Holiday rentals and lettings in Brighton

Table of Contents

• At a glance: What should you know about renting a holiday rental and letting in Brighton?
• Holiday rentals and lettings in Brighton: find your perfect retreat
• Exploring Brighton: our top recommendations
• Activities: What are the top things to do and see in Brighton?

• Seafront flats and Regency townhouses: Most self-catering stock sits in Kemp Town, Hove and the streets behind the promenade, from studios for two to whole houses sleeping fourteen.
• The Lanes on your doorstep: Staying centrally puts The Lanes, North Laine and the Royal Pavilion within a ten-minute walk, so you rarely need the car.
• Guests rate the sea views: Our top-rated Brighton properties score above 9.0+, with balconies and parking praised most often in reviews.
• Easy to reach: Direct trains from London Victoria take about an hour, and Gatwick is roughly 30 minutes up the line.
• Best in late spring and autumn: May, June and September bring warm days without the August crowds; winter suits festival-goers and bargain hunters.

Brighton's self-catering stock runs from Regency seafront flats and converted mews to whole townhouses behind the promenade. Families often prefer holiday homes with a garden, couples pick holiday apartments near the beach, while holiday cottages suit quieter stays in Kemp Town and Hove. Guest rooms and small B&Bs in Brighton are preferred for short breaks. Most sleep two to eight guests. Amenities matter as much as the postcode here.

• Sea-view balconies facing the Palace Pier
• Private parking, a real bonus in the city centre
• Pet-friendly houses close to the shingle beach
• Fast Wi-Fi and a desk for a longer working stay

Filter by parking, pets or a terrace to narrow the choice quickly.

What are the best areas to stay in Brighton?

Kemp Town is the all-round favourite: Regency squares, independent cafés and the beach a street away. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Guests consistently mention how much ground you can cover on foot in Brighton, and how quickly a balcony over the Channel makes a stay feel like a proper break. Sea views, parking and welcoming hosts come up again and again in reviews, and our best-rated addresses hold ratings of 9.0+ across the past year.

Here are our top-rated holiday lettings from the past year:

1. Host & Stay – Preston Park Apartment - 9.9+: A pet-friendly flat for four in Brighton, praised for its calm setting near Preston Park and a well-equipped kitchen.
2. Beautiful & Cosy Apartment in Brighton Bn2 3Ad - 9.9+: A comfortable four-person apartment in Brighton with private parking and fast Wi-Fi, handy for Kemp Town and the seafront.
3. Host & Stay – Temple Street Townhouse - 9.9+: A five-guest townhouse on the Hove side with a yard and washing machine, a short walk from the lawns.

Brighton sits on the East Sussex coast between the English Channel and the chalk ridge of the South Downs, an hour south of London.

✈️What is the best way to get to Brighton?

The train is comfortably the easiest option. Here are the most common ways to get to the city:

• Train: Fast services run from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton station in around an hour, with Thameslink trains continuing from St Pancras and Gatwick Airport roughly 30 minutes up the line. The station sits at the top of Queens Road, a level ten-minute walk down to the seafront, so most guests reach their holiday letting without needing a taxi at all.
• Car: The A23 and M23 drop straight into the city from the M25, and the A27 links Worthing in the west with Eastbourne in the east. Reckon on about two hours from London in traffic. Central parking is limited and mostly permit-controlled, so book a letting with a space or aim for the Marina and Churchill Square car parks.
• Coach: National Express and Megabus services run from London Victoria Coach Station to Pool Valley in the city centre in roughly two and a half hours, usually the cheapest way down. The stop is beside the Old Steine, minutes from The Lanes, and coaches also connect Brighton with Gatwick, Heathrow and Portsmouth for arrivals from further afield.

🥗Where to eat in Brighton?

According to Google Maps data and reviews, Baqueano is the best rated restaurant in Brighton. Below is a table showing the top 5 highly-rated restaurants hand-picked by our travel experts.

