Ever since I was young I’ve liked the winter. Wrapping up warm, windswept walks, cinema trips. It’s probably because I’m a December baby with hardy Scottish roots and a tolerance for dark nights and cold weather.
Come this time of year, people often ask me if it’s worth visiting Brighton when it’s cold outside. Why yes, of course it is! The summer crowds have long gone, but the city is still alive to enjoy with the locals.
Brighton beach is really quiet at this time of year, too. It’s perfect for a bundled-up brisk walk, followed by a hearty Sunday lunch or a drink tucked up in one of the city’s cosy pubs.
So I’ve pulled on my snow boots to bring you my guide to Brighton in winter, from outdoor activities for rosy cheeks and Christmas attractions that are actually cool to chilled-out jazz nights and the city’s cosiest pubs and restaurants. One to pull out of the bag when the sea mist sets in and the biting wind takes hold.
Outdoor adventures for rosy cheeks
Hit Brighton beach!
Winter, for me, is the best beach weather. I cannot tell you how much I love putting on my coat and boots, and getting the bus to Brighton beach. The seafront promenade is gorgeous in the winter light and even prettier if it’s snowing.
Head east and you can wander out onto Palace Pier when it’s quiet. If you’re there at dusk, look up: thousands of starlings gather over the pier for their winter murmuration.
Carry on along the seafront towards Black Rock for a coffee at the Reading Room or Temple – two of my favourite Brighton cafes.
Walk west past the remains of the West Pier to Hove. Along the way, local street food awaits inside the gleaming new food market, Shelter Hall and great coffee and flaky pastries at the Flour Pot Bakery near the Brighton i360 viewing tower.
Once you get past the colourful beach huts, you’ll come to the Italian institution Marrocco’s. It’s known for its legendary ice-cream I’d happily order even in January.
Sea swim with salty seabirds
Nothing gets your happy endorphins going quite like a dip in the English Channel in winter. You could brave the icy water on your own, but it’s more fun to join the Salty Seabirds, a friendly community of swimmers who gather in the sea off Brighton and Hove beaches every single day!
They post on Facebook when and where they’ll be swimming for others to join them. There are usually early morning, daytime and evening swims.
Insider tip: Stock up on post-swim snacks at the authentic French bakery, the Real Patisserie. I talk about this place a lot, but it does the best pastries – and croissants – in the city, as well as delicious, filled baguettes and inventive quiches.
Take a winter walk in the South Downs
On a bright, cold day, I love packing a flask of something hot and heading for the hills. The South Downs are right on Brighton’s doorstep, with miles of walking paths through beautiful countryside.
If you have a little longer, try one of my Sussex countryside loop walks through lesser-known villages. Pick a clear day, wrap up warm and leave time for a Sunday lunch beside a roaring fire at one of my favourite Sussex country pubs near Brighton.
For a different, longer Sussex outing, follow a stretch of the Downs Link on foot or by bike towards Rudgwick and stop at The Milk Churn Cafe. I may or may not be obsessed with Sussex Charmer cheese, and their Charmer on Toast makes a very good reward for getting outside.
Celebrate winter solstice
Around the shortest day of the year, look out for Burning the Clocks. This Brighton tradition fills the streets with handmade lanterns before the procession heads to the beach for a bonfire.
It celebrates the turning of the year and is quite a sight on a dark winter night. Check Same Sky’s site for the current year’s plans before you go.
Ways to Get warm and cosy
book a Sauna session
Most people think I’m mad, but winter is my favourite time of year for an outdoor sauna session at the Beach Box Sauna Spa. You’ll arrive with cold hands and a chilly nose, but soon warm up in the fiery heat.
I love making a little ritual of it with the orange and geranium scrub and a clay mask. When I put my coat back on, I have a warm, fuzzy glow that lasts for hours.
Beach Box has a secluded spot on the seafront, with the Palace Pier in the distance. Dan and I have been in all sorts of weather and it’s especially atmospheric on a rainy day.
Insider tip: Keep that warm, fuzzy feeling going with coffee and a cinnamon bun at Fika Beach at Sea Lanes. Or, if you fancy walking up into Kemptown, stop at Marmalade for coffee and cake.
practice the art of floating
Close your eyes. Now imagine you’re floating on the crystal-blue sea off the coast of a tropical desert island. At least, this is how I hope to feel after a weightless hour bobbing around in one of these futuristic floatation pods.
Find The Float Spa at 125 Church Road, Hove BN3 2AN
Settle in for Sunday roast
Brighton pubs are made for winter. You can’t go wrong with the Shakespeare’s Head in Seven Dials. It has a lovely roaring fire and does huge roasts at reasonable prices. Another option is the Preston Park Tavern, near Fiveways.
Take a break in a cosy cafe
Brighton is also packed with lovely cafes to keep you fuelled while you explore the city. Two of my favourites for great coffee are Cafe Rust near London Road and Loam in the North Laine.
But I’m also partial to a hot chocolate, the perfect treat half-way through a winter shopping spree. If you’re in the Lanes, pop into Knoops – the 75% chocolate with rosemary and salt makes a good combination.
