Guernsey Honeymoon

Victor Hugo, the French writer most remembered for Les Miserables, immortalized Guernsey by dedicating The Toilers of the Sea to "the rock of hospitality, to this corner of old Norman land where the noble people of the sea reside, to the island of Guernsey, severe and yet gentle."

Victor Hugo may be Guernsey's most famous resident, but with apologies to his memory, he left out a few of the island's charms. Riots of colorful flowers, the picturesque streets of St. Peter Port, fine dining and music, historic castles and forts, and sandy beaches and seaside cliffs—all in 25 square miles—make Guernsey well worth considering as your honeymoon destination.

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Cost

The last time we checked prices, accommodations on Guernsey ranged from £4.50 per night (camping at La Bailloterie) to about £185 for a four-star hotel (St Pierre Park). Self-catering cottages ran from about £225 to £1075 per week.

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Activities & Attractions

• Tour St. Peter Port. St. Peter Port is a jumble of rooftops and cobbled streets rising above the blue waters of a deep anchorage. Guided and self-guided walking tours help visitors encounter the city's 2000 years of history, including remnants of its Neolithic and Roman past. Attractions include historic churches, the Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery, Candie Gardens, Hauteville House (home to French novelist Victor Huge; see below), La Vallette underground military museum, Dorey Centre, (home to the 10-panel Guernsey Tapestry), an aquarium and open-air bathing pools. Shops sell a variety of goods from jewelry to electronics to antiques, while more than 70 restaurants and cafés feature a wide variety of cuisines, including Guernsey Gâche. A live market day is held in the center of the town every week, featuring a variety of local food and crafts. And stop by the National Trust Victorian Shop; dating to the 17th century, the oldest house in Guernsey now sells Victorian goods to tourists.

• Tour Hauteville House. Victor Hugo's home in exile, where he finished Les Miserables and wrote Toilers of the Sea, is more than just another historic residence. Hugo decorated the house himself in his own eccentric style—plates on the ceiling, chairs sticking out of walls, soda-bottle fanlight. But it's also filled with priceless statues, vases, secret passages, a magnificent rooftop studio, and Hugo's own artwork.

• Hang out on the beach. The climate of the Channel Islands is temperate, giving visitors all the more incentive to hit the islands' many beaches. Guernsey has more than 20 bays ranging from tiny coves whose beaches are only exposed at low tide to the long, sandy beaches of the west coast.

• Catch a performance. Guernsey has a wide variety of musical groups that you can catch in one of its many pubs or St. James, a restored church that now serves as a 600-seat concert hall.

• Remember the German occupation. Like Jersey, reminders of Guernsey's occupation by German troops during World War II are everywhere, from fortifications to museums to pillboxes. La Vallette Underground Military Museum is actually located in a complex of underground tunnels built by the Germans to store U-boat refueling tanks.

• Stop and smell the flowers. Like the other Channel Islands, Guernsey is blessed with a profusion of wild flowers that is amply supplemented by the islanders' own gardens. Guernsey's tourism website (see below) points out that the island exports nearly one million boxes of cut flowers every year, that it is the largest producer of clematis in the world, and that 449 different types of flowers have been recorded as blooming on the island at once—in January, no less. Cliffside walks are a good way to experience the wildflowers, while private and public gardens are often open to visitors.

• Sausmarez Manor. The manor's renown sculpture trail includes 160 pieces by 80 renown artists mixed with woodland gardens; you can also tour the 750-year-old manor.

  Castle Cornet at night. (Photo  courtesy VisitGuernsey.com)

• Castles and fortresses. Guernsey must be quite an island, because it seems someone or other has been fighting over its 25 square miles since the Iron Age. The battles are over, but the battleworks remain. Most prominent among them is Castle Cornet, an imposing 13th century fortress that today includes a variety of museums and galleries, including artifacts from the Roman era. Fort George overlooks St. Peter Port; it was built as a possible backup to Castle Cornet in the event of a French invasion. Le Château des Marais and the Vale Castle, dating from the 13th and 15th centuries respectively, were both used by the German occupiers during World War II. And twelve defensive towers dot the islands shores as well.

• Make trips to the other Channel Islands. Even if you find enough to keep you occupied on Guernsey, you won't want to miss the charms of the other Channel Islands. You can find out more about them at our Channel Islands Honeymoon page.

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Links

VisitGuernsey

The island's official website is a bit confusing to navigate, hiding away some of its best material—but it's still the best introduction to the island online. For an overview, start with the Why Guernsey? button at the top left of the home page.

• Holiday Diaries: Suggested Guernsey itineraries, broken down by theme.

This is Guernsey

Online site for the Guernsey Press and Star newspaper.

• Tourism and Attractions forum: Get a first-hand view of Guernsey from the people who live and visit there. When we checked, the forum contained some critical posts that might offer a more realistic view of the island than what you'll find at the tourism sites.

Surfing the Channel: The Islands of the English Channel

Valerie Summers recounts her trip to Jersey, Guernsey, and Sark. Probably the best travel article about the Channel Islands on the web. Includes pictures.

Giving peace a chance

Jim Keeble of the London Telegraph finds cobblestone streets lined by quaint shops and a bit of peace and quiet in Jersey, Guernsey, and Herm.

Channel hopping

Donald Telfer paints a picture of the Channel Islands with words. About St. Peter Port (Guernsey): "The town rises gloriously from the harbour, its Roman arches, coloured granite buildings and narrow medieval streets and passageways casting a tall, dark and handsome backdrop to the sea."

Also read about this destination on the web's best travel destination guides (Frommers, Rough Guides, Lonely Planet, etc.), which you'll find on our destinations guides page.

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Your honeymoon story

Have you done this trip (whether on your honeymoon or other travel)? We'd love to hear about your experience so we can share it with others . . . just drop us a line.

Last Updated: August 18, 2004