Channel Islands travel guide
The Channel Islands: an unexpected paradise
The Channel Islands are truly amazing. The islands lie off the coast of France and are self-governing within the British Crown. Lush Mediterranean-looking landscapes are combined with British hospitality. On top of that, the islands are lively and tranquil at the same time and very easy to travel as well. We've visited four of five Channel Islands, namely Jersey, Guernsey, Sark and Herm. We really loved the nature and cosiness of the islands. There is just so much to see and do! In this travel guide, we take you along the highlights of each island.
Highlights of Jersey
Have you ever visited a place where you can see yourself living? The island of Jersey is such a place for us. It has everything we could wish for: stunning and diverse nature, friendly people, liveliness, and enough great and cosy restaurants and cafés. It seems like we're not the only ones who feel this way, as the island is quite popular among (wealthy) Europeans and especially British people. Accommodations can therefore be quite expensive. It's best to book well in advance or go there with a tent or campervan.
It's very easy to explore the island by bus or car. It only takes 20 minutes to travel from north to south, and 30 minutes from east to west. Therefore, you can basically do whatever combination of activities you like, which is one of the reasons why we like islands, and this one in particular, that much.
We were very surprised by the liveliness of the capital of Saint Helier. There are plenty of shops, cafés and restaurants. The Central Market is a typical UK-style indoor market where you can get some excellent street food. We enjoyed an amazing breakfast at Locke's, but there are many more hip or traditional breakfast cafés around.
On the east side of the island, you'll find the impressive Mont Orgueil Castle. Especially during sunset, you have an amazing view of the castle and the little harbour when walking along the lovely boulevard. In case you're looking for a cheap dinner option, the busy Café Du Port Pier is the place to go. Here they serve excellent Thai food and it's custom to bring your own drinks! We returned in the morning to have breakfast on the stunning white beach at the tiny Hungry Whale Beach Café. An amazing way to start the day!
Another wonderful place to start the day is The Hungry Man, on the north side of the island. The girls here serve some excellent coffees, sandwiches and rolls (typical British crispy and fluffy buns). It's located at one of the most stunning bays of the island, the colourful Rozel Bay.
You can then make your way to Bouley Bay. From here, you can go on an amazing 2-hour cliff hike to Bonne Nuit Bay (there is a sign next to the road). The views along the route are stunning, with picture opportunities around every corner. This hike was one of the highlights of our visit. Once you make it to Bonne Nuit Bay, you can treat yourself to some ice-cold drinks and a snack or a meal at the pier. Then you can jump on the bus that takes you back to Rozel Bay or even the city centre if you want.
There are several other places in the north that are worth visiting. The Devil's Hole is a collapsed sea cave with an amazing rugged landscape surrounding it. Greve de Lecq is a lovely beach with a cute café called Colleens next to it. Plémont Beach is arguably the most stunning and Mediterranean-looking beach in Jersey and the nearby beach café offers you a dramatic view of the beach as it's located on top of the cliff next to it. Lastly, there are the ruins of Grosnez Castle at one of the most rugged parts of the island with a view of the other Channel Islands.
The west side of the island consists mostly of one big stretch of beach, which is also an excellent place for surfing, and the Les Mielles Nature Reserve. There are several beachside cafés and restaurants here. Another fun thing to do in Jersey is to visit a typical tea room, like Poplars and Ransoms. Jersey is also famous for its World War II history, which you can learn about at the Jersey War Tunnels. Consider ending your stay in Jersey like us, by having pizza at the amazing Portelet Bay Café, one of our favourite spots on the island!
Highlights of Guernsey
Guernsey is the second biggest Channel Island. Even though the island is part of the British crown and there are many British restaurants and shops, it does have a distinct island culture. You can drive from one side of the island to the other within 30 minutes. Nevertheless, driving here can be a bit of a challenge as the streets are so narrow that you'll often have to drive with two wheels on the sidewalk to pass other vehicles. This is also why you'll see many tiny Japanese vans. Don't worry about it too much though, if the island busses can manoeuvre through the streets, then so can you!
The capital of Guernsey is Saint Peter Port. Here you'll find many restaurants and shops. We especially loved Fat Rascal for (typical English) breakfast and the Terrace Garden Café for amazing Thai food and craft beer with a great view of the port. Famous landmarks in Saint Peter Port are the Castle Cornet and the beautiful Candie Gardens. Next to the gardens are also the Victoria Tower and the old Candie Cemetary with a stunning view of the city and the sea. From Saint Peter Port you can easily visit the nearby islands of Sark and Herm. Before you leave, start your day at the classic White Rock Café, where you can have breakfast among the local workers.
The south side of Guernsey is very rugged with many beautiful bays to explore. We can highly recommend going to the Bluebell Woods where stunning (and unfortunately threatened) Bluebell flowers bloom in spring. The flowers weren't there anymore when we visited in July, but the hike through the cliff-side forest was lovely nevertheless. From here you can walk towards the beautiful Fermain Bay, which was one of our favourite experiences of our visit. There is also a little beach café at Fermain Bay, which is the case at most bays and beaches around the island, how lovely!
Other amazing bays and viewpoints are Jerbourg, Petit Port, Moulin Huet Bay (which gets its name from the famous painter who used this bay for one of his paintings), Saints Bay (lovely, but very thrilling to get to by car due to the narrow road), and Petit Boy Bay. These are all on the south-east side of the island, which allows you to visit all of these points in one day if you want. A visit to Moulin Huet Bay is great to combine with a lovely classical afternoon 'cream tea' at the Moulin Huet Tearooms.
