Brighton Basement Tours

The Royal Pavilion's Basement & Tunnel Tours offer a rare glimpse into the unpolished, behind-the-scenes areas of the building, including the vaulted basement used as an air raid shelter during WWII. Visitors will discover more about life below stairs for Royal Pavilion servants and see the tunnel that led to George's royal stables and riding school. The tour is not for the faint of heart, with low ceilings, steep stairs, uneven flooring, and dim lighting.

Brighton & Hove Museums are behind the guided tours, which run from Monday, 2 November 2026, until Thursday, 31 December 2026, at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. The tours are suitable for children over 12, who must be accompanied by an adult, and are not suitable for buggies. Tickets are with the button beside the article.

The tunnel itself is a notable feature of the tour, described as around 60 metres long and connecting the Pavilion to the Royal Stables, now the Brighton Dome and Brighton Museum. During the Second World War, the vaulted wine cellars beneath the Pavilion were turned into air raid shelters fitted with bunk beds, giving visitors a unique insight into the building's history.