Things to Do in Brighton

Royal Pavilion

Inside the Pavilion's onion domes the air carries sandalwood polish and centuries-old plaster dust. Chandeliers tinkle over scarlet wallpapers that feel almost sticky with leftover grandeur. Plug in the audio guide. An absent orchestra floods the ballroom while you picture George IV's guests crunching sugared almonds on the boards beneath your shoes.

British Airways i360

The glass pod rises so gently you barely notice motion. Ninety seconds later Brighton's rooftops shrink into slate patchwork, tarred net lofts and chalk-cliff gaps. At 450 ft you taste briny air and hear waves thud through sealed glass while the South Downs roll west like a rumpled green blanket.

The Lanes vintage crawl

Between meeting-house walls you catch old leather, patchouli oil and fresh-ground coffee. Shop fronts explode with sequinned flares, 60s vinyl, taxidermy crows. Buskers finger-pick folk on Spanish guitars. Espresso machines hiss like irritable snakes.

Brighton Pier amusement arcade

The pier rattles with dodgem sparks and 2p waterfall electronic jangle. Hot-dog onions sting. Candyfloss glues itself to kids' cheeks. Sea-spray coats railings so every handrail tastes faintly of salt.

Kemp Town seafront to Rottingdean walk

Start under the chalky cliff smell east of the Marina. You'll pass nudist volleyball, beach-combing dogs, pebbles clinking under each footstep. Undercliff Walk's concrete echo turns gull cries metallic. Salt stiffens eyebrows before Rottingdean's white-smock windmill appears.

North Laine guesthouses: creaky Regency stairs above vegan cafés, five minutes to the station.

Kemp Town squares: rainbow-flagged B&Bs swap evening gull chatter for club beats.

Hove seafront: Victorian mansions turned small hotels, wider beaches, quieter dawn.

Seven Dials: student pubs and florist lanes, good value, quieter bed, ten minutes uphill.

Brighton Marina: modern chain hotels with boat-jostle views, free parking, bus ride to town.

London Road vicinity: budget rooms above world-food groceries, handy for Preston Park trains.