingle.
What are the main landmarks in Brighton?
Brighton's landmarks run from the domed Royal Pavilion to the deck of Brighton Pier. The Brighton i360 rises high above the front, and Volk's Electric Railway carries passengers along the beach. St Nicholas' Church, the oldest in the town, stands on the rise behind the shore, while St Peter's Church and St Michael's Church mark the streets inland.
The Brighton Museum & Art Gallery and the Booth Museum of Natural History hold the town's collections. The Chapel Royal completes the older core.
What is the history of Brighton?
Brighton began as a fishing settlement on the coast of East Sussex. Old Brighthelmstone was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, and evidence of settlement in the area reaches back to the Bronze Age and the Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. The Old Town grew through the Middle Ages.
Storms and raids battered it. In the early modern years the place languished, its economy weak and its people few, until better roads to London and a fashion for sea bathing began to bring visitors down to the shore. The town rose again as a health resort.
Sea bathing drew crowds who believed the water could cure their ills, and the shore filled with grand seafront building. The Royal Pavilion was raised as a royal retreat by the water, its domes unlike anything else in the town. Volk's Electric Railway later ran along the beach, and Brighton Pier reached out over the waves.
The old church of St Nicholas' Church still watches from the rise above. In time Brighton merged with neighbouring Hove into a single city set along the sea. The resort still lives from the water that first made it.
The shore remains its heart.
Where is Brighton?
Brighton lies on the coast of East Sussex, in England, a seaside town on the shore south of London. The front runs along the shingle beach, with the Old Town gathered behind it and the streets climbing inland toward Preston Park. Hove adjoins it to the west.
The land rises from the sea. From the shingle at Brighton the town spreads up the slopes that back the shore.
What is the climate of Brighton?
Brighton has a mild maritime climate, tempered by the sea that washes its shingle beach. Winters stay cool rather than cold, with grey skies and rain blowing in off the water along the whole front from the Old Town out to Hove. Summers are warm and bright.
The sea keeps the air soft, and the weather can turn quickly over the shore where Volk's Electric Railway runs.
How do you get to Brighton?
Brighton is reached by rail and road from London and across England. Trains run down from London to the town in about an hour, arriving at the station above the Old Town, and roads bring travellers to the coast of East Sussex. The sea marks the end of the journey.
From the station it is a short walk downhill to the Royal Pavilion, Brighton Pier, and the front.
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Updated July 2026