Best Places to Visit in the UK
Unmissable UK destinations in 2022
Words by ESM Travel Editors
Did you hear? After a long awaited break in cases, the United Kingdom has lessened their strict Covid policies to allow travelers into the country once more without much hassle. You are now free to explore the UK’s incredible designations once more with either a vaccine card or a negative PCR. We polled our travel editors and these are their top picks, selected for you.
Brighton, England
Salty sea breezes whisk up lanes lined with black flint houses only to be cut short by the chalky cliffs that line the northern boundary of Brighton, England. What was once an 18th-century enclave for a wealthy subset of Britons seeking to take the air and bathe in the sea—Richard Russell is to thank for bringing this practice into fashion in the mid-18th century—is now a major English holiday retreat that many liken to London’s little cousin.
While the evident reasons to spend a weekend at one of England’s most popular destinations are the miles of uninterrupted pebble beaches, some of England’s finest food, and the legendary nightlife, there is a less apparent appeal to visiting Brighton: the architecture. King George IV regularly patronized Brighton and turned his fondness for the town into generous designs that still stand today. One of the most notable examples is the Royal Pavilion, which is designed with Mughal and Islamic architectural influence on the exterior and fantastic interior decorations that were selected in an homage to China. Today, the majority of the pavilion is a museum and an art gallery with the exception of the Dome, which was once the royal stables and is now a well-known venue for concerts.
Regency architecture aside, Brighton is a renowned hub for old-school cafes and a thriving LGBTQ+ scene. All that’s needed for a perfect day on this southern slice of the English coast are a cup of coffee and a stroll down the Brighton Palace Pier that seemingly stretches infinitely into the vast blue of the sea.
