Jersey—a Small Island With So Much to Offer

Getting around

You may have booked a car at the same time as you booked your flight or ferry crossing to Jersey. If not, don’t panic. At the airport on arrival, there is a taxi rank. Or, a few steps from the taxi rank, is the bus stop for the service that will take you into St Helier via St Aubin. It costs £2.30 cash or £2.00 using contactless payment. This service runs reliably at 15 minute intervals. Try to get on the top deck for a full appreciation of the coast and landscape without having to worry about directions from behind the wheel of a car.

What to do and what to see

Boat trips—run from the Albert Pier in St Helier until late October. The cruises are two hours, cost £20 for adults and £10 for children 15 and under. The cruises go to the Corbiere Lighthouse, the most westerly point on the island that faces the full wrath of the Atlantic. You will see Fort Elizabeth dominating the entrance to St Helier Harbour, the expanse of St Aubin’s Bay, St Brelade’s Bay, dramatic pink granite cliffs and German war fortifications. If you are lucky, dolphins may surface to play around the boat. I was on the Jersey Duchess, whose skipper, Simon, gave an excellent, relaxed and informative commentary.

These trips operate from April to the end of October at 1030 and 1400, seven days a week (dependent on weather conditions).

For historians, especially those with an interest in World War II, the Jersey War Tunnels are worth experiencing. To get there from St Helier, there is a vintage bus service from the bus station near Liberty Square. Tickets for the return journey are £6, and for that you will sit on a Routemaster double decker London bus.

Entry to the tunnels is £15. Once inside the labyrinth of tunnels, there will be static displays of the hospital wards and operating theatre, offices, and communication systems as they were left in 1945 when the island was liberated. Allow about two hours to see everything here before catching the vintage bus back to St Helier.

This is open seven days a week between April and the end of October.

Eating

There is no shortage of places to enjoy lunch or dinner on Jersey.

Here are just a few to consider:

The Boathouse, St Aubin—this restaurant is in a modern purpose-built building overlooking St Aubin Harbour. Every time I have been here, the welcome has been warm. There is seating at high tables with bar stools near the bar, a restaurant area overlooking the bay, and a lounge style seating area. The only time I have eaten there, I had one of their burgers sitting in the bar area and my only complaint was that there was too much.

If you enjoy ethnic food, then go to the Unawatuna Restaurant overlooking ‘Weighbridge’ in St Helier. It is impossible to miss this place as it is the only building overlooking the pedestrianized area painted in brilliant orange. Here you can enjoy selections from the Sri Lankan based menu. Good value for money for something a little bit different, especially for vegans and vegetarians. A warm welcome and friendly service.

For a quick lunch to eat in or takeaway there is the Bond Street Deli at 1 Bond Street in St Helier which opened in 2017. There is bar height seating for eating in. I enjoyed a hot salt beef roll. Not a polite tea-time roll, but a real fill your fist one oozing with piping hot beef.

Even though I was on a short break, I still had to go into The Office.

A great pub whose interior must be at least a 100 years old. Well worth a visit to try one of the local brews they have on tap here.

And finally, if you haven't worn your legs out or eaten so much you are reluctant to move, there is just one more sight to see. At the end of a clear day make the walk to the ramparts of Fort Regent and climb one of the many routes to the top of the hill. Around sunset you will see:

Even if the walk up the hill hasn't made you breathless, the view will.

Enjoy Jersey.