St Peter Port - Guernsey - port of call information

[Guernseycruiser]

Hi Everyone

 

As a local Guernsey person, I can't wait to see the cruise ships back in our waters in less than 2 months time.  I have tried to find an old Guernsey thread with information, however have gone back over 20 pages (and 2 years) to no avail, so I thought I would start a new thread.  To be honest, much of the information on the old thread would now be out of date anyway, so why not start out new!

 

A few quick points of information:

Guernsey is a tender port, with a picturesque tender ride into our beautiful town

The main street is less than 100 meters from the tender pier

Whilst there is a "round the island bus" (it is currently GBP5 per person however is due to increase shortly), this will not take you to the main attractions, therefore I do not recommend this.  It is the same price to "hop on" and "hop off" buses all day.

Whilst St Peter Port is a beautiful town, why not also venture further afield to see what Guernsey as an island has to offer

I DO NOT recommend hiring a car, unless you are used to driving on the left hand side of the road, and you are used to driving in small lanes that sometimes are only one car width wide

There are many interesting place to visit, and it depends upon your interests: The Little Chapel, The German Occupation Museum, The German Underground Hospital, Castle Cornet, Victor Hugo's House to name just a few

Guernsey was occupied by the Germans during WW2, and there are many extremely interesting museums and fortifications that you can visit.  Some have had enhancements in the last two years, and there are some additional fortifications that are now accessible which were previously not open to the public

Victor Hugo lived in exile here for 15 years, and the only property he ever owned during his lifetime is located in Guernsey, which is open to the public for tours

For those of you who have read or seen the film "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society", you will know that the author took inspiration whilst she was visiting Guernsey, and some guides offer tours based on the book/film

For those of you who have visited before, you may wish to consider a day trip to either Sark or Herm.  These are small islands located close by.

Guernsey has its own currency (Guernsey Pound) which ranks 1:1 with the British Pound.  You can only spend Guernsey notes in Guernsey, and whilst you may wish to take home some as a memento, if you are spending cash, please ask for your change "in English".  Cards are widely accepted, however please note it is "cash only" to enter the German Occupation Museum.  If you end up with Guernsey currency at the end of your cruise, you can exchange this at any UK bank, which should still be on a 1:1 basis.

 

Please feel free to ask any questions, and I will do my best to answer.

GuernseyCruiser

 

 

[mina]

Thank you for this great information.  Do you have recommendations for lunch in walking distance from St. Peter  port?  We plan to just walk around as we will still be a bit jet-lagged.  We are visiting in early September.  

[Guernseycruiser]

14 hours ago, mina said:

Thank you for this great information.  Do you have recommendations for lunch in walking distance from St. Peter  port?  We plan to just walk around as we will still be a bit jet-lagged.  We are visiting in early September.  

 

There are so many great restaurants and cafes in walking distance of the tender pier.  If you are looking for a restaurant, I would recommend Da Nellos or Pier 17, if you are looking for a cafe, I would recommend Emelia's or the Hideaway.

 

[matamanoa]

When we were in Guernsey a few years ago, we had lunch at the Terrace Cafe, which had great food and an incredible view overlooking Guernsey and the harbour.  I don't remember the address but we walked up the hill towards the Old Quarter and it was across from a church.

[Sea42]

Thanks so much for your information. Can you tell me if the German Occupation Museum is reachable by public transport and where a convenient ATM might be located?

Thank you!

[Guernseycruiser]

1 hour ago, Sea42 said:

Thanks so much for your information. Can you tell me if the German Occupation Museum is reachable by public transport and where a convenient ATM might be located?

Thank you!

Yes the German Occupation Museum is reachable by public transport.  The nearest stop is the one just before the airport, there are many different buses going in that direction, just ask the driver.  There are ATM’s in St Peter Port, the nearest is Barclays, near to the Town Church, approx 50 meters from the tender pier.  I understand the Museum will only be open from 10am to 1pm with last entry at midday, but you may wish to double check on times nearer your visit.

[Guernseycruiser]

On 2/26/2022 at 2:44 PM, matamanoa said:

When we were in Guernsey a few years ago, we had lunch at the Terrace Cafe, which had great food and an incredible view overlooking Guernsey and the harbour.  I don't remember the address but we walked up the hill towards the Old Quarter and it was across from a church.

Yes the Terrace Cafe is also a good place for a casual lunch, has a great view of the harbour and the tender pier is only 50 meters away.  You reach the entrance walking up a small one way lane to the left of the Town Church when looking at it from the tender pier.  Please note the "Old Quarter" is in slightly a different direction.

