British Airways i360 Viewing Tower, Brighton

Last weekend on the 4th of July we saw new measures in the UK that meant bars, restaurants and attractions could start reopening with new guidance to make sure the public can enjoy being out of the house whilst also being safe and keeping to social distancing.  Like many people, I wasn’t initially sure how I felt about the country starting to reopen.  On one hand, I was eager to get out and explore again, but I was aware of not wishing to catch or spread COVID-19.  When I was invited to check out the first voyage of the British Airways i360 Viewing Tower in Brighton it seemed like the perfect chance to enjoy a new experience and check-in with their new social distancing measures to put my mind at ease.

The British Airways i360 Viewing Tower is simply put the best way to see Brighton from above.  The 351-foot moving viewing tower which opened in 2016 is experienced by taking an enclosed glass pod on an incredibly smooth 25-minute journey to see the sights.

It was a typical British seaside day when I arrived by car into Brighton, meaning of course that it was grey wet and windy!  We walked along the pier and entered via the newly restored vintage ticket offices to prepare for our trip to the skies.  Everywhere around the entrance the initial social distance measures were clear to see.  There are signs explaining the new measures and rules to keep everyone safe as well as hand gel at the ticket stations and social distancing markers within the queue line.  Before entering the waiting area everyone was required to have a temperature check and a bag search before reaching the outdoor waiting area which had plenty of space to keep apart.

Upon entering the pod the most obvious change is that it has now been split into sections with tape on the floor, so each bubble of people are only staying in one area at a time and could only move into free ones.  This made social distancing really straight forward and simple and gave everyone space to see the sites without feeling crowded.  The capacity for the pod has been significantly reduced and all staff on board wore masks, gloves and other PPE equipment.  The bar had a one-way system to avoid crowding and drinks contamination which worked well during my experience.  The pod is also cleaned between every use and enhanced cleaning is in place across the whole site.  The air within the pod all comes from the outside and is filtered before entering and it is not recirculated, meaning the air is fresh throughout the journey.

As for the experience itself, I was amazed at how smooth the journey was, as the pod rose up the needle structure if felt like we were floating!  Despite the grey slides, I was surprised by how light and airy it was in the pod, it felt like we were sitting amongst the clouds.  We could still see most of Brighton pretty well, and looking out to sea with a glass of champaign at 10 am made me really feel glad to be out experiencing the world again.  The British Airways i360 Viewing Tower has a weather guarantee so that if they declare the weather to be bad you can revisit on a sunnier day free of charge within three months and I will most defiantly be taking advantage of this for a second trip.  There’s even a free visitor app that’s available in multiple languages that you can use during your trip which will tell you more about the sights you can see from your pod.

Overall I really enjoyed this relaxing trip amongst the clouds and I will defiantly be making a repeat trip next time I’m in Brighton.  Adult tickets for the British Airways i360 Viewing Tower are £14.85 and must be booked in advance currently.  Check out the ticket section of their website to get deals on including drinks package and other deals.  Have you visited the British Airways i360 Viewing Tower?

Tickets were gifted in exchange for a review