During the first bank holiday weekend in May, Stuart and I spontaneously decided to head to Brighton for the day. The city is around 1 hour 30 minutes drive from Canterbury, so we set off early in the morning so that we could reach the coast before the bank holiday traffic. Parking is expensive in Brighton, but if you can visit in under 4 hours, you can park in the centre without double figure parking prices. Unintentionally we kept our visit to under 4 hours, but this was more than enough time to explore, given that we weren’t interested in sitting on the beach and spending time in the Brighton Palace Pier Arcade.
Brighton Beach
The first place we visited was the beach and we spent some time looking at all of the pop up galleries and stalls on the seafront. Brighton is a really arty place and it was here where I first noticed the city’s creative spirit, with the galleries featuring the work of local artists. Crowds of people were gathering on the beach at 10am, which was unsurprising as it was a bank holiday and one of the hottest days of the year so far.
Brighton Palace Pier
We headed to the famous Brighton Pier next, which was bustling with families waiting to go on the rides. We walked along the pier which has spectacular views of the beach and the sea, but didn’t actually go on any of the rides. Brighton Palace Pier opened over 100 years ago and it’s a big landmark in the city, so we made sure that we visited the location early in the day.
Royal Pavilion
We stopped for lunch at the Royal Pavilion Gardens, which were only a short walk from the pier. We’d brought a picnic with us and as it was so warm, were able to enjoy it on the grass in the gardens. The view of the building was fantastic!
The Lanes
After lunch we visited The Lanes, which has some adorable independent cafés and shops. There was lots of bunting lining the streets too, which instantly made the area even more colourful! I really enjoyed popping in and out of the shops, which were full of artwork and gifts.
Ice cream
When you visit Brighton, you absolutely must have an ice cream on the beach. Before we left the city, I enjoyed a strawberry milkshake ice cream in the sunshine. It was a fabulous way to end our day out to the seaside!
Have you ever been to Brighton? What areas of the city did you visit?
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
I love Brighton. My sister went to boarding school there so my mum/dad used to make the journey down there twice a week. We also used to spend a few days there just before Christmas and at the start of summer when we decided to take the car. I think my favourite areas have to be The Lanes and just outside of the Pavilion. I also love walking along the seafront, especially on a really nice day, although I'd make sure not to have any food as the seagulls are vicious and take anything right out of your hands.
I work in Brighton, live in Worthing but have never really been a tourist there.