About an hour long train journey from central London is the beautiful, quaint sea-side town of Brighton. It’s filled with winding streets filled with tiny shops, cute seaside cafes, amazing lush gardens and (of course) the famous Brighton Pier!

It was for sure not the “beach” like I was used to in SoCal… rocks instead of sand and freezing wind instead of a hot breeze but it was still beautiful (in its own dreary kind of England way).

When we arrived we took a short walk from the train station to the sea side and stumbled right out on a perfect view of the pier! It looks like it is just out of some victorian story book and I definitely felt like I should be strolling along the boardwalk with a parasol or something fancy (even though it was about 40 degrees out).

As far as beach piers go, in my opinion this one TOTALLY beats out Santa Monica Pier by far! The arcade and the carousel probably tied for my favorite parts, it really does feel like you are back in time! This was a carousel that Walt Disney would approve of I’m sure.

The arcade reminded EXACTLY of being back home and going to the Balboa Pier Arcade that I have been going to since I was tiny. Although the “British” arcade prizes were funny to see, marshmallows wound around to look like a lollipop? and shot glasses? (I can confirm the weird marshmallow/ lollipop was pretty great, America take note)

Even though I was only there for a few hours the few restaurants that I got to try were phenomenal! (Although if its freezing and windy out it might not be a good idea to eat on the sea-side… no matter how pretty it looks…)

The winding roads of shops and cafes are called “The Lanes” which is a perfectly fitting name, they just wind around every which way and you are always stumbling across the cutest little corners and alleys (usually lit up with strings of fairy lights or being home to a very hipster coffee shop).

While walking around “The Lanes” we, quite literally, stumbled upon the Royal Pavilion which was literally breathtaking. We got there just as the sun was setting which meant we couldn’t look around inside but it seemed to be the perfect time to watch the sun set over the gorgeous gardens.

This palace, that was built for King George IV, is a mix of grand Regency styles and classic Indian architecture. It seemed very out of place in the best way possible. If King George IV wanted a palace that seemed like it was worlds away he really hit the nail on the head. While you walk through the gardens it really seems like you are on a different planet (or in a Jane Austen novel).

One day was definitely not enough to see all the gorgeousness that Brighton has to offer, I can’t wait to go back when it’s a little warmer out and see it in all its sunshine-y glory!