Many bandy around the title of “most gay-friendly city in the UK” for Brighton as if that’s a bad thing. Truth be told, that was one of the reasons Scott and I wanted to visit in the first place. A city that is not only accepting of different genders, races, sexual preferences and coffee orders but that’s also located by the sea? Count us in.
In my experience, a city with a thriving gay scene will inevitably tend to have great food, even better coffee, lively bars and a unique sense of style. Because, unlike us boring heterosexuals, most gay people I know wouldn’t settle for anything less.
But enough about the inhabitants of Brighton – let’s get on to the other reasons you should most definitely visit this city by the sea.
The Royal Pavilion – This Indian-style palace, originally built as a seaside house for Prince George in the 1700s, definitely sticks out like a sore thumb on the skyline of what is essentially a very modern, urban cityscape. But that’s also what gives it its appeal. You can’t help but stop and snap a photograph (or two) of this unique British building, take a walk around the interior (for an admission fee), grab a snack in the tearoom or just wander around the manicured gardens.
Boozy milkshakes – Head to Meat Liquor (a popular new chain in the UK) on York Place and you can enjoy some of the thickest, tastiest alcoholic milkshakes under the neon glow of graffiti-ed walls and a “SIN” sign. I slurped down a maple bourbon shake after dinner one night and it was like a dessert in itself, albeit an alcohol-soaked one served in a paper cup.
Pebble beach and pier – Brighton can’t boast a long stretch of soft, white sand, but what it lacks in appearance it more than makes up for in practicality. Gone are the days of having to tip sandpiles out of your shoes after an afternoon of sunbathing – here you can do as the locals do and settle down with a bottle of wine or some beers and watch the sunset without fear of chomping down on grit. The pier, although pretty tacky and filled with arcade machines and over-priced rollercoasters is one of the most recognizable in the UK and is worth a stroll down – just don’t interrupt the teenagers reaching second base behind the Crazy Mouse like we did.
Amazing vegetarian and vegan food – Despite a growing vegetarian and vegan food scene around the world, people who don’t eat meat or animal products are often greatly under-served. Not so in Brighton, where almost every restaurant, cafe and coffee shop serves some form of meat/gluten/dairy/animal product-free alternative to regular menu items. There is a even a pub serving a vegetarian-only menu – something I’ve never seen in the UK before.
Cute seaside guest houses – We stayed at the aptly named FAB Guest located in a Georgian townhouse in the sought-after Kemptown area of the city. Our room was filled with unique and quirky furnishings and a great view out to the street and, if you opened the window and stuck your head out, the sea. Each of the rooms were individually designed and it was comfortable and welcoming enough to feel like you were staying with friends. They even had framed funky motivational posters on the walls, which really helped keep you going when you’re climbing the steps to the top floor!
Iced flat whites – The Small Batch Coffee Company (a coffee company that was started in Brighton), serves amazingly frosty, thick iced flat whites that are blended with coffee gelato and slip down perfectly on a warm, sunny day.
Multicoloured houses and hilly streets – Scott commented that he thought Brighton’s rows of houses ascending its hilly streets reminded him of San Francisco, but having never been there, I instead thought it was a lot like some of the towns we’d visited in New Zealand (Dunedin and Nelson in particular). The colourful houses made parts of the city look like something straight out of a movie set and their view down to the sea doesn’t hurt, either.
Sunny pub terraces – As it’s generally sunnier on the south coast, there are more opportunities to sit at a trestle table outside a pub/bar and enjoy a nice cold glass of Pimm’s (or whatever your poison of choice is that day). There may be limited space on the streets outside some of the city’s restaurants and bars, but that doesn’t stop them from making the most of any sunny weather by actively encouraging customers to sit outside and turn a nice rosy shade of pink.
The Lanes and The Laine – The Lanes are a series of small, narrow streets lined with jewellery shops and the famous Choccywoccydoodah chocolate shop, and despite being very touristy, they don’t really have too much to offer the regular visitor. Instead, we preferred to meander around the North Laine district, rammed with vintage shops, bakeries and even a vegetarian shoe shop. It’s boho, and maybe even a little hippie, but don’t let that put you off if that isn’t your sort of thing – there’s a lot of variety and some great food to be had along its streets. Plus, the people watching opportunities are worth the visit alone.
I lived in Brighton for two years and I genuinely loved every second of it, It’s not Liverpool (best city on earth obviously) but it’s one of my favourite places in the whole world! xx