Brighton - Transport

Brighton is quite a compact city and for many purposes the best way to move around is to walk. Still, bus travel in Brighton and Hove is easy and convenient thanks to a well developed network of routes and frequent services run by Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company (tel: (01273) 886 200; www.buses.co.uk). A Metro network of five bus lines (1, 5, 7, 25 and 49) provides excellent links across the central areas, with plenty of bus stops and buses running every few minutes during daytime. For general advice on travel options, the local council's public transport team can be contacted (tel: (01273) 292 480).

There are several taxi ranks in the city centre, and cabs can be hailed on the streets as well. Brighton & Hove City Cabs (tel: (01273) 205 205; www.205205.com), Brighton & Hove Radio Cabs (tel: (01273) 204 060; www.brightontaxis.com) and Streamline Taxis (tel: (01273) 202 020; www.202020taxis.com) are some of the city's taxi companies. Asian-style tuk tuks also made their appearance on the streets of Brighton in July 2006 (the first initiative of its kind in Europe) and Tuc Tuc Ltd (www.tuctuc.co.uk) now provides an alternative, eco-friendly form of transport in the city (they run on compressed natural gas with super low emission).

There are many car hire companies in Brighton. Alamo (tel: (01273) 202 426; www.alamo.co.uk), Europcar (tel: (01273) 329 332; www.europcar.co.uk) and National Car Rental (tel: (01273) 202 426; www.nationalcar.co.uk) are all situated centrally at Cannon Place. Hertz (tel: 0870 850 4882; www.hertz.co.uk) can be found at 1 Melville Road.

Bicycles can be hired from Planet Cycle Hire (tel: (01273) 748 881) on the Kings Road Promenade, near the remains of the West Pier. M's Cycle Hire (tel: 0785 298 6165/3; www.m-cyclehire.co.uk) delivers bicycles to customers' doorsteps, whether staying in a hotel, a bed & breakfast or any other place in the Brighton area.