Brighton Seafront

Brighton's seafront is the heart of the city — a continuous sweep of pebble beach running roughly 5 miles from the boundary with Shoreham in the west to the Undercliff Walk east of Black Rock. For most visitors and residents, "the beach" means the central stretch between the two piers: the working-class bathers' beach around the Palace Pier (now called Brighton Pier), and the more sheltered strand near the West Pier ruins.

The beach itself is free and open at all times. The pebbles are striking — large, smooth flint and chalk stones worn by millennia of tidal action — but they make paddling an exercise in care, and bare feet are not recommended for long walks. There are no rip currents in the way a sandy beach would have them, but the shelving means the water drops away quickly. The sea temperature averages around 16°C in summer.

The Palace Pier is the centrepiece of Brighton's seafront. The 1,722-foot Victorian structure, opened in 1899, hosts an amusement arcade, fairground rides, and food stalls and is free to walk onto (rides cost extra). It draws millions of visitors a year. The ruins of the West Pier, closed in 1975, are a ghost-like counterpoint visible from the beach — a Grade I listed structure that cannot be rebuilt or demolished, simply weathering in the Channel.

The seafront promenade is walkable and cyclable at all times. The Beach Volleyball courts, the Zip Wire, and Brighton Sailing Club all operate from the beach. The arches under the promenade road house independent businesses: surf shops, food stalls, and art studios.