Brighton i360, Skate 360 & the Upside Down House Review
DISCLOSURE – THIS EXPERIENCE WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST/S FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW.
Reviewed by Amanda Hayes
We couldn’t have asked for better weather for our trip to Brighton i360 yesterday, the sun was shining and the weather warm enough for sunbathing, so as expected the seafront was packed when we arrived at 3pm. Brighton is notoriously difficult & expensive for parking, so although we were lucky to find a space only a few minutes’ walk away in the NCP multi storey car park, it was at a price, nearly £18 for the 4 hours we were there, so I suggest researching places to park before you arrive.
Living only 45 minutes from Brighton, yet never having been in any of the attractions, we were all excited to be gifted the option of a multi attraction ticket to review, comprising the i360 Sky bar ticket, Skate 360 & the Upside Down House. You can purchase several different options of multi attraction tickets from the i360 website @ https://www.brightoni360.co.uk/tickets/ including the Royal Pavilion, Sixes Social Cricket, or a cream tea package at the i360 café. The great thing about these is, apart from the Royal Pavilion, which is a short walk away, the attractions are all next to each other so you can easily go from one to another.
We had a timed i360 Sky Bar ticket which includes a drink from the bar at £28.80. Children have a generous age range of 4-15 years and are substantially cheaper at £12.25. i360 only timed tickets start at £18.50/£9.40 but I’d say the sweet spot is the flexible anytime tickets at £20.50/£11.40, as the drinks are very reasonably priced on board, (around £3.50 for a premium soft drink) and unless drinking alcohol, it works out cheaper to buy the drinks separately. Starting from 10.30am every day the pods depart half hourly on the hour and half past the hour finishing at 18:30 weekdays, 20:30 at weekends & 21:00 on Bank Holidays, unless a special event is on.
Having checked our tickets and scanned our bags at security we waited for 5-10 mins on a lovely raised deck above the promenade, doing some people watching. Bang on 3.30pm we were invited on board with around 25 other people waiting and were soon ascending into the sky. The bar takes up just a small section, serving a selection of premium soft drinks such as Sicilian lemonade and ice cream tubs, so we got our drinks straight away and set off around the pod taking in the 360 degree views. With the fabulous weather we could see for miles and the annotated skyline maps placed around really helped get our bearings and pick out all the important buildings. The 25 minute journey seemed to go super quickly and before we knew it we were back on the ground. I suffer from vertigo, but I didn’t have an issue at all on the ascent or descent, it was so smooth, and the curvature of the glass kept you feeling safe. After disembarking there is a gallery room showing how the i360 was built, which we found really interesting, we were surprised no one else joined us in there. The exit then leads you out through the well stocked gift shop, and into the i360 café where there are plenty of toilet and hand washing facilities.
At the entry level of the i360 is the Toll Booth Café, a really lovely place to sit, grab a bite to eat and watch the world go by. The café is also the entrance to Skate360, the small rink above the seafront. The staff were really friendly and helpful, getting us the right size roller boots and explaining the sizing for the helmets, knee, elbow & wrist pads. I think it’s safe to say we won’t be entering the Olympics anytime soon, but we laughed so hard we cried. It was a seriously fun way to spend 45 minutes at a reasonable £6.50 per person plus £2.50 for skate hire. Just be aware there is a glass wall all around so everyone can see you falling over!
The Upside Down House is right next door, so after regaining our composure we set off to visit. Like the i360 there is a choice between timed and flexi VIP tickets which come with a souvenir magnet. The timed ticket is £7.95 and the VIP £14.95, which is probably only worth it at peak times as the timed ticket still gives you a semi flex 90 min time slot, with each visit allowing 20 mins. Open from 10:00 to 20:00 every day the Upside Down House is primarily a fun place to take photos. It is small so 20 mins is about right, and if it’s quiet, as it was when we visited, you can get some brilliant photos that make it look like you are hanging off the ceiling in various different room settings. The staff were amazing at showing you how to pose to get the best photos and spent plenty of time with everyone ensuring they were happy before they left.
All in all, we had a fabulous few hours taking in several of the i360 attractions, and there are plenty more to see depending on your interests. The website is easy to use, and you can package up attractions to suit your time scale, whether you want to eat or relax. For those who prefer their attractions more exhilarating you can also book a walk, drop, or climb ticket for the i360, check out the website for more details and pricing. The i360 itself was brilliant, we all really enjoyed it and can imagine that the sunset timed ticket or special dining tickets would be amazing. Skating was so much fun & the Upside Down House like nothing we had done before. I highly recommend booking one or more of the attractions for this Summer whether as a family or a couple, but if you are looking for a special present, i360 gift vouchers should definitely be on your list.
Highly recommended 5 out of 5.
Rating: 5/5
Ticket prices start from £7.95 for the Upside Down House, £6.50 for Skate 360 & £18.50 for the i360.
Plan your visit and buy tickets here: https://www.brightoni360.co.uk/plan-your-visit/
For location and how to get there: https://www.brightoni360.co.uk/plan-your-visit/getting-here/