SOAK UP SOME BRIGHTON CULTURE
Snuggle up at Duke of york’s picturehouse
One of my favourite things to do in Brighton when the nights draw in is to curl up and watch a film at Brighton’s vintage cinema, the Duke of York’s at Preston Circus. It also happens to be the oldest cinema in the country. It’s fun to bundle up and watch the hustle and bustle of Preston Circus before the film starts.
Come December, it’s my go-to spot for a Christmas film: Elf and It’s a Wonderful Life are my favourites, and they usually make it onto the programme.
If you’re here in November, look out for CINECITY, Brighton’s film festival, which brings previews, archive films and special screenings to venues around town.
Insider tip: Grab a wine or local beer from the bar to sip from your comfy sofa on the upstairs balcony.
relax at a jazz night
On Sunday nights, the Hand in Hand pub in Kemptown – also home to the country’s smallest brewery – hosts bands playing cool live jazz, amid a cosy and eccentric pub décor.
Insider tip: Beforehand, you can’t go wrong with a heaped plate of noodles at nearby tiny, colourful Thai restaurant, Suriya’s Kitchen.
Other places to listen to jazz include the basement bar inside The Verdict, another Kemptown spot nearby; or The Brunswick and The Paris House both across town in Hove.
Things to do at CHRISTMAS In Brighton
Christmas shopping in the north laine
Brighton is littered with so many cute independent shops which look cosy and decorated for Christmas. One of the best ways to enjoy some festive shopping is just to wander around. If you have a free afternoon, I’d suggest exploring the North Laine (central Brighton’s bohemian shopping area).
Start on Trafalgar Street packed with cafes. You’ll find great coffee at Bread & Milk and excellent French brunches at Mange Tout. Think: croissant au jambon and full Mange Tout breakfast with Toulouse sausages.
At the bottom of Trafalgar Street, turn right onto Kensington Place with its pretty whitewashed cottages. At the end is Blackout Shop for kitsch souvenirs, from where you walk west, weaving your way through the narrow streets.
Sydney Street is a fun mix of some of the city’s most off-beat shops, and weekend café culture (try Pelicano, and The Roastery); onto busy Gardner Street for Starfish Vintage and stylish designer shop Tribeca on Bond Street. Alternatively, you might prefer to explore Brighton’s hidden shops or those in local neighbourhoods.
Insider tip: Take a nature break in the Royal Pavilion garden before snapping a picture outside the unique structure that is the Royal Pavilion itself.
go Ice skating in front of the Royal Pavilion
Disclosure: I’ve never been ice skating. However, if – and when – I decide to pop my skating cherry it will be in winter in front of the Royal Pavilion. In recent winters, an ice rink has opened on its leafy grounds from the end of October to the first week of January.
Practising your pirouettes is an especially immersive experience in the evening when the ornate building with its famous domes is lit up in bright colours.
Insider tip: Grab a mulled wine afterwards at the Rink café or some local street food at Shelter Hall.
watch the Santa Dash
If you’re in town around the second Saturday of December (the date changes slightly each year but is around this time), head to the beach to see the city’s famous Santa Dash.
It’s a fun event which sees hundreds of generous souls running 5km along Brighton and Hove’s seafront dressed up as Santa Claus to raise money for the local charity, Rockinghorse, which helps sick children.
catch the Artists’ Open Houses Winter Festival
Seriously, who doesn’t like snooping around other people’s houses? Every year, as part of the Artists Open Houses event, artists around the city turn their houses into mini art galleries which they open to the public.
It’s fun to walk around the city, hop from one house to another, drink mulled wine and shop for affordable art. You can plan your trail by open house, by artist, or by using a trail map on the website.
The event takes place across three or four weekends in the run-up to Christmas and also annually in May.
see the lights at the Hove charity Christmas house
Every October, a family in the Hangleton area of Hove starts decorating their house to rival Clark Griswold’s in the movie, Christmas Vacation, for charity. They started for fun 20 years ago with a Santa and a snowman in the garden, eventually adding more decorations each year.
Now it’s a city attraction you take in while Let It Snow blasts from loudspeakers. It’s completely over the top in the best way and it makes a great excuse for a lovely bundled-up winter walk.
Money left in the wishing well decoration is donated to non-profit charities in the local area. They usually turn on the lights at the start of December.
Find it at 32 Amberley Drive, Hangleton, Hove.
Insider tip: For your visit, grab a portion of freshly cooked chips wrapped in paper from Wolfies Of Hove near the station, or afterwards head to Banker’s Fish and Chips on Western Road to dine in.
Catch a performance of The Nutcracker
There’s no more classic a Christmas activity than catching a performance of The Nutcracker. Join the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Land of the Sweets (usually) each year at The Brighton Centre and The Theatre Royal, both in the centre of the city and the smaller, historic Old Market in central Hove. It’s magical even for adults.
Insider tip: Out on a date? Stop for a cocktail before or afterwards at one of Brighton’s cosy cocktail bars. If you’ve little ones, book into a matinee showing then tuck into a pizza and slice of chocolate cake from city-wide favourite Italian restaurant Pinocchio, or a plateful of rosemary fries at Honest Burgers.
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