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Travel to Brighton

Flying to Brighton

Gatwick Airport is halfway between London and Brighton, 45km (28 miles) from either city. Flights to London Gatwick are available from a wide range of international airlines and low-cost carriers, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair and easyJet. Norwegian runs direct flights to the USA to Gatwick. There are a huge number of flights to choose from as London is a year-round destination, with the peak period for fares between June and September. If you're looking for cheap flights to London, consider flying during the shoulder periods during the spring or summer.

Flight times

To London: From New York - 7 hours; Los Angeles - 10 hours 30 minutes (to Heathrow); Toronto - 7 hours; Sydney - 24 hours 20 minutes (including stopover).

Travel by road

The UK has a well-maintained and safe road system. Traffic drives on the left, and drivers must be at least 17 years old. Speed limits are 113kph (70mph) on motorways, 97kph (60mph) on single-lane main roads and 48kph (30mph) in built-up areas. Overseas driving licences and International Driving Permits are valid for up to one year, and insurance is mandatory. Overseas visitors bringing their own cars should bring registration documents and check with their insurance company as to whether a Green Card is needed. The two major motoring organisations, the AA (tel: +44 121 275 3746; www.theaa.com) and the RAC (tel: +44 844 891 3111; www.rac.co.uk), are good sources of information.

Emergency breakdown services

AA (tel: 0800 887 766, in the UK); RAC (tel: 0800 828 282, in the UK).

Routes

Brighton is a 45-minute drive south along the M23/A23 from the M25 London orbital motorway. East-west traffic north of Brighton is served by the A27, which runs along the south coast. From Brighton it leads to Eastbourne and Hastings in the east and Worthing, Bognor Regis, Chichester and further on to Portsmouth in the west.

Coaches

Pool Valley Coach Station is the main bus and coach station in Brighton. All out-of-town services stop and start here. National Express (tel: +44 871 781 8181; www.nationalexpress.com) shuttle coaches run regularly to and from London.

Time to city

From London - 1 hour 30 minutes; from Cardiff - 3 hours 30 minutes; from Manchester - 4 hours 30 minutes; from Edinburgh - 8 hours.

Travel by Rail

Services

Brighton's main railway station is managed by Southern, which also operates a large rail network in the south of England. If you’re visiting The Lanes and the seafront attractions, you should alight at Brighton station on Queens Road, but there are also other railway stations throughout the Brighton area. For Hove County Cricket Ground, Hove Park and Hove Greyhound Stadium, alight at Hove station. It takes just three minutes by train to reach Hove from Brighton station, while it’s around a 40-minute walk between the two. For the large green expanse of Preston Park, a key celebration point for Brighton Pride, the nearest stations are London Road and Preston Park. For the Brighton and Hove Albion football ground, the AMEX Community Stadium, alight at Falmer station.

Operators

Thameslink (tel: +44 345 026 4700; www.thameslinkrailway.com) and Southern (tel: +44 345 127 2920; www.southernrailway.com) run frequent train services to Gatwick Airport and London. There are regular train services from Brighton to many local stations in the area surrounding the city. For train travel information, contact National Rail enquiries (tel: +44 345 748 4950; www.nationalrail.co.uk).

Journey times

From London - 50 minutes; from Manchester - 4 hours (including changes); from Cardiff - 4 hours (including changes); from Edinburgh - 6 hours (including changes).

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Featured Hotels

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Hotel du Vin

Boasting a convenient location between the Lanes conservation area and the beachfront, Hotel du Vin is an elegant Brighton hotel with 49 stylish bedrooms housed in a collection of gothic revival and mock Tudor buildings that dates back to 1695. Next door is the Pub du Vin, where sports heads can catch the latest matches on the big screen and get involved in the local plonk.

Hotel Pelirocco

Self-styled as ‘England’s Most Rock n’ Roll Hotel’, the Pelirocco wears its (tattooed) heart on its sleeve. With unique designs in each room, visitors can count sheep in sleeping quarters such as the Modrephenia (complete with scooter bedside table) and the Pretty Vacant (think: angry teenager’s bedroom with punk posters and guitars). For a naughty weekend away, the Nookii room is your best bet with its peep show shower and adult board games.

Seadragon

Suitable for the budget-conscious, this low-key hostel is set away from the hustle and bustle on a quiet residential side street in Hove. Rooms come with one, two or four beds, with shared facilities on each floor. It has stylish wooden floorboards, warm basement kitchens and a converted coal cellar for a chinwag.

The Grand Hotel

Brighton's most famous hotel and one of the only 5-star establishments in the city the The Grand’s elegant Victorian building enjoys a central seafront position. This extensive hotel has more than 200 lavishly appointed rooms and offers a stylish and luxurious base from which to explore the city. Its afternoon teas are world famous too.

Drakes Hotel

This Georgian townhouse is where the media set stay when they’re in town, with the likes of Sadie Frost and Woody Allen amongst its former guests. The interior combines orientalism and Indochine French design, and it pitches for laidback glamour. The onsite restaurant is fabulous, while the accompanying cocktail bar has an abundance of classics on offer - though mercifully no Sex On The Beach in sight.

The Granville

Styled as Brighton's original boutique hotel, The Granville exudes a thoroughly old school charm. Each of the 24 rooms are individually themed, so visitors can stay in the likes of the Noel Coward Room, with its art deco furniture, or the blue Lace Room with its Jacuzzi bath. Even Thomas Kemp, the local hero behind Kemp Town, has his own four walls.