Even though I work for VisitBrighton, I still love coming to the city as a visitor. You would think it would be a bit of a busman’s holiday, but I actually relish the chance to switch roles and be a visitor rather than a marketeer.

Now that I’m back in work-mode though I thought it might be helpful to share my itinerary with you, so this is how I spent 24 Hours in Brighton...

Travel

We decided to get the train into Brighton, we live in East Sussex, so it was a pleasant journey along the coast. As we were travelling on a Sunday there was only one direct train an hour but extra carriages had been put on so there was plenty of room.

→ Top Tip – Book in advance for the best deals.

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Accommodation

As we were only staying for one night we needed somewhere central and it’s hard to beat the ibis hotel when it comes to location. Once you leave the train station, it’s easy to spot the familiar red logo just a few feet in front of you. Check-in was a quick and easy process meaning we were soon ready to head back out to see the city.

→ Top Tip – Make sure you have ID with you (e.g. driver’s licence, passport) as this is part of the check-in process. I don’t normally have any with me and I'm not quite sure what happens if you forget it!

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Afternoon Activity

After leaving the hotel we set off for a wander around the North Laine as this area feels like the heart of Brighton. There's street art around almost every corner as well as a wide variety of independent shops, galleries, cafés and bars. There is also a lovely community atmosphere, and we spotted that one of the residential roads had been closed off for a street party.

→ Top Tip – Save time for Snooper’s Paradise, you never know what you’ll stumble across at this quirky indoor flea market. My partner was tempted by the vintage wood-working tools while a bejewelled skull caught my eye.

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Food & Drink

After all that wandering it was time to refuel and while there are a lot of places to choose from, for us there was really only one option – UnBarred. Even though the taproom was busy, the atmosphere was laid-back, and the staff were their usual friendly & helpful selves. I was keen to try their new Grapefruit Collins, and it did not disappoint, I love a sour beer, and this one hit the spot perfectly.  UnBarred are partners with Fatto a Mano meaning you can have a scrumptious pizza to go with your delicious beer – no wonder we love it here. We decided to keep it simple with a margarita pizza and a portion of fries. I wouldn’t normally have chips with pizza but the rosemary & garlic topping make these incredibly moreish.

→ Top Tip – On Sundays a pint of the Casual Pale is just £5

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Evening event

We returned to the hotel for a quick freshen-up and then it was time to head to Brighton Dome for the reason we were on this mini-break in the first place. We had tickets for a Journey into the Cosmos with Colonel Chris Hadfield. If you don’t happen to be a space geek then that name may not be instantly recognisable, but you will probably remember seeing an astronaut on the International Space Station singing David Bowie’s Space Oddity? Yes? Well, that’s Chris Hadfield.

He is one of those people that ought to be really annoying as there is seemingly nothing he cannot do. Apart from being an astronaut, he’s flown fighter jets, speaks several languages, sings, plays music, writes books and is also an excellent speaker.  Chris Hadfield was a thoroughly entertaining and engaging speaker, his love & enthusiasm for space travel is infectious. I particularly liked it when he was mocking Hollywood for always making astronauts appear dour and intense when in actual fact, they are ecstatic as it’s a really cool thing to be doing. He has been fascinated with space since early childhood and there were moments when he was talking when you could see he had regressed back to the wonder and awe he felt at 6 years old. That enthusiasm is inspiring, don’t get me wrong I don’t mean I’m suddenly making plans to travel into space, but it does leave you with a sense of hope. That if there are people like that in the world then perhaps it isn’t as doomed as the media would have us think it is.

During the interval it struck me that this stunning venue does truly have an eclectic programme of events happening under its roof. Here I was enjoying a lecture on space travel in the same venue where I’ve previously seen Sandi Toksvig talking about her latest book; I’ve danced to Editors; I’ve laughed with Ross Noble; been baffled by Jerry Springer the Opera and amazed by athletic acrobats. I wonder what I’ll see here next...

→ Top Tip  – Allow time to grab a drink at the bar as the prices are on a par with the pubs and they stock Sussex suppliers.

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Day Two

As I work in Brighton my day two has involved coming into the office but if I was a visitor then I’d use the morning to enjoy a stroll along the prom as it tends to be quieter in the morning; most people don’t arrive until the afternoon. I’d perhaps have a ride on the Volks Railway and get a coffee and a pastry at Sea Lanes before heading back to the city centre to visit the spectacular Royal Pavilion.

→ Top Tip  – Save your entry ticket to the Royal Pavilion as it's actually an annual pass so you can pop back again as many times as you like over the next 12 months.

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Lunch

Commuters still need lunch so on my break I decided to forget having a sandwich at my desk and instead return to my 24 Hours in Brighton itinerary.  We headed over to Trading Post on Ship Street and while I adore their triple-decker bacon sandwiches; this time I opted for scrambled eggs on sourdough toast with baked beans as a side. My other half went for the Bacon & Maple pancakes with scrambled eggs and we both devoured everything and had no regrets over breaking away from our traditional order.

→ Top Tip  – The choice of coffee blends can be confusing, so I recommend the Mono Loco, it has a good, strong coffee taste but the hint of chocolate takes away any bitterness.

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Afternoon

If I was pure visitor rather than someone trying to combine a trip with their commute, then this afternoon I’d either be exploring The Lanes or enjoying the view from the Brighton i360 but in this instance I actually headed back to the office.

→ Top Tip  – Be flexible. Some activities do need be planned in advance but when you are visiting Brighton it is always a good idea to have a bit of wiggle room as you never know what you are going to discover next – even if you work here!  

Tomorrow I will return to being a regular commuter, but I am glad that instead of just seeing the show at Brighton Dome we decided to stay over and turn it into a mini-break and I’m sure it won’t be long before I find an excuse to visit Brighton again.

Charlotte

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^{All photographs were taken by the writer with the exception of the ibis which was taken from the hotel's listing and the North Laine sign which was captured by Chris Harrison.} 

^{Please note this post has not been sponsored, none of the activities mentioned were gifted or discounted. All costs and expenses were covered by the writer as this was a genuine visit and was not originally intended to be a blog post.}