⭐Our guests' recommendation: Our guest traveller Charlotte recommends the Bincho Yakitori in Brighton: a tiny charcoal-grill izakaya on Preston Street, five minutes from the seafront, where skewers and sake are best enjoyed at the counter.

☀️When is the best time to visit?

Late May to September is the sweet spot, when the beach fills, the pier stays open late and the sea is just about swimmable. May brings the Brighton Festival and the city's best light, while September holds onto warm evenings with far shorter queues. Winter is quiet, breezy and cheap.

Spring

• Best for: Walkers and festival-goers who want the city at its liveliest but not its busiest.
• Weather: Mild days around 12–17°C, with fresh winds off the Channel and long bright spells.
• Atmosphere: The Brighton Festival and Artists Open Houses fill the city with music and colour.

Summer

• Best for: Beach days, families and anyone heading to Brighton Pride in early August.
• Weather: Warm and often sunny at 18–23°C, with sea breezes taking the edge off the heat.
• Atmosphere: Busy and celebratory, with barbecues on the shingle and the promenade buzzing until late.

Autumn and winter

• Best for: Couples, foodies and bargain hunters looking for a quiet coastal break.
• Weather: Cooler and often blustery at 6–15°C, with dramatic skies over the ruined West Pier.
• Atmosphere: Calm and cosy, with pub fires, Burning the Clocks in December and empty beaches.

⭐Our Hosts' recommendation: Our Brighton local expert, the Host & Stay team of Host & Stay – Bedford Street recommends coming to visit the undercliff path east of the Marina. Walk it towards Rottingdean at low tide, with chalk cliffs on one side and the Channel on the other, then come back through Kemp Town for coffee. It is the walk they send every guest on, whatever the season. You can read more about local tips on the Host & Stay team's page.

1. Tour the Royal Pavilion
2. Walk the Palace Pier
3. Browse The Lanes and North Laine
4. Ride the i360 and see the West Pier
5. Hike the South Downs

1. Tour the Royal Pavilion

   George IV's seaside palace is unlike anything else in Britain: Mughal-style domes and minarets outside, and a riot of dragons, bamboo and chinoiserie within. Don't miss the Banqueting Room, lit by a one-tonne chandelier held in a silver dragon's claws, or the vast Great Kitchen with its palm-leaf columns. The gardens have been replanted to Regency designs and are free to wander, and the Brighton Museum next door sits in the former stables.

2. Walk the Palace Pier

   Brighton's surviving pier stretches half a kilometre into the Channel, and walking it is the city in miniature: arcades, doughnut stalls, a helter-skelter and a small funfair at the far end. Look back for the classic view of the seafront terraces climbing the hill, and west towards the skeletal remains of the burnt-out West Pier. Come at dusk when the bulbs light up and starlings gather in murmurations over the water.

3. Browse The Lanes and North Laine

   Two very different shopping quarters sit side by side. The Lanes is a knot of narrow alleys lined with jewellers, antique dealers and tucked-away restaurants, best explored without a map. Just north, North Laine runs to record shops, vintage clothing, vegetarian cafés and street art along Kensington Gardens and Gardner Street. Saturday is busiest; weekday mornings are calmer. Both are a short walk from any central holiday letting.

4. Ride the i360 and see the West Pier

   The seafront's slender viewing tower lifts a glass pod 138 metres above the beach for a slow, sweeping look at the city, the Channel and the Downs behind. It stands at the shoreward end of the West Pier, whose burnt ironwork still rises from the sea and has become the city's most photographed ruin. Check opening times before you go, then carry on along the promenade to the beach huts of Hove.

5. Hike the South Downs

   Brighton makes an easy base for the South Downs National Park, which begins minutes from the northern suburbs. Bus 77 climbs to Devil's Dyke, a dry chalk valley with huge views over the Weald, and the South Downs Way runs east towards Lewes and beyond. Longer walks lead to the cliffs at Seven Sisters, and there are holiday lettings in the South Downs and across East Sussex if you want to stay out among the hills.