I’ve lived in Brighton my whole life and I never get bored of it. There are loads of fun things to do but the best bit is always the beach. One of my favourite days ever was my birthday, when me and my friends sat near the West Pier and shouted at the big waves and kicked them back into the sea. The only bad thing about Brighton is the seagulls. They will poo on you and steal your chips. But that’s the only thing, so I think you should come and visit because it’s only an hour away from London on the train.
Drag your grownups round the shops
If you come by train you can go straight down into the North Laine, which is lots of busy streets with cool little shops. Oliver’s is all to do with wizards. It’s got wands and a time-turner and the Marauder’s Map. I also like going to Dave’s Comics with my dad. There’s a room at the back with loads of Batman sculptures, and there are Asterix and Tintin books.
Sharks and ghosts
For a treat thing to do, the Sea Life Brighton is beside the beach near the pier. It’s really old and is actually underground. The best bit is the tunnel where the giant turtles and hammerhead sharks swim over your head. When my brother Vincent liked Octonauts, we went to the Sea Life lots, and once he had a selfie with Kwazii. Just over the road is the Palace Pier, where we spend our pocket money on the grab machines! If you go right to the end you can go on the Ghost Train. There’s an old lady in a rocking chair and cackling echoing everywhere … it’s really creepy and you probably shouldn’t go on it if you’re quite little. There are less scary rides on the seafront, such as carousels, and if you’ve got a little brother or sister they could build a sandcastle and go in the paddling pool at King’s Road playground. Another fun free thing to do on the beach is to run up the wave sculpture and then slide down.
Brighton’s many charms for kids include its colourful pier
Cycle by the sea
When our friends visit from London we tell them to bring their bikes on the train so we can go cycling along the seafront path. If you go right you can go to Hove and get an ice-cream from Marrocco’s. My cousin thinks it does the best ice-cream too and he’s half-Italian. If you go left, you can cycle right along to the Undercliff Pass, which is really exciting – there are big white cliffs on one side and sometimes the sea splashes up on the path. You can go right from Brighton marina to Rottingdean and Saltdean. The beach is quieter and there are rockpools and huge rocks for climbing out on. If you don’t have a bike, you could go on the Volk’s Electric Railway, which is a little train invented by a man called Magnus Volk. Or maybe you could travel by zip wire! There is a huge one on the seafront now – it’s 300 metres long!
Go rambling
One of the best things about my city is it’s really near some countryside. On Sundays sometimes we go rambling with my friends. I wear an Indiana Jones hat and we go adventuring. You can get a 10-minute train to Falmer station and climb the trees at Stanmer Park, or you can get a bus to Devil’s Dyke. A long time ago, the devil turned up and made a huge steep hill that children could run down whenever they wanted – and that’s the story of Devil’s Dyke.
Pizza and pancakes
I live near London Road, which is just down the back path from the train station, and that’s where my two favourite places to eat are. Fatto a Mano is a pizza place and the waiters are really nice. I get pepperoni pizza and chocolate gelato and apple juice. Yefsis is a Greek place where you can get a huge pitta wrap filled with chicken and chips, and they don’t mind if you say you don’t want the sauces. My mummy says both those places are in Hove now, too. But if you are near the seafront, the best thing to eat in Brighton is pancakes with bacon and syrup at Bill’s.
Snatching seagulls and snoring cats
... or you could have a picnic lunch at Pavilion Gardens, which is a winding park with lots of little paths going around the Royal Pavilion. We reckon the pavilion is better than Buckingham Palace and at night-time it lights up in beautiful colours! The Brighton Museum and Art Gallery is in the park too. It has a stone-age campfire and an Egyptian mummy and a Punch and Judy stand where you can make your own show. When my brother was in his pushchair, he loved the giant cat in the entrance. It’s called Brummel and if you put coins in it, it’s supposed to talk to you but mostly it just snores.
Photograph: Oscar Wong/Getty Images
Brighton is served by Southern Railway; the Royal Pavilion
Park life
When the middle of Brighton gets too busy for us, there are loads of great parks. At The Level, we like running through the fountains and watching the skaters doing cool tricks. At Preston Park, which is 10 minutes’ walk from Preston Park station if you’re getting there on the train, I can ride my bike round really fast on the velodrome and play hide and seek in the rose garden – and there is a pond where we’ve found newts. If you’re brave, you could go into Preston Manor, which is a big Victorian house. I’m never, ever going in there because my cousin says it’s haunted. Sometimes they do ghost tours and even sleepovers!
Watch theatre outdoors
Brighton is a really good place to go to the theatre, especially in May during the Brighton festival. My favourite theatre is called Boat (Brighton Open Air Theatre). It’s hidden inside Dyke Road Park, which you can get to by bus. Instead of seats, you sit on a big round grassy staircase. My best time was when we saw Robin Hood, and the actors carried on even though it started raining. During the interval, people were sword fighting the Sheriff of Nottingham with their umbrellas!
All aboard
Up to four kids per adult can travel on most journeys for as little as £2 on Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak journeys with Southern and Thameslink (T&Cs apply). Find out more and book at southernrailway.com/kidsfor2
