Today I’m kicking off a new series of guides on Ellie & Co to Brighton’s best neighbourhoods I hope you’ll find useful if you’re planning a trip to the seaside, or even a big move.
Each week over the coming months, I’ll share a guide to a different Brighton neightbourhood, filled with local tips on whree to eat, drink, shop, stay and things to do.
Best Brighton Neighbourhoods
This is because one of the things I love most about living in Brighton is having adventures on my doorstep. I enjoy wandering around the different neighbourhoods, taking in all the details of their colourful streets, and have lots of insights to share.
To get you in the mood, here’s a flavour of each of the seven Brighton neighbourhoods we’ll discover together:
1 SEVEN DIALS, BRIGHTON
Seven Dials – or ‘The Dials’, as locals call it – is a small, affluent and attractive hilltop neighbourhood in Brighton, a mile north from the seafront.
It has lots going for it: picturesque, leafy, quiet residential roads, a cute buzzy high street – and the best location five minutes from Brighton station for trips to London and other south coast destinations like Hastings and the pretty historic town of Lewes in the South Downs National Park.
It’s also easily walkable from central Brighton shops and seafront, but far enough away to give respite. It hides some of the city’s most beautiful architecture, too. It feels sophisticated yet cool, with a pleasant atmosphere.
Even though it’s compact, there are enough things to do here to fill a slow day, including a couple of fascinating Brighton museums and a unique art gallery, as well as plenty of independent shops, cafes, bars and restaurants, to hang out in to feel like a local.
Read my full guide to the Seven Dials neighbourhood of Brighton here, featuring tips on where to eat, drink, shop, stay and what to do.
2 Kemptown, Brighton
Kemptown is an eclectic neighbourhood of Brighton. It runs for about a mile from Black Rock by the Marina in the east to the end of St James’ Street, just short of the Palace Pier.
It’s a tangle of little streets lined with historic terraced houses sandwiched between Edward Street (which becomes Eastern Street further east) in the north and Marine Parade by the seafront.
I like to think of Kemptown as a trio of distinctive parts: the historic Kemp Town Estate, Kemptown Village and St James’s Street.
The Kemp Town Estate with its whitewashed Regency-era townhouses is centred around the Kemp Town Enclosures; quiet Kemptown village with its delis, cafes, antique shops and bars; then hedonistic St James’s Street, long associated with LGBTQ culture, where rainbow flags decorate many of the bars, clubs and cafés lining it.
I often enjoy a weekend walk around Kemptown, and a browse in its village shops, before hitting the beach or have an outdoor sauna session. In some places, you might feel you’re in London’s Chelsea.
Read my full guide to the Kemptown neighbourhood of Brighton here, featuring tips on where to eat, drink, shop, stay and what to do.
3 Brunswick Town, Hove
Brunswick Town is a stylish Hove neighbourhood close to the seafront, home to Regency-era architecture, independent cafes, restaurants, bars and shops.
It stretches east to west roughly from the Paris House pub on Western Road, the Lion and Lobster pub on Sillwood Street and my secret Brighton cafe, to Grand Avenue by Hove Lawns with its colourful beach huts.
It’s home to several historic seafront squares, including Brunswick Square, one of the first upper-class housing developments to have been built in the seaside city – the first was in Kemptown.
It’s easy to spend a lazy morning or afternoon wandering and weaving around Brunswick Town, armed with treats from The Real Patisserie nearby.
Read my full guide to the Brunswick neighbourhood of Hove here, featuring tips on where to eat, drink, shop, stay and what to do.
4 London Road, Brighton
The gritty graffiti-covered London Road area is not as well-known outside Brighton as other parts of the city might be, but it has an interesting personality and is well worth exploring.
It’s set between the south end of Preston Park, the New England quarter and the Level green space with its cool skate park. It has a distinctive artistic, young vibe that gives it an intriguing edge that other parts of Brighton don’t have.
Here you’ll find a beautiful vintage cinema called the Duke of York’s – also the country’s oldest cinema – perfect for date nights, the eclectic Open Market, offering a global feast from Mexico to Greece under one roof, charity shops, organic food emporiums not to mention a handful of quirky independent restaurants and cafes.
Read my full guide to the London Road neighbourhood of Brighton here, featuring tips on where to eat, drink, shop, stay and what to do.
5 North Laine, Brighton
The North Laine is Brighton’s most visited central neighbourhood, famous for its mix of eclectic, bohemian independent shops selling everything from guitars and African drums to Bonsai Trees and comics.
Many of the city’s vintage shops and flea markets are at home here. It’s also where you’ll find a great deli and French restaurant
As well as the city’s centre for indy shopping, there are residential streets, too, lined with whitewashed Regency cottages. Life in the North Laine gets going early, especially at the weekend when it’s centred around café culture.
Soak it up on Gardner Street, which come Saturday and Sunday closes to cars and fills with little tables and chairs that spill out from all the little cafes along here.
Read my full guide to the North Laine neighbourhood of Brighton here, featuring tips on where to eat, drink, shop, stay and what to do.
6 Hanover, Brighton
Hanover is a compact hilly neighbourhood on the east side of Brighton bordering Queen’s Park, not far from Kemptown. It has a buzzy, friendly atmosphere, and is popular with couples, student groups and families.
It’s Brighton’s hilliest neighbourhood and if you decide to go for a stroll around it, you’ll probably want to walk slowly to save your energy for the steepest bits.
It’s mostly residential, its steep streets lined with small pastel-coloured terraced houses, but has a small handful of shops, a few cafes, the odd takeaway and LOADS of pubs including a pub with the best sunset view.
Read my full guide to the Hanover neighbourhood of Brighton, here, featuring tips on where to eat, drink, shop, stay and what to do.
7 Fiveways, Brighton
This unpretentious, leafy area of Brighton is a couple of miles north of the Palace Pier and a short walk from London Road mentioned above. It’s centred around five junctions at the top of the hill where Preston Drove and Ditchling Road meet.
Fiveways is the furthest from the seafront and city centre of all the Brighton neighbourhoods in this list. This makes it the perfect peaceful escape hatch if you like dipping in and out of the city centre action.
It has a friendly, down-to-earth atmosphere and streets lined with Victorian terraced houses, some set within a stunning conservation area.
Although it looks thin on amenities at first glance, you can get most essentials in the area – from organic eggs and local meat to refills and great coffee – which means you can avoid going into town if you’re not in the mood.
Read my full guide to the Fiveways neighbourhood of Brighton here, featuring tips on where to eat, drink, shop, stay and what to do.
Which Brighton neighbourhood will you explore first?
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