Brighton bus tour route and stops: the full 12-stop map explained
Twelve stops, one red loop, about fifty minutes end to end. Here is what each stop actually serves, and how to ride it like you know the city.
Written with Oliver Bennett, Brighton bus tour guide & local sightseeing specialist
Short answer
The Brighton bus tour runs one Red Route with 12 stops, a loop of about 50 minutes. You board at Stop 1, Palace Pier, and circle past the seafront, i360, Hove, Brighton Station, the Lanes, the Royal Pavilion, the racecourse and the Marina. Hop off and back on all day on one ticket.
Most people ride this loop the wrong way round. They board at the pier, sit tight for the whole circuit, and never get off, when the entire point of a hop-on hop-off ticket is to treat the twelve stops as a menu. I have watched visitors circle the city twice without setting foot outside the bus. So here is the full route, stop by stop, with what each one actually opens up, so you can plan a loop that matches your day instead of just going round.
What is the Brighton bus tour route?
It is a single loop called the Red Route, with 12 stops, taking about 50 minutes to ride end to end without getting off. You board at Stop 1, Palace Pier, and the open-top bus circles from the seafront out to Hove, up past Brighton Station and the Royal Pavilion, then east to the racecourse and the Marina before returning to the pier.
There is only one route to learn, which keeps things simple. The loop threads together nearly every sight a first-time visitor wants, from the i360 on the western seafront to the Marina in the east, and links them to the shopping streets and the Pavilion inland. Because it also works as a normal city bus pass, you are never stuck waiting only for the tour bus. The route via the operator is the same red City Sightseeing loop you may know from other cities, run here by Brighton & Hove Buses.
What are all 12 stops on the Red Route, in order?
The stops run in this order: 1 Palace Pier, 2 West Pier / i360, 3 407 Grand Avenue in Hove, 4 Palmeira Square, 5 Seven Dials, 6 Brighton Station, 7 Jubilee Clock Tower, 8 Brighton Pavilion, 9 The Level, 10 Brighton Racecourse, 11 Brighton Marina, 12 Paston Place. The bus then loops back to Palace Pier.
Each stop is a doorway to something, and knowing which is which turns a ride into a plan. Here is the full route with what each serves and roughly how long you might give it.
| # | Stop | What it serves | Time to allow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palace Pier | Main boarding point, the pier, seafront, aquarium nearby | 1 to 2 hours |
| 2 | West Pier / i360 | The i360 viewing tower and the West Pier ruins | 1 hour |
| 3 | 407 Grand Avenue | Hove seafront, wide Regency avenues and lawns | 30 to 60 min |
| 4 | Palmeira Square | Hove's grand garden square and cafes | 30 min |
| 5 | Seven Dials | Leafy junction, independent cafes and restaurants | 30 min |
| 6 | Brighton Station | Trains to London, top of the North Laine | Transfer point |
| 7 | Jubilee Clock Tower | Gateway to the Lanes and North Laine shopping | 1 to 2 hours |
| 8 | Brighton Pavilion | Royal Pavilion, Brighton Museum, gardens | 1 to 2 hours |
| 9 | The Level | Park, skate ramps, gateway to Preston Circus | 30 min |
| 10 | Brighton Racecourse | Downland views over the city and sea | 30 min |
| 11 | Brighton Marina | Boats, waterside bars, the boardwalk | 1 to 2 hours |
| 12 | Paston Place | Volk's Electric Railway and Kemptown | 1 hour |
A word on the near-but-not-named sights. The Lanes and North Laine hang off Stops 6 and 7. SEA LIFE Brighton, the world's oldest operating aquarium, sits by the seafront near Stop 1. Volk's Electric Railway runs from Paston Place at Stop 12. None of them has its own named stop, but each is a short walk from one on the list.
Where do you board the Brighton bus tour?
Board at Stop 1, Palace Pier, on the seafront by the pier entrance. It is the main starting point and the easiest to find, a short walk from Brighton Station downhill towards the sea. You can also join at any of the other 11 stops, since the ticket is hop-on hop-off and the bus stops at each in turn.
The pier stop is where most riders begin, partly because it is unmissable and partly because it puts the whole loop ahead of you. If you arrive by train, it is a downhill walk of about fifteen minutes from the station to the pier, or you catch the bus at Stop 6 by the station itself and ride down. Buy before you travel and you get a mobile ticket to scan; you check live availability & prices on Viator and then use the City Sightseeing bus tour ticket to board at whichever stop suits your start.
How should you plan a loop around the stops?
Ride the full circuit once first to get your bearings, about 50 minutes, then hop off at the two or three stops that grabbed you. A good first-timer plan: pier, then i360 at Stop 2, then the Lanes at Stop 7, then the Pavilion at Stop 8, then the Marina at Stop 11, catching a later bus between each.
Doing one uninterrupted lap before you start hopping is the trick locals use. You see everything, the commentary orients you, and you spend the rest of the day making informed stops rather than guessing. Watch the frequency: in peak summer buses come every 30 minutes, but in the autumn shoulder they run hourly, so a stop that needs a quick look is fine while one that eats two hours needs planning around the gap.
| If you have | Suggested stops |
|---|---|
| Half a day | Full loop first, then pier (1) and the Lanes (7) |
| A full day | i360 (2), the Lanes (7), Pavilion (8), Marina (11) |
| Two days | Spread the above, add Hove (3, 4) and Kemptown (12) |
| Travelling with kids | Pier (1), i360 (2), aquarium near (1), Volk's near (12) |
For a stop-by-stop itinerary you can follow start to finish, the one day in Brighton guide sequences a full day around this loop. The route timetable confirms current frequencies before you fix a plan.
Common questions about the route and stops
How many stops does the Brighton bus tour have?
Twelve, all on one loop called the Red Route. They run in a fixed order from Palace Pier out to Hove, back through the centre past the Royal Pavilion, then east to the racecourse and the Marina before returning to the pier.
How long does the full loop take?
About 50 minutes if you stay on the whole way. Since the ticket is hop-on hop-off and lasts a full day or two, most riders spread the loop out, getting off at a few stops and catching a later bus onward.
Can you get on and off at any stop?
Yes. The ticket is hop-on hop-off, so you can leave the bus at any of the 12 stops and rejoin a later one all day on the same ticket. The ticket also works on the ordinary Brighton & Hove city buses.
Which stop is best for the Royal Pavilion and the Lanes?
Stop 8, Brighton Pavilion, drops you a minute from the Royal Pavilion and Brighton Museum. For the Lanes and North Laine, use Stop 7 at the Jubilee Clock Tower or Stop 6 by Brighton Station, both a short walk from the shopping streets.
Where is the best stop for the Marina and Volk's Railway?
Stop 11 serves Brighton Marina, with its boats, boardwalk and waterside bars. For Volk's Electric Railway and Kemptown, use Stop 12 at Paston Place. The two sit close together at the eastern end of the loop.
Does the route run all year?
The open-top loop is seasonal, roughly late May to early November, and does not run on Brighton Pride day. Frequency drops from every 30 minutes in summer to hourly in autumn, so check the current timetable before planning a tight schedule.