Market

Best atmosphere:

Central Market

The best place to soak up the not quite English/not quite French atmosphere of Jersey is the attractive Victorian Central Market in St Helier, with its cast iron features and huge fountain. Opened in 1882, it’s where the locals gather to have a chat while shopping for superbly fresh fish, meat and vegetables. Browse for clothes, flowers, secondhand books, antiques and a range of other goods, and you might hear the local Norman French patois, which is still spoken by some of the older country families.
Where: Central Market, Halkett Place, St Helier, Tel: +44 (0)1534 448180. The market is open from 7.30am to 5.30pm every day from Monday to Saturday, except Thursday when it closes at 2pm.
Website: www.i-love-jersey.co.uk

Spa

Best place for pampering:

Ayush Wellness Spa

The 17,000 sq ft Ayush Wellness Spa at the Hotel de France, just outside St Helier, is the best spa amongst an increasing number in Jersey. Not just a place for an oil massage or a steam treatment, it’s more a large, natural space where you can follow the principles of Ayurvedic or the Science of Life. Considered by OK! magazine to be one of Europe’s best hotel spas, it offers full and half-day packages, with treatments including the “Padaghata” – where the entire body is massaged using only the feet!
Where: Ayush Wellness Spa, Hotel de France, St Saviour’s Road,
St Helier, Tel: +44 (0)1534 614000.
Website: www.ayushspa.com

Beach

Best secret beach:

La Coupe

While the crowds head for the large, busy beaches of St Brelade and St Ouen, one of the best beaches is a tiny cove right in the north-east extreme of the Island, called La Coupe. Owned by The National Trust for Jersey, access to this beautiful cove is via a country lane winding through unspoilt countryside: once you get there you’ll enjoy a small, quiet sandy beach with great swimming.
Where: La Coupe, on Jersey’s east coast.
Website: www.nationaltrustjersey.org.je

Adventure

Best adrenalin rush:

Coasteering

The most exciting way to explore Jersey’s coast is to work your way around it by clamouring over rocks, hurling yourself into the sea to get to the next headland and then crawling your way to the top in order to do it all again. Coasteering, as it’s called, requires a certain fitness and a taste for adventure, but the challenges and excitement inherent in the experience – not to mention the scenery enjoyed along the way – make it all worth it! Take the plunge with Pure Jersey or Adventures Unlimited.
Where: Pure Adventure, Tel: +44(0) 1534 769 165; Adventures Unlimited, Tel: +44 (0)1534 873074.
Website: Pure Adventure: http://www.purejersey.com or  www.jerseyadventures.com

Best adventure:

Kayaking

You don’t need a 40-foot cabin cruiser to explore the coast of Jersey. A simple kayak will do. There are several companies that hire out kayaks and canoes (some you sit in, others you sit on). Then you can either go off exploring on your own, or join a group with an experienced leader – which is by far the best option for novices.
Then you can either paddle around just offshore, or take a longer trip exploring the hidden bays and gullies around the island’s fascinating coast, which are difficult or impossible to get to by land. You can even explore some of the island’s offshore reefs, such as Les Ecrehous where you might see dolphins and seals, but you usually get a lift out there before you start paddling. The sea can be dangerous, so always consult an expert.
Where: Jersey Sea Sport Centre, La Haule, St Aubin’s Bay, Tel: +44 (0) 7797 738180. Pure Adventure Ltd, various locations, Tel: +44 (0) 1534 769165. Absolute Adventures, St Brelade’s Bay, Tel: +44 (0) 7797 736411. Jersey Kayak Adventures, various locations, Tel: +44 (0) 1534 853138
Website: www.jerseyseasport.com; www.purejersey.com; www.absolutejersey.co.uk; www.jerseykayakadventures.co.uk

Out and about

Best urban walk:

St Helier Harbour

When you’ve had enough of the spectacular cliffs and beautiful beaches, try a short urban walk around St Helier Harbour for a glimpse of the past and the future of this cosmopolitan island.
Starting on the North Quay at the Steam Clock (a full scale replica of a paddle steamer), you can visit the fascinating Maritime Museum and Occupation Tapestry Gallery in a converted warehouse, and visit the redeveloped abattoir, which is now a trendy shopping centre. Down the Albert Pier, you come to the Elizabeth Marina and Castle Quay, where more shops and restaurants are opening in a luxury development. The Waterfront Centre already has several bars, restaurants, the Aquasplash and cinema, and you can have a meal or a drink adjacent to the marina at the Radisson Blu Hotel. Then walk past the café shaped like an upturned boat, skirting an area that will become a huge, modern financial district, and you get to the amphibious vehicles for Elizabeth Castle, named after Elizabeth I by Sir Walter Raleigh.
Where: Around the Jersey Tourism offices, Liberation Place, St Helier, JE1 1BB, Tel: +44 (0) 1534 631390
Website: www.jersey.com

Best year-round attraction:

The Jersey War Tunnels

Probably the most visited attraction in Jersey is the Jersey War Tunnels. Right in the heart of the island in St Lawrence, they were created from an underground hospital and military complex built by German forces during the Occupation from 1940 to 1945. The complex was designed to house thousands of men and took a huge number of slave labourers nearly four years to build. It still wasn’t finished when British troops arrived on 9 May 1945. The tunnel complex has been redeveloped to preserve over a kilometre of finished tunnels, and to tell the sometimes-horrifying true story of the German Occupation. The tunnels themselves have been turned into galleries (with audio guides available) depicting life during the Occupation. There’s also a study centre for some serious research, a garden of reflection and a café. The whole area is still providing new discoveries of this dark period in Jersey’s history, with the latest coming from Tony Robinson and the BBC’s 'Timewatch' team.
Where: Jersey War Tunnels, Les Charrieres Malorey, St Lawrence, Tel: +44 (0) 1534 860808
Website: www.jerseywartunnels.com

Best day trip:

Sark

A day trip to the unique island of Sark is a wonderful experience. In just an hour by ferry you can discover another world where there’s no airport, no cars and some of the most spectacular scenery in the islands. Take the tractor-driven ‘bus’ (known as the toast rack) up the harbour hill to the tiny hamlet of shops, pubs and restaurants where you can hire a bike or a horse-drawn carriage. Sark still has a feudal <seigneur> (lord) whose attractive garden you can visit. It also has what is reputed to be the smallest prison in the world (which is rarely used), a museum, the three-metres-deep Venus pool on the rocky shore, and miles of track and coastal paths to explore. A clamber down the cliffs to the Gouliot Caves is worth the effort, and you can get good views of the adjacent island of Breqhou where the billionaire Barclay brothers have built their own gothic castle complete with helicopter pad.
Where: i.Travel, 5 Esplanade, St Helier, tel: +44 (0) 1534 631390. Manche Iles Express, Albert Quay, St Helier, tel: +44 (0) 1534 880756
Website: www.sark.info; www.itravel.co.je; www.manche-iles-express.com