Charming can't begin to describe Guernsey, the second largest of the Channel Islands and the home to St. Peter Port. A tender is required to get to and from the ship and this generally leads to delays - as was our case on our return.
We chose to have a quiet day on the island. Here are a couple tips to consider.
First, a warm welcome awaits as you disembark the tender at Albert Pier. Ladies are waiting to help tourists navigate the island - they hand out maps and information. TIP: Be sure to grab a card which will give you free wi-fi access during your stay.
Don't be worried, it is probably the easiest port to navigate - the island is only 24 square miles - making any point of interest only a few minutes drive. A travel pass for their bus system is super convenient and easy. Just walk directly across the street from the port where you can purchase tickets to almost anywhere on the island. When we went, it was L4.50 for an all day pass the buses follow a colour coded route. I even downloaded the Guernsey bus app.
Here is the link:
http://www.buses.gg/routes_and_times
Guernsey is the setting for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a 2008 novel written by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. In 2018, it was made into a film. The story is set in 1946, following a London-based writer who begins exchanging letters with a resident on the island of Guernsey which was under German occupation during WWII. There are excursions available which allow you to head to the various points of interest from the movie.
The island is rich in WWII history as the Germans occupied this tiny island for 5 years. We headed to the German Occupation Museum (easily accessible by Bus 91 & 93). It is a small museum, but if you have a historian in your group - it is definitely not to be missed. It chronicles the island's day to day life.
Other WWII sites include La Vallette Underground Military Museum, the German Military Underground Hospital, Fort Hommet, the fortification used by the Germans and the Naval Signals HQ.
Other sites include the Little Chapel set in a quiet countryside built with simple materials made to resemble the grotto at Lourdes. It is decorated with pebbles, shells and broken china. Castle Cornet is visible when you land at port.
