Lady’s Brighton Winter Travel Guide

Brighton winter travel isn’t everyone’s idea of fun. Nobody sunbathes on the beach in England when temperatures are near freezing. But when VisitBrighton invited me on a press trip to the city in January, I accepted. I was curious to see how it would compare to my last trip to Brighton, which took place in much warmer weather.

Brighton Winter

My time in Brighton didn’t start off on the best note. My train from London was delayed, then Google Maps gave me bad directions to my hotel and I ended up wandering in the pouring rain for far longer than I needed to.

My accommodation, the Brighton Harbour Hotel & Spa, was in a great location, but by the time I dried off and set out to meet the rest of my group, I was an hour-and-a-half late for our tour of the city.

Brighton Tour

But as soon as I joined my fellow travel bloggers, the rain stopped and things started to look up.

Our tour guide, who was one of VisitBrighton’s official greeters, showed us some off-the-beaten-path parts of Brighton that I hadn’t seen on my first visit to this city on the seaside near London.

We started out at North Laine, an area full of colorful street art murals and funky shops in Brighton.

Everything from alternative clothing boutiques to organic grocery stores lined the shopping streets, and the residential areas around them were full of pastel colored houses set along impossibly narrow lanes.

North of there we saw St Bartholomew’s Church, which is the tallest church in England. Built in the 19th century, the imposing brick building looked more like a factory warehouse than a house of worship.

The interior was equally stark, but the tall patterned brick walls were pretty in spite of their austerity.

From the church we moved on to some of the more classic Brighton spots. These included The Lanes—narrow shopping streets full of jewelry stores and sweet shops—and the waterfront with its famous Brighton Pier.

The Royal Pavilion, which is one of the city’s most famous landmarks, was closed for maintenance works (one downside of Brighton winter travel), but we were still able to admire the exotic Romantic exterior.

Away from the tour, we also visited a local shop called the Big Bead Boutique, which sold all kinds of beads, bridal headpieces, and accessories.

The owner, Jo, also told us about the classes she holds and the children’s birthday parties that take place in the room below the shop.

Brighton Winter Comfort Food

All the walking around and shopping made us work up an appetite. It was a good thing, too, because we ate more in 2 days in Brighton than I’ve ever eaten in my life.

We started at The Cricketers, the oldest pub in Brighton. Delicious pies and pints by the fire were perfect on a cold Brighton winter afternoon.

Across the street from the pub was Food for Friends, a famous vegetarian restaurant in Brighton where we had dinner on our first night in the city.

Nightlife

Speaking of nights, each evening after dinner we went out to discover some of the famous nightlife in Brighton. On the first evening we went to the Latest Music Bar to hear live music from local bands.

The next night we started out at the bar at Lucky Voice, where some of us had candy-flavored shots.

From there we moved on to a pub called The Mesmerist. A group called The Swing Ninjas were playing, and all the people in the place were dancing their hearts out.

Brighton Winter Travel

After two days on the coast in East Sussex, I had seen and done enough to discover what Brighton winter travel was like.

The beach and the pier were uninviting and Brighton Pavilion was closed, but there was still a lot to entertain us on our travels. Not having to contend with large crowds was nice, too.

I could have used some warmer weather during our time outdoors, but overall the experience was a positive one for a second visit. Hopefully my third, fourth, and tenth will be equally good.

Find this post helpful? Buy me a coffee!

New here? Join thousands of others and subscribe to the A Lady in London blog via email.

Some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links. At no cost to you, I earn a small commission when you click on them and make a purchase. It doesn’t affect the way you shop, and it’s a great way to support the A Lady in London blog.

Pin it!