The Royal Pavilion is one of the most architecturally improbable buildings in Britain. George IV commissioned John Nash to transform a Regency villa into this extraordinary fantasy of Indian domes and minarets, with Chinese-inspired interiors that run to lacquered furniture, painted silk, and chandelier dragons three metres long. The Banqueting Room alone, with its huge lotus chandelier weighing nearly a tonne, is worth the entrance fee.
Inside, the Pavilion tells a story of extravagant taste unencumbered by budget. The Music Room's gilded walls and hand-painted wallpaper occupied craftsmen for years. The King's Apartments reveal a monarch who wanted a private pleasure palace by the sea, and got one. The gardens were restored in the 2000s to their Regency-era plan and make a fine place to sit after the tour.