Last Updated on 4 August 2026 by Dave King
Parks in Brighton cover more ground than the seafront suggests. The council’s main parks list alone runs to fifteen, before you count the smaller greens and recreation grounds, and they range from a Grade II registered estate on the edge of the South Downs to neighbourhood greens you can walk across in three minutes. They are not interchangeable, and it is easy to pick the wrong one for what you actually came out to do.
What separates them is facilities and access rather than scenery. Some have two cafes and a Changing Places toilet. All eight have a cafe, though hours vary sharply. Two of them charge for parking every day of the week. A couple are flat enough to push a buggy from end to end, and a couple involve a hill whichever way you arrive.
This guide covers eight, what each is genuinely good for, and the practical details that decide whether a trip works. Details come from the council’s own park pages.
Table of Contents
8 Parks in Brighton Featured in This Guide
| Park | Area | Best for | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preston Park | Preston | A full day out | Velodrome and rock garden |
| Stanmer Park | Stanmer | Long walks and Downs access | Walled Garden and Stanmer House |
| The Level | Central | Kids and skaters | Skatepark and summer fountains |
| Queen’s Park | Kemptown | A quiet hour | Sheltered valley setting |
| Dyke Road Park | Seven Dials | Tennis and theatre | Brighton Open Air Theatre |
| Hove Park | Hove | Running and dog walking | Miniature railway |
| St Ann’s Well Gardens | Hove | Shade and small children | Chalybeate spring |
| Wild Park | Moulsecoomb | Woodland and views | Local nature reserve |
All eight are free to enter. Details last checked August 2026.
Preston Park
The council calls Preston Park the largest urban park in the city, and it is the one to pick when you want a whole afternoon rather than a walk. It is open all year round, with two cafes open daily: the Chalet in the centre and the Rotunda at the southern end.
Alongside the playground there are wildflower, walled and rose gardens, and one of the largest and oldest elm trees in Europe, recognised as part of Queen Elizabeth’s Ancient Canopy. The velodrome in the north-east corner is described by the council as the oldest cycle track in the country. The rock garden sits across the main road rather than inside the park itself.
Two practical warnings. Parking is charged. The areas at the north and south of the park are open 9am to 8pm daily with a six-hour maximum and no return within four hours, running from £1.80 for an hour to £8.70 for six since the May 2026 rise. Designated Blue Badge bays are available, and the 5 and 5A buses stop beside the park. And the rock garden, cricket pitch and velodrome are not accessible, because of rough terrain and grass. There is a Changing Places toilet in the park. Preston Manor sits on the western edge, which is worth knowing if you have read about Brighton’s ghost stories, because the White Lady is said to walk there.
Stanmer Park
Stanmer is the city’s largest park and the gateway to the South Downs National Park, which makes it the obvious choice when you want a proper walk rather than a green square. It is a Grade II registered historic park and garden, and part of The Living Coast urban biosphere.
The draw is the mix: parkland, woodland, rolling farmland, a historic church, the village and pond, Stanmer House, and the restored Walled Garden now run as One Garden Brighton. The park itself is always open, though the Upper Lodges car park closes to the public at 5pm.
The thing to plan around is parking, because it is charged. Most car parks charge 9am to 8pm with an eleven-hour maximum. Upper Lodges is the exception, closing at 5pm with an eight-hour cap. No overnight sleeping in vehicles. Tariffs differ by car park and rose in May 2026, so check before you set off. Blue Badge holders have designated bays. If you would rather not drive at all, the bus is the sensible option.
The Level
The council calls The Level one of the largest public open spaces in central Brighton, and it fits a lot into the space. It sits in the Valley Gardens corridor between London Road and Ditchling Road, so it doubles as a thoroughfare.
The landscaped playground covers a wide range of ages and abilities and includes a sensory play area, and the fountains run in the summer months, which is the single most useful fact for anyone with hot, bored children. The skatepark occupies the northern quadrant and replaced a much older facility when the park was restored in 2013. In the southern part there is a games area for petanque and boccia, with chessboards set into the picnic tables.
There is a cafe and there are public toilets. It is flat throughout, and it is the easiest of the eight to reach on foot from the centre.
Queen’s Park
Queen’s Park sits in a sheltered valley in Kemptown, and the council’s own description is the right one: somewhere for a short stroll and a sit down. It is a neighbourhood park rather than a destination, and that is the point of it.
The council page confirms six tennis courts, a cafe and public toilets. There is a pond at the centre, and the park sits in a sheltered valley.
The valley setting does mean slopes on the approach, so it is less straightforward with a buggy than Preston Park or The Level. Come for an hour rather than a day.
Dyke Road Park
Dyke Road Park packs a theatre, six tennis courts and a sea view into a modest site. The cafe has a raised terrace with views out to sea, and the toilets are attached to it, so they keep the cafe’s hours.
It is home to Brighton Open Air Theatre, which opened in 2015 on the site of the old bowling lawn and runs a season of theatre, music and comedy through the warmer months. There are six tennis courts, three of them floodlit, run by a community club and bookable by non-members. At the centre of the park is a perennial garden with yew hedges dividing the beds. The Booth Museum of Natural History is directly opposite, though it is closed for redevelopment and due to reopen in February 2027.
