Located 20 kilometers from the French Normandy coast, the island of Jersey is an ideal destination for a long weekend by its proximity but also by the change of scenery it provides with its very British side. Jersey, the largest of the five Channel Islands, has cultural, historical and natural attractions that will give you the impression of living on English time and taking a real break just a few kilometers from France.
Its small area offers the possibility of accessing the four corners of the island very quickly during a stay over a long weekend. Through its history, the British influence is very present on the island of Jersey in its architecture, its cuisine, its art of living, but you should know that Jersey is a state in its own right with its Parliament and its own currency, the Jersey sterling.
With an area of only 116 km2, the island of Jersey is easily visited without a car. The island is indeed a hiker's paradise. It is possible to walk around it in four or five days. 100 kilometers of paths lined with trees and hedges where pedestrians have priority allow you to discover the coastline in an ideal setting, wild and with cliffs on the north coast of the island, bordered by beaches to the west and south. , with a view of the French coast on the east side. Twelve circular hiking circuits of 2 to 4 hours each also give the possibility of visiting the 12 parishes that make up the island of Jersey and discovering their tourist sites.
Cycling is also king on the island of Jersey. It has a whole network of routes reserved for cyclists which take routes along the coast and country lanes. The Jersey tourist office provides many maps of the cycle routes available on the island.
If you prefer to travel by car or bus, public transport and taxis are very present on the island of Jersey from the "Liberation Station" bus station in Saint-Helier, the island's capital, and allow easy to go around the island. Another typical means of transport on the island of Jersey, the char-à-banc, retro open-top buses, which offer many routes to go around the island or go to the famous Durrell animal park, for example. .
The island of Jersey being very close to France, it is very easy to get there for a long weekend. Whether on foot or by car, you can take the many ferries that depart from the Normandy coast from Saint Malo, Granville or Carteret. The journey only takes between 1 hour and 1 hour and a half. It is possible to leave for Jersey by plane but the journeys are a little longer than by boat because few direct flights exist from French airports.
