Brighton, GB

An independent natural-wine bar and restaurant in The Lanes serving inventive seasonal small plates from Sussex produce alongside a low-intervention wine list and cocktails. It has been the city's go-to for natural wine and creative sharing plates for over a decade. Best for oysters, charcuterie, and a bottle of something unusual at the bar.

An intimate Kemp Town dining room serving exquisite, hyper-local seasonal tasting menus that offer genuinely exceptional value for the quality. The chef's ingredient-led cooking is a quiet Brighton highlight. Best for a special, considered dinner where you trust the kitchen entirely.

A refined modern-Indian restaurant rated among the city's best, serving elevated regional cooking well beyond the curry-house template. The depth of flavour and the polish set it apart. Best for a proper modern-Indian dinner that surprises people expecting a standard curry.

A buzzy Kemp Town spot serving vivid northern Thai small plates like pork larb to a loud soundtrack, sharing a building with the Redroaster coffee roastery. The flavours are bold and the vibe is fun. Best for a lively, share-everything Thai dinner with strong cocktails.

A colourful North Laine institution since 2012 serving Mexican street food in a cosy, music-filled space full of quirky artwork. It's a fun, affordable, firmly local favourite. Best for tacos, burritos, and margaritas in a buzzy, casual room.

An intimate Italian in Hove serving fresh handmade pasta, aperitivo, and a smart all-Italian wine list at its convivial counter. The short, seasonal menu and the warm bustle make it a neighbourhood favourite. Best for a counter-seat dinner of pasta and a negroni.

A pioneering plant-based pizzeria on St James's Street that put vegan Neapolitan pizza on the map, with house-made cashew mozzarella and creative pies. Even pizza purists are won over. Best for a plant-based pizza dinner in famously veg-friendly Brighton.

One of Brighton's most beloved independent cafes, a relaxed London Road spot for good coffee, brunch, and a properly local crowd. It's the kind of place regulars treat as a living room. Best for a laid-back coffee and brunch among locals.

A Champagne-and-oyster bar in The Lanes serving fresh shellfish and seafood at marble counters in a glamorous, candlelit room. There's a seafront sibling, but the Lanes original is the atmospheric one. Best for oysters and fizz or a celebratory seafood dinner.

A tiny Lanes gelateria churning small batches of inventive, ever-changing flavours, from classic pistachio to wild experiments. The queue and the rotating board tell you it's the local favourite. Best for an after-wander scoop of something unusual.

A bright Seven Dials brunch spot serving a daily breakfast-into-lunch menu, known for its signature loaded hash plates with nduja, salmon, or veg. It's the neighbourhood's go-to weekend table. Best for a hearty, well-executed brunch in Seven Dials.

A long-running Seven Dials cafe that locals lean on for big, reliable brunches and good coffee in an easygoing room. It's an unpretentious neighbourhood staple. Best for a no-fuss breakfast or brunch away from the seafront crowds.

A Hove gastropub worth the journey for its standout Sunday roast, strong wine list, and seasonal British cooking in a smart, relaxed room. It's the kind of local that draws people across town. Best for a proper Sunday roast or a relaxed gastropub dinner in Hove.

An independent Hove cafe on Third Avenue near the seafront, known for inventive brunch like French-toast-battered crumpet stacks and strong plant-based options. The bright room and sea-adjacent setting make it a Hove favourite. Best for a creative brunch after a seafront walk.

A warm, characterful North Laine backstreet pub with no music or machines, just good beer, honest pub food, and walls covered in old tins stuffed with visitors' notes. It's the pub locals send visitors to. Best for a proper pint and pub lunch in a genuine old boozer.

A French bistro-cafe at the top of North Laine doing croque monsieur, a bistro Full English, pastries, and good coffee in a cheerful corner spot. It's a charming, all-day French-leaning stop. Best for a relaxed French breakfast or lunch with proper coffee.

A dramatic dry chalk valley on the South Downs just north of the city, with sweeping views over the Weald and breezy ridge walks from the National Trust land. On a clear day you can see for miles. Best for a moderate ridge walk and the big-sky views, with a bus straight from town.

One of the highest points on the South Downs, a chalk summit on the South Downs Way with panoramic views and a stiff climb for cyclists tackling the London-to-Brighton route. The ridge walking either side is glorious. Best for a higher, more challenging Downs walk with the best views around.

A large country park on the city's northern edge with a historic village, woodland trails, walled gardens, and downland beyond, backing onto the university. It's the easiest big green escape from the city. Best for a woodland-and-village walk with a cafe stop, easy to reach by bus.

The long, flat seafront path running from Hove Lawns past the piers to Brighton Marina, lined with beach bars, sculptures, and the lower-promenade arches. It's the city's default walk, run, and cycle route. Best for an easy, scenic seafront stroll with endless places to stop.

