Brighton i360 — Attraction in Great Britain

My wife and I have not been to Brighton in a number of years, and having viewed the i360 from across our hotel window when we attended a concert recently at the Brighton Dome, had to try it.

It is an incredible experience with, as the name suggests, stunning 360 degree views of Brighton and the surrounding areas. We found the ascent very smooth, taking around fifteen minutes, and from a height of around 450 feet, and with good visibility, you can see for miles in all directions.

There are sofas and chairs as well as a bar area offering snacks and beverages.

The ride stops at it's highest point for around 20 minutes for the requisite pictures to be taken and the Italian guys who were our hosts were two of the nicest people you could possibly meet and really made the experience memorable.

Nothing was too much trouble, whether it was taking pictures, giving you a history lesson on the ride itself (I had no idea that the London Eye was designed by the same company) or telling you the most asked question by tourists, together with their tongue in cheek response.

VISITOR: Does the ride revolve?

TOUR GUIDE: No, that's what your legs are for!

It all made for an engaging and entertaining experience.

The cost of the ride is around £20 per person which is not cheap, but we felt the views alone were worth the price.

You are also getting a unique experience of riding the actual viewing platform itself, rather than reaching it via a lift.

On the issue of pricing be aware that on the day we visited, the £2 online discount offer shown at the booking desk, did not work.

When I queried this I was told, rather unhelpfully, that it was a 'glitch' but annoyingly was still not offered the cheaper price, nor were they prepared to remove the sign offering the discount!

This issue may well now have been resolved but a point deducted on the customer service front.

Booking irregularities aside however, we thoroughly enjoyed the unique experience and views the i360 offers, and will certainly return on our next trip to...

Beautiful to look at from outside. I was so excited to go on this ride and chose the 8:30PM flight as I wanted to take photos of the night view of Brighton. Tickets were booked in advance online which was a huge mistake.

DO NOT BOOK ONLINE! Take your chances and book on the day.

Unfortunately, it started to rain heavily with occasional lightening so email was checked to see if our flight on the i360 would be cancelled. No such luck, it was still going ahead despite the increasingly inclement weather. We arrived in plenty of time and headed out to the waiting area by the bar as we waited for the previous flight to return. Whilst waiting, the wind increased to dangerous levels with the signs, chairs and various parts of the bar taking its own flight in the gusts. I was expecting the flight to be cancelled as visibility was so poor. Not at all. We boarded our flight and off it ascended into the night sky with rivers of water pouring down the glass. The words ‘a river runs through it’ entered my thoughts as I attempted to take photos. Ever been on those fairs where they have the distorted mirrors which show you different images of yourself? That’s how this flight felt, except there were no mirrors, just distorted views. Oh and to top it off (pardon the pun) when we got to the top the i360 felt it was going to make it own flight - such was the strength of the wind battering the dome. So, money wasted, daughter traumatised, husband wondering why we spent the money when we could have stayed in our hotel. Clearly, this flight should never have taken place and refund immediately issued. Definitely the most disappointing part of our visit to Brighton. The pictures below are the best that I could do and these are pretty awful.

A refund would be great i360 as the option of rebooking in the next 3 months (if offered) is of no use to us with winter fast approaching which means more chance...

I recently visited Brighton for my husband’s birthday, and as part of the trip, we booked to do their Climb I360 where you get to climb to the very top of the viewing tower. So at 9 am on a sunny November morning, we headed into the attraction. We met our friendly safety guides Steve and Noah, and then were fitted with our safety gear. There were only 4 people in our group doing the experience, so it felt very exclusive!

The first part is easy, you get to ride the viewing platform to the peak of the tower, taking in the spectacular views with only a few of you on the pod - again feeling very exclusive! After that, the adrenaline starts to kick in as you prepare to ascend the final 100 feet up various sets of ladders.

In the safe hands of Steve and Noah, we entered the central tower and climbed our way up to the very top. It was a very unique experience, as you got to see all the inner workings of the tower, including all the safety systems, winches, cables and more. Once you reach the top, it’s one more final ladder before you’re on the very top, looking out all over Brighton and beyond.

The view from the top was fantastic, and we were very lucky as we had a clear autumn morning, meaning we could see for miles. You could even climb up and touch the light beacon on top.

After you spent time taking in the view, it was time to descend and get your feet back on solid ground. The whole experience took around 2 hours, and our guides Steve and Noah were really friendly and engaging throughout the whole experience.

Overall, we had an amazing time at the Brighton I360, and I can safely say that the Climb I360 experience is worth the price tag. It’s unique, interesting and fun - however, don’t book it if you don’t have a head...