New beachside openings make Brighton one of the best British seaside towns to visit this summer

Time Out’s guide to the best seaside towns in the UK to visit in 2026 covers destinations of all shapes and sizes. If you want quaint and family-friendly, go to Wells-next-to-the-Sea. If you want artsy, go to St Leonards and Hastings. If you want somewhere remote but bustling, go to Oban. And if you want to discover somewhere truly underrated, go to Cardigan. 

Some places on our list tend to fly under-the-radar but others are places that millions of Brits go back to time and time again for very good reason. One of those sits at number 11: the ever-dependable Brighton.

Time Out’s travel writer and Brighton local Liv Kelly said: ‘Yes, the pier is tacky, and yes, hen and stag dos tumble out of the train station at an alarming rate on the weekends, but Brighton strikes an unusual, perfect balance of having everything a good city should, in the shape of a seaside town.’

She points out that a flurry of new openings over the last few years has helped to give Brighton’s seafront a fresh lease of life and turn it into a ‘glossy hub’. There’s the Yellowave with its beach volleyball courts and café, the Sea Lanes open water swimming centre, Babble with its Mexican-inspired restaurant and packed calendar of community events, and Beach Box Sauna with its three wood-fired hot boxes on the shingle. 

Whether you have a dip at Sea Lanes or not, it’s worth stopping by Bison Beach Bar, which Liv says is ‘undoubtedly the best spot for a pint in the sun’. 

More of our favourite things to get up to in Brighton include wandering down the delightful alleys and avenues of North Laine, admiring the opulent domes and minarets of the Royal Pavilion and filling up on some of the best fish ‘n’ chips this country has to offer. If a chippy doesn’t do it for you, there are plenty of other outstanding places to eat across town, from Mexican small plates spot Halisco to authentically Japanese restaurant Bincho Yakitori. 

🍦 The 16 best UK seaside towns to visit in 2026.

ICYMI: This English seaside town with an award-winning beach is set for a multimillion-pound project. 

Plus: The 20 best beaches in the UK, mapped. 

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