A flat, traffic-free path running east beneath the white chalk cliffs from Brighton Marina to Rottingdean and Saltdean, with the sea on one side and the cliffs on the other. It's an easy, bracing coastal walk. Best for a flat seaside walk to a village pub and back.

A pocket of open downland on the city's east side above East Brighton Park, with a Neolithic causewayed enclosure, grazing, and wide views back over the city and out to sea. It's an overlooked local viewpoint. Best for a short downland walk with city-and-sea views close to town.

A lively museum in the Royal Pavilion gardens with strong collections of decorative arts, fashion, and local history, plus the city's own story told with personality. It's compact, eclectic, and central. Best for an hour of art and Brighton history beside the Pavilion.

A slender 162-metre seafront observation tower with a glass pod that glides up for 360-degree views over the city, the sea, and the South Downs. There's a bar in the pod for a 'flight' with a drink. Best for a clear-day or sunset ride with a drink in hand.

The world's oldest operating aquarium, housed in an atmospheric Victorian building with a walk-through ocean tunnel, rays, and turtles. The historic architecture sets it apart from modern aquariums. Best for a family visit and the Victorian-vaulted tunnel.

The oldest operating electric railway in the world, a charming little seafront train trundling along the beach from near the pier to the Marina since 1883. It's a slow, nostalgic ride with sea views. Best for a fun, low-key seafront trip, especially with kids.

The city's flagship arts venue, a converted Regency riding house hosting concerts, comedy, dance, and the Brighton Festival across multiple halls. It's the centre of the city's cultural life. Best for an evening concert or comedy show in a historic setting.

A handsome Georgian theatre in the centre staging touring drama, musicals, and pre-West-End runs in an intimate, ornate auditorium. It's the city's traditional theatre. Best for an evening of touring theatre near the Lanes.

A North Laine institution mixing comedy, cabaret, live music, and club nights across multiple spaces, including the long-running Komedia Comedy Club. It's where Brighton goes for a lively night out. Best for a comedy or cabaret night with dinner-and-show options.

A beloved seafront live-music venue in a Victorian tea-room building on Madeira Drive, hosting touring bands and club nights in an intimate, sweaty room. It's the city's classic gig venue. Best for an evening gig right on the seafront.

Britain's oldest continuously operating cinema, an Edwardian picture house at Preston Circus crowned with its famous can-can-legs sign, showing indie and classic films with a bar upstairs. It's a Brighton institution. Best for a film in a piece of cinema history, with a drink before.

An acclaimed Brighton craft brewery with a lively taproom on Elder Place near London Road, pouring a wide range of its own beers to a local crowd, with pizza from a resident kitchen. It's the city's go-to for serious local beer. Best for an evening of craft beer in a relaxed, local taproom.

George IV's extravagant seaside pleasure palace, an Indo-Islamic fantasy of domes and minarets outside and Chinese-inspired opulence within. There's nothing else like it in Britain, and the restored interiors are jaw-dropping. Best for a tour of the banqueting room and music room, then the gardens.

The classic Victorian pleasure pier stretching over the sea, all fairground rides, arcades, fish-and-chip stalls, and Edwardian charm lit up at night. It's the cheerfully tacky heart of the seafront. Best for a sunset walk to the end and the fairground lights after dark.

A maze of narrow medieval alleyways packed with antique dealers, jewellers, independent boutiques, and historic pubs in the oldest part of town. Getting pleasantly lost is the point. Best for an afternoon of browsing antiques and ducking into tucked-away cafes.

Brighton's bohemian quarter, a grid of streets crammed with vintage shops, record stores, street art, indie cafes, and the city's countercultural spirit. It's where Brighton's character is loudest. Best for a wander through the quirkiest, most independent shopping in the city.

The city's pebble beach and seafront, lined with the promenade, beach bars, and the Victorian arches, running between the two piers. It's the gravelly, characterful heart of Brighton's seaside identity. Best for a seafront stroll, a deckchair, and a drink at an arch bar.

The skeletal, sea-stranded ruins of a once-grand Victorian pier, now a hauntingly beautiful landmark especially at dusk when starling murmurations swirl above it. It's the most atmospheric photo subject on the coast. Best at sunset, ideally when the starlings are wheeling overhead in winter.

Brighton's grand Regency quarter and bohemian village rolled into one, with sweeping cream crescents around Lewes Crescent and a lively, LGBTQ-friendly high street of indie shops and cafes. It's elegant and offbeat at once. Best for a wander of the Regency squares and the village high street.

Hove's grandest piece of Regency planning, a sweeping square of cream terraces opening onto the seafront, quieter and more genteel than central Brighton. The architecture and the seafront setting make a lovely stroll. Best for an elegant wander through Regency Hove away from the crowds.