9 Best Things to Do and See in Brighton
Exploring Brighton on foot is one of the best ways to feel the city’s atmosphere, connect its landmark places and discover its neighbourhoods at a more natural pace.
In this guide, you will find the attractions not to miss when planning a walking route in Brighton, with simple reference points.
To go further, you can also enjoy a private guided tour in Brighton. It is a smoother way to connect places, understand details you might miss on your own and enjoy a more human, personal discovery adapted to your trip.
1. Brighton Pavilion
Brighton Pavilion is one of Brighton’s most distinctive landmarks, with exotic architecture that immediately catches the eye. A visit reveals a palace with richly decorated facades and sumptuous interiors blending Eastern influences with British taste. The site charms visitors with ornate rooms and an almost fairytale atmosphere. Close to the city center, it offers an original visit, ideal for admiring unusual heritage and discovering a different side of Brighton’s cultural history.
2. National Trust – Devil’s Dyke
National Trust – Devil's Dyke is a dramatic South Downs landscape near Brighton, with a deep dry valley, open grasslands, and sweeping views over the Sussex countryside. On clear days, you can sometimes see all the way to the coast. It is an ideal place for hiking, family walks, and nature watching, with marked trails, wide open spaces, and a peaceful, quintessentially English atmosphere.
3. Upside Down House – Brighton
Upside Down House Brighton is a quirky attraction where you explore a house turned completely upside down, with inverted rooms creating a striking visual effect. Walk through playful domestic spaces where furniture, décor, and objects seem to defy gravity, offering plenty of fun photo opportunities. Located in Brighton, UK, this unusual visit appeals to the curious, families, and fans of original experiences. It’s a short but memorable stop, combining optical illusion and entertainment.
4. Brighton Museum and Art Gallery
Brighton Museum and Art Gallery is one of the city’s leading cultural attractions, in the heart of the Royal Pavilion district. Discover decorative arts, fine art and design, plus objects linked to local history and everyday life. The galleries showcase British and European works, with displays that change for temporary exhibitions. It is an ideal visit to enjoy art, heritage and Brighton’s identity in an elegant, central setting.
5. Booth Museum of Natural History
The Booth Museum of Natural History in Brighton is a museum dedicated to the wonders of the natural world. It features varied natural history collections, including birds, fossils, insects, skeletons, and other objects linked to biodiversity. The museum offers a close look at the diversity of life and a better understanding of classification, evolution, and nature conservation. It is an engaging visit for science lovers, families, and anyone looking for an educational and accessible museum experience.
6. Regency Square, Brighton city centre
Regency Square is one of the most representative spaces in Brighton city centre, where Regency architecture meets a coastal atmosphere. The square offers an elegant urban composition, with uniform buildings, open perspectives and a direct link to the neighbourhoods leading to the sea. It reflects Brighton's historic character, its transformation into a seaside resort and the importance of its built heritage in the present-day cityscape. A place that appeals both for its atmosphere and for what it reveals about Brighton.
7. Preston Manor
Preston Manor is a historic house in Brighton that offers a glimpse into the world of a grand English urban home. Inside, furnished rooms, service areas and decorative features illustrate the domestic life of a wealthy family. The building itself, with its country house-in-the-city character, reveals an important stage in Brighton’s development and expansion toward Preston. The site brings together architecture, landscaped grounds and social memory in a clear heritage setting.
8. Brighton Fishing Museum
Located on the seafront, Brighton Fishing Museum showcases the history of fishing in Brighton and the local maritime culture. Visitors can discover objects, tools and memories that reflect the daily life of fishermen and the importance of the coast in the city’s identity. The museum offers a simple, authentic way to understand how this part of the Seafront has preserved the memory of a seafaring past.
9. Old Police Cells Museum
Brighton’s Old Police Cells Museum offers a glimpse into the former police cells preserved beneath the Town Hall. Visitors discover a narrow, functional detention space with doors, corridors, and fittings linked to the supervision of those held there. The site is appealing both for its atmosphere and for its place inside a civic building that remains central to the city’s life. It provides a concrete look at a discreet part of Brighton’s urban and policing history.
Antony M
During my travels, I looked for guides who spoke my language. This search turned out to be long and tedious. That is why I created MYTOGU (My Tourist Guide): a matching site between tourists and professional tourist guides.
