Discover Brighton: Top Must-Visit Spots in the Seaside City

The UK’s most progressive seaside resort combines coastal laissez-faire with a commitment to creativity and sustainability. Its burgeoning food and drink scene is led by top chefs who use fresh, local produce in inventive menus. Its spirited culture is reflected in art galleries like the Royal Museum and the Theatre Royal where shows draw crowds. And its pulsing North Laine and seafront quarters offer a shopping labyrinth that’s as much fun to get lost in as it is to shop.

Brighton best places is also a prime spot for discovering cool street art. The Prince Albert pub’s mural of deceased musicians (from Amy Winehouse to Kurt Cobain) is a must-see. Then head up high into the sky on the city’s i360 tower, with its dramatic views across the coastline and South Downs.

Seaside seafood and buzzy bistros are among the highlights of the city’s burgeoning culinary scene. Look out for creative dishes inspired by the city’s multicultural heritage, including Japanese-style ramen, Portuguese custard tarts and Colombian fusion tapas. The best places to go in Brighton also include the city’s oldest seafood restaurant, English’s, with its period signage and muralled interior walls that evoke the Edwardian high life. Or try the Mexican eatery, Taquitos Casazul, where dishes like chicken tacos with 40-plus ingredient mole sauce are a flavour hit.

Art lovers are spoilt for choice, with a clutch of small independent galleries jostling with bigger institutions like the Royal Museum and the Contemporary Maritime Museum. Then there are the gardens: the ethereal Wakehurst and the jaw-dropping 400-acres of South Downs National Park loom over the city.

For the ultimate shopping spree, head to the Lanes. This artisanal quarter was once the heart of the city’s fishing village and is now its hippest district, where Scandi-cool cafes and patchouli-fragranced trinket stalls blend into an amiable whole. It’s a joy to explore, with eclectic boutiques and sought-after jewellers lining its streets.

For a luxury stay, Kemp Town offers an array of boutique hotels alongside dozens of smart, affordable B&Bs. The Hotel Una is a gem, with side views of the i360 and seaside promenade from its 18 rooms. Meanwhile, Drakes* - spread over two Georgian townhouses in Kemptown – is “a supremely elegant art deco styled boutique hotel with a relaxed feel”, says The Telegraph.