Guernsey — United Kingdom
If you want a little bit of French and not leave the UK, then Guernsey is a great place to visit. And also it’s tax free! Most of the cuisine is French but there are also tonnes of pubs. The island is small; we could drive around the whole island in about 1.5 hours. I recommend getting a car but they do have public transport and taxi services. For some reason, most of the people around us seemed much older but I think that was mainly the tourists because it is popular for surfing. There are also great treks around the coast of the island at a variety of difficulty levels.
Tip: Carry cash around because most places don’t accept cards or their card machines haven’t been working (for a while it seems).
Clean loos all over the island!
Driving
The UK rules apply in Guernsey as well except it is a lot simpler because there are hardly any cars driving around there! The roads are really narrow and there are a few additional road rules they follow which I have outlined below as much as I could.
Filters
These look a lot like box junctions except they say `FILTER` when you drive up to them. They are mainly found on four-way or more junctions and follow a courtesy system. You just stop at the filter and look around to see if you should go ahead or not. Generally, cars who reach it first get the courtesy to pass it first.
Narrow Roads
Even though the roads might look like a one way street, they are actually for both directions. So you really have to take it slow around the corners. It was a bit unnerving at first but you get used to it. Most of the streets have a footpath on one side at least with a really low curb and it is absolutely acceptable to drive up on it if the cars can’t pass each other.
Speed Limit
35 mph on the whole island and some built up areas are 25 mph.
Parking is free everywhere!
Parking
This is like a dream. When you hire the car they give you this rectangular board on which you set the time you arrived at the parking and just leave it on your dashboard. The official car parks generally have a time limit depending on the area but if you have a small car then some of the bigger 2-hour car parks have a 10-hour area just for small cars :) So hence it is worth getting a car when you go there.
Car Hiring
All the major companies are located at the airport. The one thing I did want to point out is that they charge a flat fee of £22 for fuel before you take the car but no fuel charges when you drop it off.
Food
As I mentioned the major cuisines there are French and Pub. What I really like about the place is that most of the bistros serve you bread and butter just like in France but the also serve it with pate: free of course.
If you’re coming from a city then the one thing you need to adjust to is that most of the nice places to eat at only serve lunch from 12 to 2 and then dinner from 6 to 9. It is also handy to call in and book a table.
For some reason, the food there is quite expensive in general. I don’t know if it is because a lot of their food needs to be imported in. It would be worth staying at a place that has a kitchen or kitchenette as it can get not only expensive to eat out every time but the food is also very rich. There was one day where all I wanted was fruits because everything was so creamy and heavy.
Lactose intolerant people beware!
Guernsey is known for their dairy; their butter is absolutely divine. But sadly there is a lot of cream, cheese and milk in the foods. I’m almost certain people were alarmed when I asked for soy milk a few times. So carry a stash of lactase pills if you want to enjoy all the food.
- Le Petit Bistro — This was probably the best place we ate at. We ate there twice! They have a decently priced set lunch menu and don’t forget to ask them for their fresh catch of the day. For some reason, the head waiter was always trying to push us in to the bar/cafe area but stand your ground and ask for a table in the bistro/restaurant area.
- Fleur du Jardin — Set in a 15th century house, they have great food and ambience but definitely book a table here.
- Old Quarter Restaurant — They had a really good variety of food here and even though it was a bit expensive, their quantities were a bit better than some of the other places.
- Le Gouffre — We found this place while we were on the trails and the food was decent but the location is absolutely great.
I’ve heard Pier 17 is also good but we didn’t get a chance to go there.
Stuff to do
Surprisingly there are a variety of things to do on such a small island. From trails to sight seeing to surfing.
Tip: Most of the tourist locations have fixed times for tours; you can’t simply walk in and browse at your own pace.
Hauteville House — Victor Hugo’s house
If you don’t do anything else on the island, you must do this! It is a master piece. It isn’t any ordinary house but he made his whole house into an art piece. Each part of the rooms, furniture, walls mean something and depict something. He has carved names of all the people he found impactful in history all over his house. Each room is differently designed. It is very dark and heavy and rooted in some serious philosophies: intense but must be visited. I have intentionally not put up pictures of this.
Trails
Most of the hotels and restaurants have a free island map that has the roads and the trails marked. They all have parking at the start/end points of the trails and a “kiosk”. These kiosks are all over the island and have food and loos (very clean).
The southern coast has the toughest trails: a lot of steps and a lot of cliffs but no climbing equipment required. This picture is on a relatively flat section.
The north-western coast is relatively flat and the eastern coast is a little more built up since the main city — St.Peter’s Port — is along that coast.
Sausmarez Manor
When we went there the last tour was at 11:30 am and they do them about every half hour from when they open. It’s a nice place but you could do without it as well. They only take you through 3–4 rooms; the rest is all closed up which was a bit disappointing.
The great thing about this place is that it’s got a lot of history since the manor dates back to around 12th century even though most of the original building doesn’t exist but the current one is fairly old as well — around 15th century. The tour guides are really knowledgeable and I really enjoyed what they said.
Tip: No pictures allowed!
German Occupation Underground Hospital
This was one of the scariest places I have been to and probably the most untouched by tourism. It gives you a vivid feeling of what it must have been like around the world war times to be a patient of the war. There is no guided tour for this place which is probably why it was so scary as you walk by yourself through what felt like miles of corridors of a long dead hospital. It is a morbid place and not for the weak at heart.
That concludes what I remember so far that might be helpful. If I remember anything I will add it on and if anyone has any specific questions, please do feel free to ask; it will help me make my article better :)
