Getting To Know Guernsey – Cruise Port Guide
St Peter Port is your anchorage point for your visit to Guernsey, located on the eastern side of the island. It’s been a hugely popular port for cruise ships for many years and our Guernsey cruise port guide aims to help you make the most of your visit to this fabulous island.
Les Villais (the townspeople) are ready to welcome you to their small part of the world and are always ready to offer advice, hints and tips. You’ll likely find several locals offering tourist info at Albert Pier, which is where your tender will come alongside. Albert Pier is centrally located and to reach the main town you simply take a short walk towards Town Church, cross between the church and the Albion House pub and you’ll find yourself in Church Square, the heart of St Peter Port and its retail centre.
The island of Guernsey is compact and everywhere is more or less accessible to you, even if you’re only in port for several hours. So, on that note, what is there for you to see and do? Well, there’s quite a lot you could indulge in, including Castle Cornet which has watched over the port for the last 800 years and is far bigger than it looks from the outside. It offers visitors the chance to enjoy five museums: The Story of Castle Cornet, 201 Squadron (RAF) Museum, Maritime Museum, Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Museum and Royal Guernsey Militia Museum. There are also four gardens to explore, including a herb, fruit and vegetable section. Guided tours are from 10:30am, the canon is fired daily at noon and the entire experience is just a short walk from the town centre.
La Vallette Underground Military Museum is an absolute must for history fans. It covers Guernsey’s military history, including WWI and the German occupation of the island from 1940 to 1945 during WWII. The tunnels were originally built by German forces as a storage facility for U-Boat fuel, but today they are open to the public and filled with a deep and very rich history. An interesting side aspect of this museum is that visitors are able to purchase a wide variety of genuine military collectibles.
The above are just a few things you can do during your visit, but don’t forget, Guernsey is a small island, so there’s nothing stopping you from venturing a little further afield and to places such as Marble Bay for a tranquil and relaxing beach day. You could also head to Cobo Fish Bar in Castel (west side of the island) and sample fish ‘n’ chips from Britain’s 5th Best Chippy (Esquire Magazine).
Travel Tips:
The Guernsey Information Centre is located within the States Office building on North Esplanade
The Visit Guernsey website has maps available and information on upcoming events on the island
Key highlights of Guernsey (St Peter Port)
- Castle Cornet
- Candie Gardens
- Guernsey Museum & Art Gallery
- La Vallette Underground Museum
- The Old Victorian Shop
- Guernsey Aquarium
- Hauteville House (Victor Hugo house)
- Victoria Tower
- German Underground Hospital
Regular cruise line visitors
- Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
- P&O Cruises
- Princess Cruises
- Saga Cruises
- Cunard
- Viking Cruises
- Silversea
- Oceania Cruises
Cruise Expert Insider 🔎 Guernsey by Jane Archer
I was only eight when I first went to Guernsey but I remember it as if it were yesterday. We went on a ferry (exciting!), stayed in a holiday complex (doubly exciting!), explored places with French names (exotic!) and I went swimming in the sea almost every day (bliss!).
I have been back many times, invariably on a cruise, and love that first sight of St Peter Port, the capital, as you tender ashore (ships anchor offshore and take passengers into town on small boats). The stout walls of Castle Cornet over there, guarding your southern flank, the town itself ahead, climbing steeply up the hill from the harbour.
It always looks so reassuringly familiar, such is the timeless nature of this, the second largest of the Channel Islands, some 70 miles from the UK.
For one so small (the island is just nine miles long and three miles wide), it really packs a punch. Candie Gardens or Saumarez Park make for a great day out for plant lovers, Victor Hugo’s house is a must for Les Mis fans and there are fabulous walks all over. Spring or autumn bring walking festivals, October is the Tennerfest, when restaurants and pubs serve local cuisine at special low prices.
There is history everywhere, from prehistoric burial chambers and Martello towers (built to protect against Napoleon) to the aforementioned Castle Cornet, dating back to the 13th century and now home to military and maritime museums. The Nazi occupation between 1940 and 1945 is remembered at a clutch of museums and the German Underground Hospital (closed for maintenance until April 2021), so chilling to my eight-year-old self.
The beaches are wonderful – huge expanses of sand at the north; hidden coves in the south and east coasts such as Fermain Bay, Petit Bot and Moulin Huet. They were family favourites all those years ago because they were so unspoilt. They still are, mainly because they are hard to find. It’s worth trying though. After all, on an island, you can never actually get lost!