Brighton

Brighton — brash and flamboyant, with a carnival flair — is refreshing if you're suffering from an excess of doilies and museums. The city boasts a garish 19th-century Royal Pavilion, a loud and flashy pleasure pier, a proud heritage as England's most thriving gay community, and a long stretch of pebbly beach. It's no wonder that youthful bohemians and blue-collar Londoners alike make this town their holiday destination of choice. And just down the coast from Brighton are the finest white cliffs in England, at Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters.