Top Five Things That Surprised Me About Brighton, UK
When I booked my trip to Brighton, UK, I honestly knew very little of the British city. Really all I knew was that it’s a beach town!
Well, as you can imagine, when I arrived knowing so little of Brighton, lots of things about it surprised me!
In fact, this trip to Brighton was my first time in the United Kingdom at all. So of course everything felt especially new and interesting.
If I had been to the UK, or if I had done any research, I’m sure I could have figured out these things that surprised me about Brighton.
In any case, I hope you find this post to be entertaining, as I list the top five things that surprised me about this British beach town.
And I do want to say, I really enjoyed my trip to Brighton. It’s a charming town, with lots of character and plenty to do. And I’m sure it helped that it was sunny all weekend—a rarity for the area, so I’ve heard.
Here are the top five things that surprised me about Brighton, UK.
1. The Brighton beach is rocky.
I’ve never been to a completely rocky beach before, so you can imagine my surprise when I stepped onto Brighton’s beach and found rocks instead of sand. I guess rocky beaches are common on the English channel, but since this was my first visit, I didn’t know!
Luckily, the rocks have mostly been smoothed by the water, so they’re fairly comfortable to sit on. And the rocks also mean you won’t be getting sand in your shoes on Brighton’s beach—although you might end up taking home a couple of pebbles instead.
2. Brighton is very LGBTQIA+ friendly.
Brighton is actually very well-known for being LGBTQIA+ friendly! Rainbow and equality flags fly from apartments, restaurants, bars, and cafes throughout the city. And there are several gay bars and pubs.
If I would have looked up much information on Brighton before arriving, I’m sure I would have found this out online. In any case, it was a very pleasant surprise upon my arrival.
3. Brighton has lots of green spaces.
Since Brighton is a beach town, I didn’t expect it to have as many public green spaces as it does. Throughout the city, there are plenty of parks, and around the outskirts, there are even some walking and hiking trails in forested areas.
Some of Brighton’s bigger parks include the Level and Queen’s Park. But smaller fields and other green spaces can be found all around the city.
4. Brighton’s public busses are all double decker.
Now, if you’ve visited the UK before—or if you’ve done more research than I had—this one probably won’t surprise you. Before I arrived in Brighton, I didn’t know that double decker busses were so common throughout the UK.
So you can imagine my surprise when I saw that all of the public busses had two floors!
If you want some to get some nice views of the city, I recommend hopping on one of these busses and heading to the second floor.
5. Brighton has lots of cool local shops.
Based on my experience in Brighton, it seems like the city—and its tourists—support local businesses, from cafes and restaurants to artisan shops. I love this about Brighton!
The North Laine neighborhood is well known for its boutique shops and vintage stores. It’s a fun area to stroll around and window shop, or just take in the often lively atmosphere.
There you have it: the top five things that surprised me about Brighton, UK.
I hope you get a chance to visit one day! And I hope I get a chance to return!
