Brighton - a colourful, lively 'London-by-the-sea'

By Aliki Nassoufis Jun 8, 2010, 11:33 GMT

Brighton, England - When the Prince of Wales arrived in Brighton at the end of the 18th century, he found nothing but a small fishing village.

But after the man who later would become King George IV had a royal residence built there, the small coastal village became famous overnight. Many affluent people became curious about Brighton and began spending their holidays there. Brighton flourished and grew to become England's largest bathing resort.

But the city some 90 kilometres south of London has never become an elitist place for the trendy set. It is a university town as well and there are hundreds of cafes and restaurants, many art galleries and shopping opportunities, as well as a lively nightlife scene.

One of the best-known landmarks is the Royal Pavilion. Initially, Prince George had the rooms of his residence decorated in a lavish Chinese style. But then he had the building remodelled into a pavilion reflecting the influence of Indian architecture. To this day, the bright, ornate structure with its round towers and surrounding park remains a small oasis of calm in the middle of the city.

Just as firmly a part of the scenery is the more than 100-year-old Brighton Pier. Built in Victorian style, the white-timbered pier juts far out into the English Channel. In nice weather, residents and vacationers can lie back in folding chairs or on park benches to enjoy the sunshine, while the seagulls are circling noisily overhead and the waves are washing up onto the beach.

In the evening, the gaming halls on the pier fill up with fun-seekers, lured by the machines' brightly-blinking lights, who feed pence coins into the slots and celebrate when winning even the tiniest amount. Those who think of some tawdry gaming hall are wrong in this case. In Brighton, gaming takes place in an historic atmosphere dripping with a special charm.

Between the Royal Pavilion and Brighton Pier is the throbbing heart of the city: the 'lanes' now forming a pedestrian zone date back to the Middle Ages, with their narrow, winding streets today home to numerous boutiques, antiques stores, jewellery shops, bistros and pubs. A great place to get lost in.

In recent years, a further shopping district has evolved north of the Lanes, an area called North Laine. It is here where above all young artists are settling in and transforming the streets and buildings into a colourful mix, ranging from bio-bakeries to music shops, student pubs and clothing shops with eccentric fashions.

A little further on to the east is Kemp Town. Life here is also vibrant with many cafes, fashion stores and night clubs. Above all, Kemp Town has established itself as the focal point of Brighton's gay scene.

The great cultural variety on offer has earned Brighton the nickname 'London by the sea' and in fact, there's a lot to remind one of the metropolis, albeit on a much smaller scale. Brighton boasts more than 400 restaurants - a figure which in England is surpassed only by London.

It is especially in the summer that Brighton displays its special charm along the waterfront. The wide beach of rough pebbles stretches on for several kilometres. On the seaside promenade, the joggers are already out early in the morning, dogs are enjoying their walk and pedestrians are taking in the view.