01273 Area Code: Brighton & Hove Dialling Guide

The 01273 phone area code is synonymous with one of the UK’s most distinctive coastal cities. If you’ve seen a number starting with 01273 and wondered where it’s from, the answer is Brighton and Hove — the vibrant seaside city on England’s south coast that combines Regency architecture with a thriving tech and creative scene. This guide explains everything about the 01273 telephone area code, from the areas it covers to how to get your own Brighton business number.

What Area Is 01273?

The 01273 dialing code area covers the city of Brighton and Hove along with several neighbouring towns and villages in East Sussex. Brighton and Hove became a unitary authority in 1997 and was granted city status in 2000, making it one of the most significant urban centres on the south coast.

The 01273 phone code serves:

• Brighton — the bustling city centre, seafront, and surrounding neighbourhoods including Kemptown, Hanover, and Preston Park
• Hove — Brighton’s western neighbour, known for its elegant Brunswick Terrace and relaxed atmosphere
• Portslade — a residential area at the western edge of the city, bordering Shoreham
• Shoreham-by-Sea — a historic harbour town with a thriving arts community
• Rottingdean — a picturesque coastal village east of Brighton Marina
• Peacehaven — a clifftop town along the coast towards Newhaven

The 01273 area code essentially covers the Brighton and Hove urban area and extends a few miles along the coastline in both directions. If you’re asking “where is 01273?” — it’s the south coast of England, centred on Brighton.

Towns and Areas Using the 01273 Code

Here is a comprehensive list of the main locations served by the 01273 telephone area code:

• Brighton city centre (BN1, BN2 postcodes)
• Hove (BN3)
• Portslade-by-Sea
• Shoreham-by-Sea
• Southwick
• Rottingdean
• Saltdean
• Peacehaven
• Telscombe Cliffs
• Patcham
• Hollingbury
• Woodingdean
• Falmer (home to the University of Sussex and Brighton & Hove Albion FC)

The 01273 code also partially overlaps with some areas of Lewes, the nearby county town. Interestingly, parts of Lewes share the 01273 code despite being a distinct town, reflecting historical telephone exchange boundaries rather than modern administrative ones.

History of the 01273 Area Code

The 01273 area code was created on 16 April 1995 as part of the national PhONEday changeover. Before this date, Brighton’s area code was 0273. PhONEday inserted a “1” after the leading zero in all UK geographic codes, turning 0273 into 01273.

Brighton was assigned its original STD code during the rollout of subscriber trunk dialling in the 1960s, when it was simply 273. The city’s prominence as a conference destination, university town, and popular seaside resort ensured it received its own dedicated code early in the system’s development.

As a five-digit area code (01273), Brighton numbers follow the format 01273 XXXXXX — the code itself plus a six-digit local number, giving ten digits in total. This distinguishes it from the shorter codes used by larger cities like London (020) or Birmingham (0121).

How to Dial 01273 Numbers

Calling a Brighton number is straightforward regardless of where you are:

• From a UK landline or mobile: Dial the full number including the area code, e.g. 01273 XXX XXX. You must include the 01273 prefix when calling from a mobile phone, even if you are in Brighton.
• From within the 01273 area on a landline: You can dial just the six-digit local number without the area code, though using the full number will also work.
• From abroad: Replace the leading 0 with the UK international code +44. An 01273 number becomes +44 1273 XXX XXX.

Calls to 01273 numbers are charged at standard UK geographic rates. Most mobile contracts and landline packages include calls to 01 and 02 numbers within their inclusive minutes.

Getting a 01273 Business Number

Brighton is one of the UK’s fastest-growing tech hubs, and a local 01273 number signals credibility to customers across Sussex. Whether you’re a startup in the North Laine or a remote team serving Brighton clients, a local number builds trust.

You don’t need a physical office in Brighton to use a 01273 number. With VoIP technology, you can set up a virtual Brighton number that forwards calls to any device — your mobile, a softphone app, or an office handset anywhere in the world. Virtual numbers start from £6/month with Hypercloud Hosted VoIP.

Related Area Codes Near Brighton

If you operate across Sussex and the wider south-east, here are the area codes neighbouring 01273:

• 01903 — Worthing
• 01293 — Crawley and Gatwick
• 01444 — Haywards Heath
• 01323 — Eastbourne
• 01onal — Lewes (partially shares 01273)

For other major city dialling guides, see our articles on the 0117 area code for Bristol and the 020 area code for London.

We also compare the best business phone line providers across the UK if you’re reviewing your telecoms setup.

Frequently Asked Questions