An inspiring itinerary for a weekend in Jersey, Channel Islands

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Hey guys, we just returned from a fantastic weekend trip to Jersey, Channel Island and I can’t wait to share with you our itinerary for a weekend in Jersey. We visited Jersey in winter, and even though the weather was grim, we still managed to do quite a lot and enjoyed the island break very much. Would like to hear more about our experience in Jersey? Keep reading!

First of all, I wanted to say huge thanks to Visit Jersey, who organised our amazing press trip to Jersey for a weekend. Visit Jersey booked charming 5* self-catering accommodation Les Ormes Resort for us, as well as some great restaurants and suggested an excellent itinerary for Jersey in winter, which, we pretty much followed with some small tweaks and would like to share it with you now. All opinions are, as always, our own and we would never recommend something we didn’t enjoy. We honestly liked Jersey, and we’re sure that we return to see Jersey in summer and swim on these amazing sandy beaches!

Visiting Jersey in winter

It’s worth mentioning (though I already said it above) that we visited Jersey in winter. In December, to be precise. While it’s not a high season in Jersey because of the weather, it’s still an excellent time to visit the island, because there are plenty of things you can do there.

An awe-inspiring itinerary for a weekend in Jersey, Channel Islands

Weather in Jersey in winter

The weather in Jersey in winter is quite unstable – it can be sunny and then it 1 hour, it can start raining a lot. Our first day in Jersey was unusually cold and windy (I believe it was a proper storm), which is unusual for the island, because the average temperatures for Jersey in December are around 12 Degrees Celsius. On Saturday, it was like 3 Degrees. When it’s cold and rainy, the best thing you can do is to explore the variety of museums in Jersey or the culinary side of Jersey.

However, on the second day in Jersey, we got lucky and had a couple of hours of sunshine in the morning. The island looked absolutely gorgeous in the sunlight, and we rushed to get to the beach and capture the sunrise. Later on, it started raining, but it wasn’t so cold, and it was actually possible to explore some outdoor places. However, I must say, that even on the first day, we managed to do quite a bit of sightseeing. The key is really the clothing.

What to pack for Jersey in winter

As I mentioned above, the key to enjoying Jersey in winter is appropriate clothing. Because of the strong wind, umbrellas are useless sometimes, so you need a proper warm, waterproof parka (like this one). I usually buy clothes for my travels on Asos. Also don’t forget to bring a hat, gloves and a scarf and waterproof shoes, because, as I already mentioned, it rains quite a lot in Jersey in winter.

What to pack for Jersey in winter

An awe-inspiring itinerary for a weekend in Jersey

You can use this itinerary any time you visit Jersey, not only in winter. However, some things, such as a Christmas Market, would be unavailable, but on a positive note, you’d have way more sunlight during the day so you can keep exploring way longer.

For a weekend in Jersey, I totally recommend you to rent a car. Even though Jersey has excellent transport links, some places are located far away from each, and also, you can’t get to all the spots, e.g. beaches by bus. The car makes getting around way more manageable. We got our car from Hertz, provided by Visit Jersey.

Day 0 – From London to Jersey

We arrived at Jersey Airport from Gatwick around 8:20 pm. Our flight with British Airways was short and sweet (only 45 min). There’s no passport control, so it’s the same as any domestic flight within the UK (it saves you a lot of time). We also checked it at our self-catering accommodation: Les Ormes Resort. We had our own massive villa with 3 bedrooms, jacuzzi and a sauna and it was absolutely stunning. I would imagine going to this villa with your family for Christmas or renting it for a gathering with friends.

Les Ormes Resort Jersey
Les Ormes Resort Jersey

Day 1 – Our full day in Jersey. The storm

On our first day, we woke up around 8 am and realised that it was raining a lot in Jersey. So we decided to grab a quick bite in the Works (which was ok, I wouldn’t recommend it too much) in Gorey bay and by the time we finished, the rain calmed down a bit. So we decided to climb up to the Mont Orgueil Castle – the most famous castle in Jersey that is standing there for more than 800 years. We had Jersey passes from Visit Jersey, so we didn’t have to pay the admission fee of £12.55. However, you can purchase the Heritage Pass and save a bit of money – but only if you have time to visit all the 4 attractions included in the pass.

It was very windy and stormy on top of the castle, but the views were breathtaking.

An awe-inspiring itinerary for a weekend in Jersey, Channel Islands
An awe-inspiring itinerary for a weekend in Jersey, Channel Islands

Learning more about the history of Jersey

After visiting the castle, we headed to the Jersey Museum, to learn more about the history of Jersey and also wait for the rain to pass. We parked our car in the parking lot nearby (10 min walking), and got back to the Jersey Museum. There was a fascinating movie about the history of Jersey that we enjoyed very much and also the permanent exhibition. We learned more about Jersey in the 80s, how did the island life after the war and how and why did it manage to develop the financial industry and make financial services its primary sector of the economy. So if you’re interested in all that as well, I recommend you visiting the Jersey Museum.