In contrast to the rugged south, the west side of the island is rather flat with many long stretches of white beach. It's hard to decide which beach is the nicest, so we would just suggest driving along the coast, hopping from beach to beach. When travelling by bus, you can also easily do this or first sit through the entire drive along the coast before choosing which beach to visit.
We particularly liked Portelet Beach, which offers a great viewpoint as well. Cobo Tea Room, located next to Cobo Beach, is a great place to have some typical English tea, scones and cakes. At Port Soif and Grand Rocques, the beaches are bordered by interesting-looking rock formations. The beaches in the north seem to be most popular among the locals on a beautiful summer's day, you'll find some great seaside restaurants here as well.
Next to stunning nature, Guernsey is well-known for its World War II history as well. Because of its strategic location, it was heavily fortified. Everywhere around the island, you'll find bunkers and museums. Another famous landmark is the incredible Little Chapel, which is completely made of pebbles, seashells and Chinese Porcelain fragments. This is definitely a must-see landmark of Guernsey. You can combine this with a tour and tasting at the nearby Rocquette Cider Farm.
A day trip to Herm
We would deem a visit to Herm a must-do activity. It's small in size, which makes it very easy to explore for a day. You can get there within just 20 minutes from Guernsey by ferry. Make sure to bring a hat and enough sunscreen for your visit, as the sky is so free of pollution that you'll burn easily. The south of the island is more rugged, with beautiful viewpoints around every corner. The north side of the island is rather flat, consisting of beautiful dune landscapes. The beaches on this side of the island make you think you've arrived in the Caribbean as the sand is bright white and the water incredibly blue!
The island has few amenities, so having the ability to have a drink and a bite at the Belvoir Bay Café and the Shell Beach Café, located at arguably two of the most beautiful spots on the island, is simply amazing! It is possible to stay for the night on the island. There are several campsites and the beautiful (and of course rather expensive) White House Hotel. In case you're looking for a proper meal when on the island, the hotel or the Mermaid Tavern & restaurant are the places to be. In case you're not staying on the island, we would suggest spending at least four hours there. You can walk around the entire island within an hour, but you need a couple of hours to truly take in the beauty along the way!
A day trip to Sark
Sark is much larger and more rugged than Herm. It takes about an hour to get here by ferry. Once you arrive, you can take a short ride behind a tractor, or just walk your way up via the pathway to the main street of the island. Here you'll find a few restaurants. We loved the tiny Sark Yard, where they serve drinks and snacks and sell artisanal products.
You'll see many inhabitants and visitors cycling across the island. Be like them and not like us, as we explored the island by foot, which was rather exhausting. When exploring around the centre of Sark, you'll find little landmarks like the Sark Mill. There are several hotels and campsites on the island, which can be recommended if you want to see one of the clearest views of the Milky Way, as Sark is an official Dark Sky Park. The Stocks Hotel Sark is a particularly beautiful hotel and restaurant.
When making your way to the most famous landmark of Sark, namely the land bridge to Little Sark called La Coupée, you'll come across the lovely Caragh Chocolates shop where you can have some amazing hot chocolate with a view. Other famous landmarks are the Window in the Rock, La Seigneurie House and Gardens (a bit overpriced in our opinion), the Sark Methodist Church, and the Creux Harbour (which you can visit once you arrive from or return to Guernsey). We would also advise just roaming around the island to find some hidden gems yourself, like the many pools and bays.
Practical information
How to get here and move around
Guernsey and Jersey can be reached by ferry from the south of England or the port of Saint-Malo in France. This way, you can take your car or campervan with you. You can also get here by plane from several European airports. Jersey is the biggest island and therefore has the best connectivity. There are also local plane companies that operate between Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney.
On the islands, you can quite easily move around by local busses. However, we did enjoy the flexibility of driving around with our car. You can also rent a car in Guernsey and Jersey. Beware that the streets are very narrow and you'll have to drive on the left side of the road. Sark and Herm don't allow motorized vehicles, so you can only visit them by taking a foot-passenger ferry. The ferry to Sark and ferry to Herm are very easy to book online or at the port of Guernsey.
Alderney is the most difficult to visit as it is the furthest away. For now, your best option is a short flight or a rather rocky foot-passenger ferry from Guernsey. We didn't do that, as the hassle didn't weigh up to the distinctiveness of the island in comparison to the others.
Where to stay and for how long
The Channel Islands are quite expensive in terms of hotels and apartments. It's best to book early and travel outside of the high season (that is July and August) to get a more decent price. As we were travelling by car and rooftop tent, we stayed at the Vaugrat Campsite in Guernsey and Rozel Camping Park in Jersey, which were both lovely.
We would suggest staying for approximately 5 days on both Guernsey and Jersey, so 10 days in total. This way, you can explore these islands with relative ease and also visit the islands of Herm and Sark (near Guernsey) and optionally the tiny uninhabited island groups like the Minquiers and Ecréhous (near Jersey). 14 days in total would even be better if you want to travel at a slower pace and enjoy the lovely easy-living vibe of the islands. If you have only a few days, Jersey is the most charming and diverse in our opinion.