[Sea42]

3 hours ago, Guernseycruiser said:

Yes the German Occupation Museum is reachable by public transport.  The nearest stop is the one just before the airport, there are many different buses going in that direction, just ask the driver.  There are ATM’s in St Peter Port, the nearest is Barclays, near to the Town Church, approx 50 meters from the tender pier.  I understand the Museum will only be open from 10am to 1pm with last entry at midday, but you may wish to double check on times nearer your visit.

Thank you. Yes, our cruise isn't until August of 2023 but I'm quite excited for our visit!

[matamanoa]

On 2/27/2022 at 6:04 PM, Guernseycruiser said:

Yes the Terrace Cafe is also a good place for a casual lunch, has a great view of the harbour and the tender pier is only 50 meters away.  You reach the entrance walking up a small one way lane to the left of the Town Church when looking at it from the tender pier.  Please note the "Old Quarter" is in slightly a different direction.

Thanks for the directional correction.  We walked all over the town that day, which we thoroughly enjoyed, but I wouldn't want to lead anyone astray.

[nini]

Thank you @Guernseycruiser for your post. Hopefully, we will be booking a walking tour when we get enough people. I hope to at least walk by Victor Hugo's house as I actually read every page of Les Miserables in high school and never forgot the book. Then years later...

[Guernseycruiser]

On 3/1/2022 at 6:17 PM, nini said:

Thank you @Guernseycruiser for your post. Hopefully, we will be booking a walking tour when we get enough people. I hope to at least walk by Victor Hugo's house as I actually read every page of Les Miserables in high school and never forgot the book. Then years later...

Just to give you the heads up, the walking tours do not usually go past Victor Hugo's House, as it is a little out of the main area, and up a steep hill.  I would highly recommend that you take a tour of the house itself, it is absolutely amazing inside.  

[amajaa]

Guernsey Cruiser are you saying it is the same price to get a day’s ticket for all buses and you can get on and off whichever bus you want? First of all I thought you were saying there were HOHO buses then realised I had probably misread it.

 

Do you get senior ( over 70 ) discounts on the buses in Guernsey?

 

Thanks for your info 😀

[phabric]

In 2013, I took the regular bus around Guernsey took over 1 hour.  At that time, you could buy an all day pass where you can get on/off for the one price since we were not getting off we purchased the 1 ride price.  If you plan to get off the bus, it is cheaper to purchase the all day pass as each time you exit the bus you have to pay again to get back on.  I paid the driver direct cash.

 

We took one of the first tenders.  We walked to where the bus started.  The bus had not started and there was already a line. When the bus returned, there was a HUGE line as the bus only goes every hour. Some of those in line might not been able to get on.

 

About 1/2 way around, the bus stopped to give the drive a 5 minute break and we were able to get off for that time.

 

FYI - if going to use the regular bus, get off the ship as early as possible to be in line.

 

Since the port is a tender port, there will be lines to get back to the ship.

 

Guernsey has their own money and it is not accepted in Britain, if you get change ask for British £?

🇨🇦

Edited March 3, 2022 by phabric

[Guernseycruiser]

On 3/3/2022 at 3:39 PM, amajaa said:

Guernsey Cruiser are you saying it is the same price to get a day’s ticket for all buses and you can get on and off whichever bus you want? First of all I thought you were saying there were HOHO buses then realised I had probably misread it.

 

Do you get senior ( over 70 ) discounts on the buses in Guernsey?

 

Thanks for your info 😀

Just to clarify, below is the up to date information (prices rose in the last week):-

 

1) There are no HOHO buses in Guernsey

2) A one way ticket is GBP 1.25 (A to B)

3) A ticket for the round the island bus is GBP 7.50 (A to A i.e embark in St Peter Port, disembark in St Peter Port)

4) A day ticket to take as many bus journeys as you wish is GBP 7.50

5) There are no senior discounts on the buses

6) The 91 "round the island bus" - clockwise leaves every hour at 5 minutes past the hour, the 92 "round the island bus" - anticlockwise leaves every hour at 35 minutes past the hour.  Therefore technically there is a "round the island bus" every 30 minutes.

7) The bus will only accept cards, no cash.

 

As previously mentioned the "round the island" bus is popular, although with the increases in prices, may not be as popular as in the past.  If you disembark the bus part of the way around to visit an attraction, the next "round the island" bus may be full, therefore I would recommend checking the bus timetable to ensure you have a "back up" plan, i.e another bus (not the round the island) that can get you back to St Peter Port in time for the last tender.  If you wish to visit either The German Underground Hospital or the Little Chapel, the round the island bus does not go past these attractions.  As I mentioned in my first post, I do not recommend the round the island bus, as it does not stop off at many of the attractions.

