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Getting there
- 1
Victoria
Start
- 2
Direct train to Brighton
~1 hr
- 3
Walk down to the sea
~15 min
Thameslink trains also run to Brighton from central London. Prices and times change: check before you go, on National Rail.
Highlights
Perfect for
- Beach day
- Quirky shopping
- Easy and cheap
- Late dinner
Plan your day
- MorningRoyal Pavilion and the Lanes
- AfternoonSeafront and Palace Pier
- EveningFish and chips, train home
About Brighton
Brighton is a seaside resort in the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, about 76 km (47 miles) south of London.
It became a fashionable resort in the Georgian era with the patronage of the Prince Regent, later King George IV, who built the Royal Pavilion. After the railway arrived in 1841 it grew into a popular destination for day-trippers from London, and many of its seafront landmarks, including the Palace Pier and the Grand Hotel, date from the Victorian era.
Background from Brighton (Wikipedia) (opens in new tab), read on Nov 1, 2026.
Before you go
Brighton is about 76 km (47 miles) from central London in a straight line, measured from Charing Cross; the rail route is longer. Trains leave from London Victoria. Our rail tickets guide explains Advance, Off-Peak and Anytime tickets, railcards and split tickets, so you can work out which fare suits a day out. On the day, check National Rail for delays and engineering works before you set off.
Opening times, tickets and closures for Royal Pavilion are on its official website. For sights that can need a timed ticket, see what to book ahead.
Areas to explore in Brighton & Hove
Our Brighton & Hove guide is split into 4 areas, each with things to do, places to eat, where to stay and how to get there.
- The Lanes & seafront: Narrow shopping lanes, the Palace Pier, the i360 and the pebble beach in the centre of Brighton (18 things to do)
- North Laine & the Royal Pavilion: The Royal Pavilion, the Dome and the independent streets between the station and the Old Steine (16 things to do)
- Kemptown: Regency crescents, Volk's Electric Railway, the aquarium and St James's Street east of the pier (14 things to do)
- Hove: Regency squares, beach huts, Church Road and George Street west of the Peace Statue (19 things to do)
Weather through the year
Met Office 1991-2020 averages for the Shoreham Airport station (opens in new tab), the one we use for Brighton & Hove. Daylight is calculated for Brighton on the 15th of the month. These are averages, not a forecast.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Days with 1 mm+ rain | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.2°C | 2.4°C | 12.7 | 8 h 25 |
| April | 13.1°C | 5.2°C | 9.1 | 13 h 49 |
| July | 20.9°C | 13.0°C | 7.6 | 16 h 00 |
| October | 15.5°C | 8.4°C | 11.6 | 10 h 31 |
Every month, with sunshine and packing notes: when to go to Brighton & Hove.
Closest other day trips
Measured in a straight line from Brighton, so the journey between them will be longer. Use the journey planner to see whether a direct train runs.
- Windsor: about 80 km away
- Stonehenge: about 125 km away
- Oxford: about 129 km away
For where to eat, stay and walk, see Our Brighton & Hove guide.
More day trips
Windsor~40 min 
Oxford~1 hr 
Bath~1.5 hr 
Cambridge~1 hr 
Stonehenge~1.5 hr + bus 
York1 hr 46 min 
Bristolabout 1 hr 40 min 
Cardiffaround 1 hr 50 min 
Liverpooljust over 2 hr 
The CotswoldsTrain and bus 
Blenheim PalaceTrain and bus Photos from Wikimedia Commons: Palace Pier, Arild Vågen (CC BY-SA 4.0); The Lanes, Paul Gillett (CC BY-SA 2.0); Pebble beach seafront, Roger Kidd (CC BY-SA 2.0); North Laine shops, Mat Fascione (CC BY-SA 2.0); Volk's Electric Railway, mattbuck (CC BY-SA 4.0); header, Royal Pavilion, Fenliokao (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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