Visit Guernsey has been cock-a-hoop at buoyant tourism coverage from The Daily Telegraph in recent months as part its campaign of journalist engagement.
It may not have been quite so enamoured to see the island edged out as the better of the two largest Channel Islands this weekend in a bumper travel feature in the newspaper.
But on the good side, travel writer Sarah Baxter had plenty of positive things to say about Guernsey.
She described both islands as offering ‘olde English charm with a soupcon of Gallic elan’ and said that inter-bailiwick rivalry was largely good-natured.
And, most positively, she noted that Guernsey ‘seems to be winning’ when it comes to attracting visitors after a positive 2025 while Jersey had a ‘transitional year’.
A single point separated the islands across five categories.
‘Jersey just about has the edge – just,’ wrote Ms Baxter. ‘Being that bit bigger, it offers greater variety and there’s a little more to do.
‘Of course, if doing very little is your thing, Guernsey is the ideal escape – there’s a real sense of fleeing the rat race there.
‘However, as the fast ferry between the islands only takes around an hour, the best option is, of course, to combine the two.’
The assessments
Guernsey
Size isn’t everything. Guernsey, a triangular wedge measuring just three miles by six, is small in proportions but big on charm. While it can’t compete with Jersey in terms of attractions, for many that is the attraction – it’s quiet, relaxed and harks back to a different time; imagine an island designed by Enid Blyton, with a French twist.
Beaches and landscape - 4/5
Guernsey is at its most dramatic along the south coast, a shoreline of craggy, Cornwall-y cliffs that occasionally tumble with brio to beautiful, hard-to-access bays. Moulin Huet (beloved of Renoir), sandy Petit Bot, jaw-dropping Petit Port. This is the thick side of the wedge – from here the land slopes down, leaving the west-north shore a gentler proposition. Cobo Bay is most popular – grab a takeaway from the Cobo Chippy and watch sunset from the sea wall.
Other fine choices include horseshoe-shaped Port Soif and surfy Vazon. The rest of the island is a bucolic tumble of low hills, hamlets and ruettes tranquilles, ‘quiet lanes’ on which pedestrians and cyclists have right of way.
Culture and history - 4/5
Like Jersey, the remnants of Nazi occupation are still clear to see – perhaps more so. This tiny speck was, briefly, the most fortified place on earth and close to 1,000 German structures remain. Download the WWII Occupation Trail and visit the Occupation Museum, the German Underground Hospital and newly renovated German Naval Signal Headquarters.
Other historic treasures include Victorian forts, Napoleonic towers, megalithic burial chambers and Hauteville House, where Victor Hugo wrote Les Miserables. You can’t stay at Hauteville, but you can rent Renoir Cottage, an 18th-century watch-house visited by both Hugo and its namesake painter.
For Gallic vibes, visit the Easter Breton Market, where French producers will be touting tasty wares. This kick-starts the first Big Eat Guernsey, a new month-long food festival, running in April and October, featuring immersive food experiences and dining events.
A note on the island capitals. Hill-nestled St Peter Port is a prettier prospect than St Helier – explore its cobbled streets, Georgian townhouses, handsome harbour and Cornet Castle.
Luxury - 3/5
Guernsey might feel charmingly old-school, but fortunately its dining scene isn’t. Vraic, opened in 2025 by Nathan Davies, former head chef at Ynyshir – serves a 12-course menu often featuring local hand-dived scallops and foraged seaweed. It’s already Michelin Guide-listed – and a possible contender for the island’s first Michelin star.
Other exciting newbies include Fukku, for contemporary Japanese and Alba, for Med-Caribbean small plates. Alternatively, stick to classy classics, like afternoon tea at the Old Government House, Guernsey’s only five-star hotel.
On the west coast, La Grande Mare resort is undergoing a multimillion-pound transformation into a luxe country club – a golf performance centre is open, with an 18-hole course launching in autumn and a health club and spa to follow. Before that, check out the spas at the Old Government House or St Pierre Park.
Activity and adventure - 4/5
With the sea always so close, Guernsey is heaven for water babies – you just need to check the tides first. Outdoor Guernsey organises kayaking, coasteering, paddle boarding and more. Wild swimmers could start at La Vallette Bathing Pools, which have offered free, safe swimming for more than 150 years. The island is a delight for cycling too – 11 official, squiggly routes have been mapped. Signage could be better, but getting lost is half the fun – especially if you hire an e-bike to help with the hills.
Island-hopping - 5/5
Bravo, Guernsey. This is the feather in your cap. The bailiwick also encompasses Alderney, Herm, Sark and Lihou, each worth your time. Little Lihou can be walked to from the mainland across a cobbled causeway, when the tides are right – the highlight here is a dip in Venus Pool. Ferries connect the rest of the archipelago. Alderney is biggest and furthest and has 50 miles of hiking trails, Victorian forts and seabirds galore.
Sark, just three miles long and edged by precipitous cliffs, is car-free and curious – explore by horse-drawn carriage, bike or on foot and learn about its feudal heritage. Herm is teeny and idyllic. Not even bikes are permitted – walk a loop and flop on beaches that look positively Caribbean.
Total score: 20/25
Jersey
Described as ‘the shiniest and most cosmopolitan’.
‘This means there’s more shopping to be done, more attractions to visit, but also more development and more people – though get beyond St Helier and the south-east and you wouldn’t really know it. It certainly still has a delightfully small-isle feel – a survey found visitors’ second most-mentioned highlight were “the locals and the friendliness”.’
It scored 5/5 for its beaches and landscape – ‘each of Jersey’s edges has a different vibe’.
Four marks for culture and history, with the trump card of the Neolithic passage grave La Hougue Bie, one of the world’s 10 oldest buildings and free admission to Jersey Museum, and the obligatory reference to Bergerac.
Another four when it comes to luxury, with locally-produced wine and oysters highlighted along with the Michelin-starred Bohemia.
And it was top marks for activity and adventure, with the coastal path the Jersey Tidal Trail, the largest skate park in the British Isles, and various beach pursuits, notably surfing, buses and e-bikes to the fore.
Island hopping got just three marks – Les Ecrehous and Les Minquiers its wildlife-packed offering.
Total score: 21/25
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