Bird's eye view of Brighton
'Welcome on board' announce two flight attendants as passengers go through a security check before boarding the **British Airways i360**. This is not a plane and we are not at the airport but at the Brighton seafront. Here a glass capsule awaits us with capacity for 200 people and with a bar that will take us to more than 130 meters high to contemplate the views of the city and its surroundings up to a distance of 41km. A 'flight' that lasts between 20 and 30 minutes in total and costs 15 pounds (17 euros).
i360 platform
The cover letter of i360 , to which many have already given nicknames such as the donut, pirulo or flying saucer, seeks to create links with the city. It has been built exactly where the West Pier stood 150 years ago, a pier that went up in flames in 2003 and of which today only a jumble of iron remains. In Victorian times, the West Pier invited to "walk on water" , today the i360 does it "on the air" say its creators.
Brighton from 130 meters high
This vertical jetty has been a challenge in its design and construction with the seal 'made in' Spain, France, Italy and Holland among other countries. A curiosity: inside the tower there is stagnant water brought from Australia to prevent the infrastructure from swaying when it is windy.
Reflections of Brighton in the "vertical jetty"
After enjoying this 'express flight', one will exit through the always tempting gift shop. Next door is the restaurant The BelleVue that together with the West Pier Tea Room complete the experience. The restaurant menu has the chef's signature Steve Edwards , winner of the 2013 edition of Masterchef in the United Kingdom, which is committed to local products in both food and beverages. For example, you can take a gin and tonic with Brighton Gin, a gin distilled in the city itself, or if you prefer sparkling wine and beers created in the nearby towns of Nyetimber and Lewes.
The i360 has thus become the new excuse to visit Brighton, but not the only one. This city, known as 'London by the sea' , is the most popular in the south of England with more than eight million visits a year that will easily be surpassed with the new added attraction of a promenade that invites you to see Brighton from a bird's eye view.
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The old wharf seen from the i360
Inside the i360