Brighton, Your Perfect Summer Destination Outside London

London is fascinating. You’d see tons of tourist attractions, tempting food options, a wide array of shopping destinations and a diverse culture. Not to mention, there are over 300 different languages spoken within Greater London area spoken by Londoners and tourists from all over the world.

I travel towards Central London daily for work (officially an OFW here) and gliding within London is just easy peasy with their world famous London Underground or the Londoners call it – The Tube. In New York they call it the Subway and in Singapore it’s called MRT. The big city life could get overwhelming and at times a quick escape from this busy and bustling capital could be beneficial. I thought it would be nice to introduce you to Brighton.

Brighton is a seaside city resort in Southern England. It is an hour by train from London Victoria Train Station. Among all the towns and cities that I have explored in the UK, Brighton is a unique one. For the lack of a better term – it’s lively and jolly. The city can just be explored by foot so commuting shouldn’t be a problem. Here are a couple of places worth visiting within Brighton:

1. The Royal Pavilion – It’s a distinctive Asian-style palace built for the late King George IV, with restored rooms, gardens and tours. This historic palace is a mixture of India with its outside architecture; and China with the interiors. Its garden is full of shrubs, flowers and trees collected by the Royals since the 1800’s. This is a perfect spot for picnics!
2. Brighton Pier – I’m afraid I have to tell you this. It’s not really a pier where boats dock, it’s a mini amusement park that opened in 1899 and home to fairground rides, bars, restaurants. It’s not a typo, yes it opened in 1899. This is what I love about Britain, they love preserving almost everything. Brighton Pier is perfect for kids (and kids at heart!).
3. Brighton Beach – One thing most Filipinos would be looking is the shore but sadly it’s so cold to even take a dip in the water. If you’re missing the Philippine breeze, this is the closest that you could get. Food is a not a problem as there are stalls of desserts, fish and chips readily available should you get hungry. There are also deckchairs (for rent) for you to cool down and enjoy the scenic sea view.
4. Brighton Town Center – Brighton is relatively small but it offers tons of recreation and food spots. Oriental and South Asian food for takeaways (take out) scatter around the town centre. Pubs and restaurants are also present should you fancy some English cuisines.

Brighton is also perfect for art lovers and for night outs. Pubs offer happy hours from 5-10pm. If you drink some booze to end your day, it’s half the price for all drinks. Definitely, Brighton is on top of my to-go list for UK summer destinations.

Vic Madriaga handles the social media for a big medical organization in Central London. Join his London and UK adventures, visit www.vicmadz.com or follow him on Twitter & Instagram @vicmadz and fb.com/vicmadz on Facebook. Email: vicmadz@live.com.