The No-Fly Zone...  Air-conditioned electric train from London to Poole, then fast Condor Ferries SeaCat from Poole to Jersey & Guernsey... Buy train & ferry tickets to Jersey or Guernsey 0845 6000 650 Lines open 06:00-22:00 daily

Buy a SailRail ticket to the Channel Islands...

...and avoid the pain of the plane.

There's absolutely no need to fly.  It's easy to reach Jersey or Guernsey by train & ferry, a more civilised, less stressful & more environmentally-friendly way to go.  You can buy a special 'SailRail' train & ferry ticket from London or any station in Britain to Jersey or Guernsey, this page will explain train & ferry schedules, prices and how to buy tickets.

The Channel Islands are a great place to spend a holiday or short break, with sandy beaches, castles, history and lots to explore.  "Great Britain is our oldest possession" is a long-standing Channel Islanders' joke.  The Channel Islands, lying a few miles from the coast of France but over 70 miles from the UK, were part of Normandy when William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, invaded and captured England in 1066.  When the French king later invaded and captured Normandy in 1204, the Islanders chose to stay subject to the Crown of England.  In return for their loyalty, the Islands were allowed to retain their own government (called the 'States') and even today they are not legally part of the UK or even the EU.  The resulting favourable tax laws have made the Channel Islands a major financial centre and home to many wealthy Brits.  It's also the reason you'll find 'duty-free' goods sold on the ferry to the Channel Islands, but not on the ferry to France!

Information on this page...

How to travel to Jersey & Guernsey by train & ferry

SailRail fares from anywhere in Britain to Jersey or Guernsey

How to buy tickets - by phone or in person...

What's the journey from London to Jersey or Guernsey like?

Buses on Jersey & Guernsey

Ferries between Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark & Herm

Ferries from the Channel Islands to France

Hotels on Jersey & Guernsey

Sponsored links...

By train + ferry to Jersey & Guernsey...

	Mont Orgeuil Castle, Jersey

Option 1, by fast SeaCat from Poole...

Take a train from your local station to Poole on the south coast.  Condor Ferries operate comfortable 'SeaCat' fast ferries from Poole to Jersey (St Helier) & Guernsey (St Peter Port) taking just 2-4 hours, all year round.  It's a very relaxed and comfortable way to travel.  Ferry times vary by day of the week and time of year, but on many days you'll find train & ferry times looking something like the times shown below.  There are currently no ferries from Weymouth.

London ► Jersey & Guernsey

Take the 12:05 train from London Waterloo to Poole, it's a taxi ride or walk to the ferry terminal, then take the 16:10 fast ferry from Poole arriving St Peter port (Guernsey) at 18:40 and St Helier ( Jersey) at 19:55.  On other dates, you may find a 13:30 or 13:55 fast ferry from Poole rather than a 16:10, so take the 08:35 train from London Waterloo to connect.  You arrive in St Peter port (Guernsey) around 16:30 and St Helier ( Jersey) around 17:45.  This is a typical example, you need to check times for your date of travel.

Jersey & Guernsey ► London

Sail from Jersey by fast ferry around 11:00 and from Guernsey around 12:15 (times vary by date), arriving Poole about 15:10.  Take a taxi or walk to Poole station.  A train will get you to London Waterloo by about 18:45, trains run at least every 30 minutes.  This is a typical example, you need to check times for your date of travel.

Option 2, by all-weather conventional ferry from Portsmouth...

The fast catamarans can occasionally be cancelled if the weather is very bad, especially in winter.  Condor Ferries operate a daily all-year, all-weather sailing by conventional ship from Portsmouth to Jersey & Guernsey taking 9-10 hours.

London ► Jersey & Guernsey

In this direction the ferry sails by day, leaving Portsmouth Continental Ferry Port at 09:00 and arriving in St Peter Port (Guernsey) at 16:30 & St Helier (Jersey) at 19:30.  Private cabins & reclining seats are available.  To catch this ship, you'll need to leave London Waterloo at 05:00 (Mon-Sat only, check times at www.nationalrail.co.uk), or travel down to Portsmouth the night before.  Get off at Portsmouth & Southsea station (not Portsmouth Harbour station) and take a taxi to the Continental Ferry Port.  You'll get great views of the naval port and all the modern warships, as well as historic HMS Victory and HMS Warrior, as the ferry sails out of Portsmouth.

