Jersey Tourist Information and Tourism
(Jersey, Channel Islands, British Isles)
The largest and most popular of all the Channel Islands, Jersey is a leading tourist destination and a true mixture of both traditional
England and continental
France. Expect to enjoy a definite Gallic flavour and numerous French road signs, along with English-style beach cafes and country pubs, exciting watersports, coastal walks and historic fortifications from various periods.
Visitors flock to Jersey each year to enjoy the spectacular coastline, the huge selection of sandy beaches, such as St. Aubin's, St. Brelade's and St. Ouen's, plentiful seafood restaurants, relaxing pace of life and of course, the fine weather. In fact, Jersey is one of the sunniest places in Europe, with mild winters and hot, sunny summers.
Tourism plays an important part of the island's economy, with a number of new and modern spa hotels making a recent appearance in the town of St. Helier, the island's capital. St. Helier is also where you will find the tourist information outlet for Jersey Tourism, on Liberation Place, next to the bus terminal. The island is easy to reach, with frequent ferries from Poole, Portsmouth and Weymouth, as well as flights to Jersey from various English, Irish and German airports. Of note, Jersey Airport resides on the south-western side of the island, within the parish of St. Peter, where it is used by roughly 1.5 million passengers per annum.
Jersey Tourist Information and Tourism: Top Sights
Apart for the many beaches on Jersey, of which there are approximately 30 in total, the tourist attractions are often based around the coastline. Families will enjoy spending a day at the Durrell Wildlife Park (Jersey Zoo) or the Living Legend theme park, while others prefer to sample the apple brandy and wines at La Mare Wine Estate. In the summer months, the water slides at the AquaSplash complex provide a great way to cool down, or alternatively, you can check out the corn labyrinth at the aMaizin Maze and Adventure Park. More information about
Jersey Tourist Attractions.
The landmarks of Jersey are extremely varied and date from a number of different periods. Mont Orgueil Castle is especially iconic and important, and this magnificent 13th-century fortress regularly appears on postcards of the island. La Corbiere Lighthouse is another much-photographed landmark, as are Elizabeth Castle and St. Aubin's Fort, both of which dominate St. Aubin's Bay and add much character to the shore. The ancient medieval ruins of Grosnez Castle are also often of great interest when explored. More information about
Jersey Landmarks.
Jersey's culture is extremely rich and there is much more to the island than first appears. Museums are extremely plentiful, with highlights including the Jersey Museum at St. Helier, the Grève de Lecq Barracks at St. Mary, and both the Kempt Tower Visitors Centre and the rather unique Battle of the Flowers Museum at St. Ouen. Remembering the German fortifications in the 1940s, the Jersey War Tunnels (Ho8) are located at St. Lawrence and this former underground war hospital is quite simply fascinating and unique, being packed with wartime information and endless artefacts. More information about
Jersey Museums and Art Galleries.
If you are staying on the island of Jersey for any length of time, you may wish to hop on a ferry and explore one of the neighbouring islands, such as Guernsey, Sark and Alderney. Guernsey is by far the biggest of these islands and has a huge amount to offer in the way of tourism, with its capital being St. Peter Port Harbour, home of Castle Cornet and a particularly historical lighthouse. The Brittany coastline of France is extremely close to Jersey and can be viewed from the north-easterly coast, with ferries regularly travelling to and from St. Malo. More information about
Jersey Attractions Nearby.
More Jersey Information / Fast Facts and Orientation
- Country: Channel Islands
- Location: English Channel
- Status: island, capital town - St. Helier
- Area: approximately 46 square miles / 118 square kilometres
- Population: approximately 95,000
- Language: English (some islanders also speak a Jèrriais type of Norman French)
- Currency: pound sterling with some Jersey specific notes / coins (GBP)
- Time zone: GMT / UTC and BST (British Summer Time), 5 hours from Eastern Standard Time
- Country dialing code: +44
- Jersey dialing code: 01534
- Average daily Jersey January temperature: 9°C / 48°F
- Average daily Jersey July temperature: 21°C / 70°F