The Grand, Brighton, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Grand is a large Victorian seafront hotel on Kings Road in Brighton, England. It is best known for two very different stories: ABBA stayed here after winning Eurovision in the city, and in 1984 an IRA bomb struck the hotel during the Conservative Party conference, an attack aimed at Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The story behind it

The Grand opened in the 1860s as one of the most impressive hotels on the Brighton seafront, and its white, wedding-cake style frontage still dominates this stretch of Kings Road. Over the years it has hosted many well-known guests. The most famous are probably ABBA, who stayed here when they won the Eurovision Song Contest at the Brighton Dome in 1974.

What made the hotel known around the world, however, was a tragedy. In October 1984 a bomb planted by the IRA exploded in the hotel while Margaret Thatcher and members of her government were staying for their party conference. Five people were killed and several more were injured. Thatcher survived. After extensive rebuilding the hotel reopened a couple of years later, and it still operates as a hotel today.

What to look for

• The long, pale facade facing the sea, with its tiers of balconies and windows, is the best way to take in the scale of the building.
• Look at the upper floors and try to picture the hotel in 1984, when the blast tore through its central section and the rebuilding that followed.
• Stand across Kings Road on the seafront side to see the whole building against the sky, which works especially well in the late afternoon light.
• Notice how the hotel sits among the Brighton seafront landmarks nearby, with the conference centre and the sea just steps away.

Tips for your visit

• You can see the exterior from the street at any time, and ten minutes is enough for a look and a few photographs.
• It is a working hotel, so access inside is for guests and for people using its restaurants and bars. Check current opening hours and any entry arrangements before you plan to go in.
• Pair it with a stroll along the seafront promenade, which is right in front of the hotel, and the remains of the West Pier a short walk away.
• Morning and late afternoon give the best light on the facade, and the promenade is usually quieter earlier in the day.

See it on a quest

The Grand is one stop on Highlights of Brighton: Lost Letter, a self-guided walk through the city's best-known sights. You reach the hotel on foot as part of a longer route, the app tells you about the place when you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. You can start any time, with no guide and no group to join. One ticket covers the whole group.