Jersey & Guernsey ► London

In this direction the ferry sails overnight, leaving Guernsey at 17:30, Jersey at 21:30, and arriving Portsmouth at 06:30.  Cabins and reclining seats are available.  A train connection from Portsmouth & Southsea station will get you to London Waterloo at about 09:30, you can check times at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

How to check times for your date of travel...

Start with the ferry.  First, check ferry sailing times & dates between Poole or Portsmouth and the Channel Islands at www.condorferries.co.uk.  Then check train times & fares from London or any station in Britain to Poole or Portsmouth using www.nationalrail.co.uk.  Remember to allow for the one-hour ferry check-in at the port, plus at least half an hour to get from the station to the ferry terminal on foot or by taxi.

How much does it cost? 

Special SailRail fares from anywhere in Britain to the Channel Islands...

There are special train & ferry fares between any railway station in Britain and Jersey or Guernsey via Condor Ferries from Poole or Portsmouth, which usually save money over buying separate train and ferry tickets.  They allow you to travel by train from your local station to Poole or Portsmouth on any suitable train service to connect with your chosen Condor ferry, even at what are normally peak times.  They also allow you to travel the day before the ferry if necessary, for example to catch a morning sailing.

A Poole-Jersey foot passenger return costs around £114, so these fares usually save money over buying separate train & ferry tickets.

Your ticket will include a reservation on a specific ferry sailing, so work out which sailing you want before phoning.  It will be valid on any suitable train to connect with the ferry you've chosen, via any permitted route, even if you need to travel the day before the ferry sails.  In Poole these fares include a transfer by Arial Taxis between the station & ferry terminal.

Children under 16 travel for half the adult fare.  Children under 5 go free.  

Luggage:  Up to 15Kg of luggage travels free on Condor Ferries, you can take more but they may make an additional charge.  Left luggage at London Waterloo.

Bicycles go free on the ferry, and free or for a small charge on trains.

Dogs & pets go on the ferry for £10 one-way, £20 return.

Railcard holders:  There's no discount for railcard holders with these special fares, so separate train & ferry tickets could be cheaper.

How to buy SailRail tickets:  Call 0845 6000 650

• You cannot buy these special SailRail tickets online, only by phone or in person.  First, use www.condorferries.co.uk to work out which ferry sailing you want because your ticket needs to include a reservation on a specific ferry sailing on a specific date.  You can use www.southwesttrains.co.uk to check train connections.

• Then buy your special train & ferry ticket ticket by calling South West Trains telesales on 0845 6000 650 (lines open daily 06:00-22:00).

• You can also buy tickets in person at all main railway stations in Britain, although don't expect the ticket office staff to be very familiar with issuing these!

• Your ticket will be valid on any suitable train, any time of day, to connect with your chosen ferry.  It's even valid for train travel the day before the ferry sails if this is necessary to connect (for example, you're coming south from Scotland and cannot connect with the ferry the same day).

How to buy separate train & ferry tickets:  www.condorferries.co.uk

This is sometimes cheaper than the special through fares, for example if you have a senior or young persons railcard.  First, book the ferry online using www.condorferries.co.uk.  This is easy, you book online and print out your booking reference.  When you get to the ferry terminal, you simply quote your booking reference, there is no ticket involved.  Then buy the train tickets either at your local station on the day of travel or online via www.southwesttrains.co.uk.

What's a train & ferry journey to the Channel islands like?

1. London to Poole or Portsmouth by train...

Travel from London Waterloo to either Poole or Portsmouth by air-conditioned 100mph electric train.

