A Ride on the British Airways i360, Brighton

Recently, we went on a ride on Brighton’s newest attraction, the British Airways i360 cable car. This is a vertical ride in a glass viewing pod, up to 450 feet with 360 degree panoramic views of beautiful scenery, reaching a distance of 26 miles on clear days! There are great views along the coast in both directions, the WestPier directly below and the Palace Pier in the distance. You can see across to the South Downs in the opposite direction and on clearer days you can even see the Isle of Wight! When I moved to Brighton four years ago, the Brighton Wheel offered great views across the sea. I was sad to see it go but was keen to experience its new replacement. I saw the British Airways i360 being built and walked past it many times as a work in progress. It opened on 4 August 2016 and has attracted countless visitors since.

We decided to take a ride or a ‘flight’ as they describe them, just before Christmas to meet Santa on one of the special event days. It happened to be a particularly windy afternoon and being a little scared of heights I was a bit worried about the pod shaking. But I didn’t need to be at all as the British Airways i360 is a smooth ride, hence why they use the word ‘flight’. It almost feels like you’re in a plane and once in the pod I wasn’t even aware of the wind. The day we went up was cloudy unfortunately but that didn’t stop us being fascinated by the view.

I thought Pip and his little friend might lose interest or be scared but they were neither. They enjoyed the view and the fact Santa and his little elf were in the same pod made it all the more exciting. As part of meeting Santa each child was given a book as a Christmas present, included in the fee. Obviously, Christmas has come and gone but the i360 holds special event days thorough-out the year.

There is a bar inside the pod offering drinks. I thought the prices were a bit steep at £10 for a glass a bubbly but that didn’t stop me or my friend, Lindsey buying one (why not, it was Christmas)! We bought apple juice for the boys. They also sell gin and water but I think it would be beneficial to have a bigger selection of drinks and to include snacks, especially for kids. I thought it would also be a good idea to have some seating areas near the windows, rather than just those on the inner section of the pod. The whole ‘flight’ lasted 20 minutes and we all enjoyed it. We explored the amazing shop afterwards and bought some souvenirs. I’d love to return on a warmer clearer day or even at sunset.

Prices

Adult prices: £15 

Children (4-15): £7.50 with concession rates for seniors and students. 

All children under 4 are free. Book online for cheaper prices.

Resident Prices

All residents of Brighton and Hove are eligible for a resident membership. 

Adult, Seniors and Students: £7.50 

Children (4-15): £5

It’s worth a visit so book your tickets today!

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Thanks to British Airways i360 for inviting us on the pod. All words and opinions are my own.

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Have you been on the i360? What did you think?

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