Access is good, with pathways throughout and no steps, though the council notes the rose garden paths are uneven crazy paving.
Hove Park
Hove Park covers almost forty acres and is popular with local residents, particularly runners and dog walkers. It is a mix of large open grass, mature trees, flower beds, and sports and play facilities, with accessible paths running throughout and gentle slopes towards the eastern end.
The miniature railway along the western edge is the feature people remember, though it does not run continuously, so check before promising a child a ride. There is a cafe with facilities nearby.
There is also a council-installed artificial climbing boulder, put in over the summer of 2005 and open to everyone, which is a free way to find out whether anyone in the family enjoys climbing before paying for an indoor centre.
St Ann’s Well Gardens
St Ann’s Well Gardens is the choice when you want something smaller, greener and quieter than the headline parks, and it is a short walk up from Hove seafront. The Garden Cafe is the anchor, and the tree collection is the reason it gets recommended to people who care about that sort of thing.
The park takes its name from a chalybeate spring, an iron-bearing well that made this a health resort long before it was a park. There is a scented garden, a fish pond, playgrounds, tennis courts and conservation areas where the planting is left alone.
Dogs are not allowed in the children’s areas, though the rest of the park is well used by dog walkers. It is hillier than Preston Park or The Level, but manageable.
Wild Park
Wild Park in Moulsecoomb is described by the council as the city’s largest Local Nature Reserve, and it feels less like a park than like the Downs pushing into the city. The council highlights extensive woodland walks and views over Brighton, and both are the reason to go.
The Pavilion Cafe runs 7.30am to 2.30pm on weekdays and 8.30am to 2.30pm at weekends, so this is a morning park rather than an afternoon one. Near the back is the hill locals call the ski slope, which climbs to Hollingbury Fort and the views that go with it. Come for open space, woodland and a dog walk with room to roam.
Also Worth Knowing
Cafe hours matter more than cafe availability. All eight have one, and Preston Park has two. Wild Park’s shuts at 2.30pm. If a coffee stop is load-bearing for your afternoon, check first, because park cafe hours shift with the season.
Parking is the main cost. Stanmer and Preston Park both charge daily. For most of these, public transport or walking is genuinely easier, and it is worth reading up on parking in Brighton before you drive anywhere in the city.
Accessibility varies more than you would expect. The Level is flat and step-free. Hove Park has accessible paths with gentle slopes at the eastern end. Most of Preston Park is accessible by path, but the rock garden, cricket pitch and velodrome are not. Dyke Road Park has no steps, though the rose garden’s paving is uneven. St Ann’s Well Gardens and Queen’s Park both involve slopes. Preston Park has a Changing Places toilet.
There are far more parks in Brighton than these eight. Blakers, Withdean, East Brighton, Easthill, Hollingbury, Carden, Saunders and Stoneham are all on the council’s list and worth a look if you live nearby. This guide covers the ones people travel across the city for.
FAQs
How many parks in Brighton are there?
The council’s main parks list runs to fifteen, and the city has many more green spaces, recreation grounds and gardens beyond it. This guide covers the eight that draw visitors from across the city.
Which parks in Brighton have cafes?
All eight do. Preston Park has two, the Chalet in the centre and the Rotunda at the southern end. Wild Park’s Pavilion Cafe closes at 2.30pm daily, which is the one to watch. Hours shift by season, so check before relying on one.
Do you have to pay to park at Brighton parks?
At Stanmer Park and Preston Park, yes. Preston Park charges 9am to 8pm with a six-hour cap and no return within four. Most Stanmer car parks match those hours with an eleven-hour maximum, though Upper Lodges closes at 5pm. Blue Badge holders have designated bays. Rates rose in May 2026, so check before travelling.
Which Brighton park is best for young children?
The Level, for the landscaped playground, the sensory play area and the fountains in summer. St Ann’s Well Gardens suits smaller children and offers more shade. Preston Park gives you the most room, being the city’s largest urban park by the council’s reckoning, and it has a Changing Places toilet.
Are Brighton parks accessible for wheelchairs and buggies?
The Level is flat and step-free. Dyke Road Park has no steps, though the rose garden’s paving is uneven. Hove Park’s paths are accessible with gentle slopes at the eastern end. At Preston Park most paths are fine, but the rock garden, cricket pitch and velodrome are not. Queen’s Park and St Ann’s Well Gardens both involve slopes.
Which park is closest to Brighton city centre?
The Level, which sits in the Valley Gardens corridor and is walkable from North Laine in a few minutes. It is also the flattest option close to the centre.
Final Thoughts
If you have one afternoon and want it to work without planning, go to Preston Park. Two cafes, a playground, space to spread out, and Preston Park station a short walk away so you can skip the parking charge.
If you want a walk rather than a park, Stanmer is the answer, with the caveat that you will pay to park and should check the rate first. If you have children and limited time, The Level. And if you have never been to Dyke Road Park, that is the gap worth filling, for the theatre, the tennis and a cafe terrace with a sea view.
The rest of the parks in Brighton are neighbourhood spaces, and they are better for it. Wild Park for a proper dog walk, St Ann’s Well Gardens for shade and quiet, Queen’s Park for an unhurried hour in Kemptown.
