City guides: Brighton

Whether you're eating fish and chips on the pier (out of sight from the seagulls), or rooting through the treasure troves of the North Laines, there are things for everyone in and around the vivacious and dynamic city centre of Brighton

Bars and clubs

Make your student card a vital accessory on a night out for entry discounts, and grab a promotional keyring for Audio Nightclub and Cocktail Bar at the freshers' fair for deals on drinks all year. For cheap drinks and good music, plan your outings around student nights for £1 drinks, and hit the Pav Tav, The Western Front and the Kings Road Arches, which conceal clubs such as Coalition, Digital and Honeyclub in the light of day. Once night falls, the party-animals come out to play and the archways become lit-up caves with swarms of DJs and Jagerbombs. For a mini-island getaway, head to Lola-lo's for tiki huts and Hawaiian punch, and for more style and less chunder shake up your night with colourful cocktails at Riki Tiks, a kandi colada at the Hed Kandi bar or a wasabi bloody mary at the bohemian-styled, Mesmerist.

Shopping

North Laines (the Soho of Brighton) is a must for avid shoppers. Situated off North Street, these small roads reveal an Aladdin's Cave of bustling boutiques, vintage markets and Baltic bazaars. For the latest trends, make your way over to Churchill Square for H&M, Zara and Urban Outfitters and remember to flash your student card for some savvy shopping. For those in need of severe retail therapy, head to 'the other Lanes' alongside the seafront, where jewellers and designer shops including LK Bennett and All Saints can be found.

Courtesy of www.visitbrighton.com

Eating out

Brighton holds a feast of cultures for those looking to grab a bite. Noodle bars, sushi bars, pizzerias… Whether you're a Wagamama’s devotee or a Las Iguanas eager beaver, Brighton's got it all. Pompoko on Church Street is a tiny Japanese restaurant with picture-menus and ordering at the till, but its packed-out front speaks volumes of the food. In the heart of the city there's a mini Chinatown on Preston Street, a nest of Italian restaurants in the Laines, and for a true holiday feel, take a trip down to Oh So Social on the seafront, which serves up divine dishes of moules marnière with chunky garlic bread on the side. For a sugar overdose, visit Brighton's sweet-tooth secret, Scoop and Crumb, for a Cookie Monster Sundae or Choco-knickerbocker with extra fudge pieces ranging from £2-£5.75.

Entertainment

Quit procrastinating in your room about the pile of revision you're never going to attempt and head into town for a truckload of things to do. Jump on a bus to the Marina or take a 30-minute walk from the city centre along the seafront for bowling and the cinema. As a mainly student-populated city, there’s plenty of free things to do, such as walk along the Palace Pier (until you get caught up with the Angry Birds claw machine in the arcade) and the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. Keep an eye out for festivals and parades, including the Brighton Fringe Festival in May, August's Gay Pride, and the annual and free to attend, Zombie walk along the coast from the West Pier, finishing up with a Zombie rave at Concorde 2 (£3 club entry per head… or body). Fitness fanatics don't need get their lycra in a twist, as there's a range of gyms and fitness centres dotted around Brighton to help shed that freshers' weight.

Student accommodation

Don't judge a book by its cover goes the saying, the same goes for the student houses in Brighton. Cheap rents can be found on the outskirts of Brighton, in Moulsecoomb, Bevendean and Hollingbury, at around £79-£99 per week and only a ten minute bus ride from the centre. Houses closest to town get snapped up fast – and the extra money you spend on rent living on the London Road or inwards is saved with a speedy stumble home after a night out. Fear not if you're bus-reliant as there are regular N-for-night buses around to save your soles.

Top 3 places to see

• The seafront, with daytime diners, night time debacles and the infamous Palace Pier
• The Laines
• Royal Pavilion (locally known as the 'Taj Mahal')