 

 

[amajaa]

9 hours ago, Guernseycruiser said:

Just to clarify, below is the up to date information (prices rose in the last week):-

 

1) There are no HOHO buses in Guernsey

2) A one way ticket is GBP 1.25 (A to B)

3) A ticket for the round the island bus is GBP 7.50 (A to A i.e embark in St Peter Port, disembark in St Peter Port)

4) A day ticket to take as many bus journeys as you wish is GBP 7.50

5) There are no senior discounts on the buses

6) The 91 "round the island bus" - clockwise leaves every hour at 5 minutes past the hour, the 92 "round the island bus" - anticlockwise leaves every hour at 35 minutes past the hour.  Therefore technically there is a "round the island bus" every 30 minutes.

7) The bus will only accept cards, no cash.

 

As previously mentioned the "round the island" bus is popular, although with the increases in prices, may not be as popular as in the past.  If you disembark the bus part of the way around to visit an attraction, the next "round the island" bus may be full, therefore I would recommend checking the bus timetable to ensure you have a "back up" plan, i.e another bus (not the round the island) that can get you back to St Peter Port in time for the last tender.  If you wish to visit either The German Underground Hospital or the Little Chapel, the round the island bus does not go past these attractions.  As I mentioned in my first post, I do not recommend the round the island bus, as it does not stop off at many of the attractions.

 

 

Many thanks, really helpful 

[flcruiselovers]

Thanks for this info.. we will be there on 1JUN off of the Volendam Ship for the day.

Do you know of any tours than can be booked that hit all the highlights for the day, maybe in a small

group of 10 or so?

Thanks

Paul

[Guernseycruiser]

8 hours ago, flcruiselovers said:

Thanks for this info.. we will be there on 1JUN off of the Volendam Ship for the day.

Do you know of any tours than can be booked that hit all the highlights for the day, maybe in a small

group of 10 or so?

Thanks

Paul

I am not aware of any operators providing small group tours where you can purchase individual tickets.  Tours of Guernsey (www.toursofguernsey.com) offer bespoke tours for groups (I think you need to organise your own group), and are highly recommended on TripAdvisor etc.

[bbangel74]

Very helpful info, thank you! We are there on June 3 and we are assuming most of the shops will be closed for the bank holiday. Looking forward to exploring the island and hoping for beautiful weather.

[atlast95]

Thanks for doing this Gurnseycruiser

[WhiteRockMike]

Thank you so much, Guernseycruiser for the great information.  We will be there on August 26th on Emerald Princess, and have booked a scooter from Millards for the day.  Weather depending, it should be a good way to get around the whole island and see many of the sights. We just need a good map and self-guided tour information.

[PC168]

Sorry I am not quite clear this about buying the bus ticket: 

"The bus will only accept cards, no cash."

Where do we buy the bus ticket? Is there a bus office near the pier so we can buy the ticket before we hope onto the bus? Or they accept credit card on the bus?

Thanks.

[Guernseycruiser]

11 hours ago, PC168 said:

Sorry I am not quite clear this about buying the bus ticket: 

"The bus will only accept cards, no cash."

Where do we buy the bus ticket? Is there a bus office near the pier so we can buy the ticket before we hope onto the bus? Or they accept credit card on the bus?

Thanks.

You pay for your ticket from the driver when you board the bus, they accept debit and credit cards.

[PC168]

17 hours ago, Guernseycruiser said:

You pay for your ticket from the driver when you board the bus, they accept debit and credit cards.

Thanks.

[Adventures ahead]

We had the pleasure of touring around the island on a previous cruise and did an excellent walking tour with Annette Henry (booked in advance). Looking forward to returning!

 

Can we get a taxi from the port to the Underground Hospital or German Occupation Museums?

Would the taxi wait or could they call for a return taxi?

Cash or credit card for a taxi? Approx cost?

If only wanting to visit one, and spend the rest of our time in St. Peter Port, would you recommend one over the other?

 

[jacobtsf]

@Guernseycruiser
We will be visiting St. Peter Port next month, 4 adults and 1 three year old toddler.

We are looking at doing the Petit Train, am I correct that we can not book these tickets in advance, but only at the port?

 

Do you have any suggestions of what to do after that tour that will keep our toddler engaged.