Later on, we decided to check out the Christmas Market on the Royal Square – there was a temporary Christmas Market with French goods and food, and it was unique and quite different to what we got used to (typical German-style Christmas Markets like the one in Edinburgh). There was also a crafts market with some very unique jewellery, cups and even food and I just wanted to buy everything!

An awe-inspiring itinerary for a weekend in Jersey, Channel Islands

Why is it great to shop in Jersey?

It wasn’t raining yet, so we had a chance to check out the centre of Saint Helier, the biggest city in Jersey – it’s definitely charming and especially festive in December. If you’re planning to shop in Jersey, remember that Jersey has very low taxes, so you can sometimes save around 10% vs the rest of UK, so if you are planning to buy a camera or next iPhone, why not.

It got already dark, and I felt like I had a fever (I actually did), so we returned to our lovely villa for a small break before going to dinner at 18:30 pm. If you don’t have a fever, you can certainly explore other places, I’d recommend you to visit either the Jersey Botanic Garden or the War Tunnels, both attractions are very different so you can choose whichever suits your interests best.

An awe-inspiring itinerary for a weekend in Jersey, Channel Islands

Dinner in Jersey: Salty Dog Bar & Bistro

We had a booking (again, thanks a lot, Visit Jersey) in the place called Salty Dog Bar & Bistro. We didn’t have any high expectations and thought that it’s just a casual place; however, the venue is absolutely stunning inside. It’s simple but very stylish, decorated with colourful paintings depicting sea, surfing, fishes and more.

We had a 3-course meal and a glass of wine each, and we went for different dishes with Pepe, so we could try a big variety of dishes, however, we both chose Seafood, because we felt it kind of makes sense to order seafood in the seafood restaurant. Anyway, everything was really delicious and we found out that Salty Dog has some good set menus so you can come here for lunch as well. Salty Dog is located in St. Aubin’s Village, some 15 min driving away from Les Ormes.

Day 2 in Jersey: Sunshine, fever and the Zoo

Even though we were quite tired after the first day in Jersey, we woke up at 8 am and drove straight to the famous White House in St. Ouen. We certainly could have walked there from Les Ormes, but we wanted to see as much as possible on that day, so we drove there and from there went on a short stroll on the beach. The morning light was absolutely stunning, and the White House looked mysterious in the light of the rising sun.

Visit Jersey suggested us a variety of hikes to take in Jersey (check them out here), but I had a fever, so I didn’t feel like I could hike. Otherwise, we would have hiked for sure. Jersey is a fabulous destination for hiking because it’s very walkable and the landscapes are absolutely gorgeous. It reminded me of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland.

Salty Dog Bar and Bistro
An awe-inspiring itinerary for a weekend in Jersey, Channel Islands

The Hungry Man

After exploring St. Ouen’s Bay, we went to the Hungry Man in the tiny bay called Rozel Bay. Rozel Bay was really pretty with some surreal, colourful houses. The Hungry man is a kiosk that serves the best Marshmallow hot chocolate in Jersey (or maybe in the whole UK) and also some really delicious burgers, sandwiches and buns. And it’s possible to sit in and have a quick bite on the benches next to the kiosk. In summer, you can get some scones, pastries and even ice creams, so the menu is seasonal.

An awe-inspiring itinerary for a weekend in Jersey, Channel Islands
Please disregard the dark circles under my eyes. It’s all the fever 🙂

Jersey Zoo

The Hungry Man was located just 7 min drive from the Jersey Zoo. I’m not a big supporter of the zoos, however, that one is different as it was founded by Gerald Durrell, who was one of my favourite authors in my childhood and this zoo helps a lot to preserve the endangered species.

Lunch at Les Ormes Brasserie

We had a booking at Les Ormes Brasserie for lunch; otherwise, we would have probably kept exploring the points of interest in Jersey, e.g. would have visited the Elizabeth Castle. However, the lunch at Les Ormes was amazing: every single dish was delicious, and again, there was a great set menu, so it’s another place I would surely recommend.

Our flight was departing at 5:45 pm, so after having lunch, we headed to the airport, said that we couldn’t stay in Jersey for longer (though honestly, I had a fever, so I needed to relax after such a busy trip).

An awe-inspiring itinerary for a weekend in Jersey, Channel Islands

Summary of our weekend in Jersey

I hope you liked our itinerary for a weekend in Jersey. As you can see, it’s suitable for Jersey in winter or during any time of the year. We really enjoyed our weekend in Jersey and would definitely return here to see how is Jersey in summer!

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