Brighton Pier and Beach

Brighton Palace Pier, stretching 531 metres into the English Channel from the Madeira Drive seafront, is England's most visited paid attraction outside London and the definitive Victorian pleasure pier experience. Built between 1891 and 1899, the pier houses amusement arcades, a funfair with traditional and modern fairground rides, fish and chip restaurants, candy floss stands, and a domed pavilion at its seaward end. Entry to the pier is free; individual rides and amusements are charged separately. The beach at Brighton is composed of smooth flint pebbles rather than sand, which gives it a distinctive character and means swimwear-clad visitors must navigate a different texture underfoot. The beach stretches along the entire seafront and is served by beach huts, deckchair hire, and a succession of beach bars and restaurants. The seafront promenade connects the pier to the nearby Hove boundary in one direction and to the Brighton Marina in the other. The Royal Pavilion, a few minutes' walk from the seafront, is one of the most exotic buildings in Britain — a Regency palace redesigned by John Nash for the Prince of Wales (later George IV) between 1815 and 1823 in an Indian-style exterior with Chinese-inspired interiors containing extravagant chandeliers and hand-painted wallpapers. The Lanes, a network of narrow alleyways running north from the seafront, contain independent jewellers, antique dealers, cafes, and boutiques in a historic fishing village layout. North Laine, a larger creative quarter further north, houses vintage clothing shops, record stores, and independent restaurants. Brighton is accessible from London by regular train services taking 50-65 minutes to Brighton station.