There’s nowhere quite like Brighton. Within one city, you’ll find a traditional seaside resort, an uber-trendy university town of unique shops and swanky bars, and a chic holiday destination crammed with boutique hotels and big-name restaurants. This is a place with charm and charisma in spades – no wonder more than eight million people flock here each year.

Regency Grandeur

Brighton was once a humble fishing village known as Brighthelmstone. The first sign that things were on the up came in the mid-1700s, when an obliging local doctor prescribed the seawater here as a remedy. By the 1780s, Brighton’s elegant Regency terraces were going up and George, Prince of Wales (later the Prince Regent), came to see what all the fuss was about. He liked it so much that he ordered the flamboyant Royal Pavillion to be built as his own private holiday pad. It’s still Brighton’s most iconic building, with an exterior that looks like it’s been transplanted from Rajasthan and an interior decked out like an Oriental palace.

Boom Town

When the railway line from London was completed in 1841, Brighton became accessible to the capital’s working class daytrippers overnight. During the ensuing boom years those prolific Victorian developers built the famous Grand Hotel, the West Pier and the Palace Pier.

The 20th century strengthened Brighton’s position as one of country’s most popular seaside resorts. It was immortalised in books like Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock and films like 1979’s Quadrophenia. To many, the image of a young Mod in a sharp suit astride a Vespa, with the town as atmospheric backdrop, sums up Brighton as much as its pebbled beach and pair of piers.

Brighton in the 21st Century

Brighton today has something for everyone. An air of old-fashioned charm still pervades the seafront, where you can take the weight off your feet on one of the benches that line the promenade and enjoy an ice-cream or a fish and chip supper. For more upmarket fare, Jamie’s Italian is the famous Mr Oliver’s latest opening. For something a bit more traditional in genteel surroundings, you can’t beat the King’s Restaurant at the Grand Hotel.

Shopaholics should head straight for ‘The Lanes’ and North Laine. The winding roads of the Lanes are the last vestiges of medieval Brighton’s street plan but the retail experience is anything but past-it, with jewellery, antiques and clothes shops a speciality. Head to North Laine for more unusual shops and cosmopolitan cafes – perfect for an idle afternoon of people-watching.

Sandwiched between the beautiful South Downs and the sea, Brighton has carved out a clever niche for itself – appealing as much to those seeking traditional British seaside pleasures as those wanting to be seen at the latest chic restaurant. It might be affectionately known as London-by-the-Sea but there’s little doubt that Brighton has a unique identity of its own.

5 things you shouldn’t miss

• Afternoon tea at the King’s Restaurant - Reputed to be one of the finest examples of high tea in the land, enjoy the elegant surroundings of Brighton’s most famous hotel.



• Brighton Museum & Art Gallery - Forget boring display cases and dusty exhibitions, Brighton’s museum offers a fantastic costume gallery and lots more besides.



• Brighton Marina - This rejuvenated area boasts Europe’s largest marina, with 1,600 berths. Trendy shops, bars and restaurants have breathed new life into the place.



• Brighton Rock tour - This fascinating walking tour visits all the locations used in the original screen version of the 1930s-set thriller.



• The Volks - The first electric railway to be opened in the world, in 1883, you can still take a ride along the beach on this historical line.

So what are you waiting for?