2. Poole to Jersey or Guernsey on the fast ferries Condor Express or Condor Vitesse...

The vessels have plenty of seating, a self-service cafe-restaurant, a bar and open observations decks from which to enjoy the sea views both leaving the UK and arriving in Guernsey and Jersey.  You'll be treated to a departure past all the small boats in Poole Harbour, a call at St Peter Port in Guernsey, then a trip right along the south-west coast of Jersey past Corbière lighthouse, St Brelade's Bay and Portlet Bay, then an entrance to St Helier Harbour passing right by Elizabeth Castle.  Club Class seats in an exclusive lounge are available for a supplement, with complimentary tea, coffee and pastries, and a stewardess service of wine, spirits, snacks and meals.  Condor Ferries' Club Class is easily the most comfortable and civilised way to reach the Channel Islands!

The fast ferry Condor Express arriving in St Helier, Jersey...		Stewardess service in the exclusive Club Class lounge...

On board the Condor Express...		Condor Ferries' Condor Express at St Helier, Jersey.

...or Portsmouth to Jersey & Guernsey on Condor Ferries ship Commodore Clipper...

The Commodore Clipper is designed to carry passengers, cars & freight, so her passenger accommodation isn't as extensive as on some ships, but it's clean, very comfortable and well-run.  Cabins are available, and there's a self-service café-restaurant, a bar with panoramic views, a duty free shop, and Club class seating available for a supplement.  You'll be treated to a departure from Portsmouth Continental Ferry port past the Royal Navy frigates and even the odd aircraft carrier in the naval dockyard, past Nelson's 'Victory' and ironclad HMS Warrior in the dockyard museum, a call at Guernsey, then a trip along the coast of Jersey from Corbière lighthouse, past St Brelade's Bay, then an entrance to St Helier Harbour with great views passing right by Elizabeth Castle.

The all-weather Commodore Clipper...		A cabin on the Commodore Clipper.

Buses on Jersey & Guernsey...

There are good bus services between all major points on Jersey and Guernsey.

Bus services on Jersey:  www.libertybus.je.

Bus services on Guernsey:  www.buses.gg.

Bicycles are also a great way to see the Islands, with well-marked low-traffic cycle routes across the Islands and several bike hire agencies available.  Jersey is only 10 miles across, so bikes are an easy way to get around.

Ferries between the Channel Islands...

Jersey - Guernsey

www.condorferries.co.uk offer fast ferries between St Helier (Jersey) and St Peter Port (Guernsey) in about 55 minutes, with day trips possible, plus a daily sailing by ship.  www.manche-iles-express.com and www.hdferries.co.uk also offer sailings by fast ferry.

Jersey - Sark

www.manche-iles-express.com provides occasional sailings to Sark ('Serq' in French) by fast ferry.

Guernsey - Sark

The Isle of Sark Shipping Co provides 1 to 5 sailings daily between St Peter Port (Guernsey) and Sark, taking 45 minutes.  See www.sarkshipping.guernsey.net.

Guernsey - Alderney

www.manche-iles-express.com provides occasional sailings to Alderney ('Aurigny' in French) by fast ferry.  Also see www.alderneygiftbox.com/index.php?p=1_5_Lady-Maris 

Ferries from the Channel Islands to France...

Jersey & Guernsey ► St Malo

www.condorferries.co.uk operates fast ferries from Jersey to St Malo.  www.hdferries.co.uk also started running this route in March 2007, twice daily in summer, 3 times a week in winter, but are suspended again for winter 2008/9.  Emeraude Lines (www.emeraudelines.com) also used to run from Jersey to St Malo, but the company ceased operating in 2006. 

For onwards train connections from St Malo to Paris, see the French Railways website, www.tgv-europe.com.  You can check fares and book online at this site.

Jersey & Guernsey ► Normandy

See www.itferries.com.

Alderney ► Cherbourg

See www.manche-iles-express.com for fast ferries from Jersey/Guernsey to Diélette, Barneville-Carteret and Granville in Normandy.

Hotels & accommodation

Find a hotel in Jersey or Guernsey...

◄◄◄◄ Search all the main hotel booking sites at once... I'm a big fan of www.hotelscombined.com as it checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, LateRooms etc.) to find the widest choice of hotels & the cheapest rates.  Try it and see!

Other hotel sites worth trying...

• www.tripadvisor.com is the place to find independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.

• www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system (Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system).  It has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one price, then charge you another!).