From coffee shops and restaurants to independent stores galore, Brighton has almost everything London does, along with the added bonus of a picturesque miles-long beach.
But while trains down to the East Sussex coast may only take around an hour, tickets aren’t exactly cheap, and if you don’t have a railcard, a jaunt to the seaside can cost you nearly £38 each way. Ouch.
Now, a brand-new bus route has come to save the day, connecting the two cities for as little as £4.49 (AKA, the rough cost of a bougie iced latte in the Brighton Lanes).
The twice-daily FlixBus service, which welcomes its first passengers on June 13, does take a little longer than the train at around 2 hours and 25 minutes. However, it’s certainly a lot cheaper – a fair enough trade-off for travellers on tight budgets.
It isn’t just Brighton that’ll be put on the transport firm’s map, but Cambridge too, with direct tickets from London Stratford starting at just £4.99.
This line will run four times a day, and forms part of Flixbus’s largest ever expansion UK services, joining new routes to the likes of Bournemouth, Newquay and Truro.
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‘Londoners now have even more affordable, sustainable and reliable travel options for weekend getaways, airport connections and visiting friends and family this summer,’ said FlixBus UK’s senior managing director Andreas Schorling.
‘Brighton is an iconic British destination and we’re excited to offer a direct route from the capital just in time for the warmer months.’
Things to do in Brighton
Already planning your summer day trip? If you’re heading to the beach, a visit to the pier is essential – even just for a quick go on the penny falls.
But Brighton is known for its array of brunch options, so before you fill up on candyfloss, check out Café Rust in Brighton, Kemptown and Hove, or its spin-off Rust Oven, which exclusively serves up pastries. We’ll take five croissants to go, please.
If eggs are a non-negotiable for you, then Oeuf (closer to Hove) is a local favourite. The restaurant is equally famous for Frumpets – so much so that there’s even a trademark – comprised of a stack of three French toast-battered crumpets.
For pubs, The Urchin, The Basketmakers Arms, and The Hole in the Wall are all strong options, while the seafront Bison Beach Bar will have you tempted to pack it all in and move down to the coast, frozen marg in hand.
It even overlooks the lido-style Sea Lanes Brighton swimming pool, a self-described ‘stepping stone to the sea’ right on the shoreline.
Or, if you’re brave enough to do a little bit of a cool dip and sauna, the Luna Hut Sea Lanes and Beach Box Spa aren’t far away.
On the shopping front, no visit to Brighton would be complete without a potter around the Lanes, one of the quirkiest parts of the city that dates back to the 16th century.
A short walk away, the North Laine is home to Brighton essentials including Resident record store – which often hosts live music – and Snoopers Paradise, a vintage shop with 90 stalls under one iconic roof.
Here, you’ll find many an oddity, original editions of The Face magazine, and retro fashion finds in their droves. Plus, there’s a pretty cool photobooth to make a memory of your day.
Visitors and locals alike can’t get enough of Brighton either – as it’s previously been hailed as an ‘oasis of niceness’ (a very accurate description, in our opinion) with ‘friendly people and great culture.’
Over on the r/Brighton Subreddit, @gamecatuk notes that the city’s proximity to the South Downs makes it both ‘truly beautiful and full of surprises.’
‘I’m a proud Brightonian and having lived in Bristol, Exeter, and London, nowhere comes close to this unique city,’ they write. ‘Then again, I have salt in my veins.’
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