St Peter Port Guernsey

We will be on Princess next August, visiting St Peter Port on a Sunday from 6am-2pm. We were thinking about just having a short, quiet day (maybe between 9-noon) on our own walking in the town. But I'm wondering if any shops will be open on a Sunday morning?

We will be on Princess next August, visiting St Peter Port on a Sunday from 6am-2pm. We were thinking about just having a short, quiet day (maybe between 9-noon) on our own walking in the town. But I'm wondering if any shops will be open on a Sunday morning?

We did a great biking tour at this port. The town is great, but there is a lot more to see on the island. The bike tour is about 10-12 miles but not strenuous, and includes several stops.

We did a great biking tour at this port. The town is great, but there is a lot more to see on the island. The bike tour is about 10-12 miles but not strenuous, and includes several stops.

Did you do this thru the ship or on your own?

We took a great 3 hour walking tour w/Annette Henry. You can find very good reviews on tripadvisor. It was a tour different from any we have ever taken. She's very knowledgeable and entertaining. We were very impressed w/this port.

It seems that most shops stick (religiously) to having Sunday off, which is hard for tourists with money in their pockets and nowhere really to spend it. You will be able to find cafes and restaurants, and the pubs do open at lunch time; also some of the more touristy shops will be open selling souvenirs.

St Peter Port is a lovely place though and a wander up the steep streets will be interesting. Of course, if the weather is not good, you won't land anyway.

There is a public service bus, boarded from near the harbour which takes you right round the coast of the Island for £ 2 . The round trip takes about an hour

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We decided to hire a car. We were blessed with great weather and it was wonderful to get to out of the way places and beaches. We loved Guernsey

Did you do this thru the ship or on your own?

It seems like we had booked the tour before we arrived, not sure if it was Celebrity or Private. However, there were people signing up for the tour on the spot. It wasn't expensive.

We will be on Princess next August, visiting St Peter Port on a Sunday from 6am-2pm. We were thinking about just having a short, quiet day (maybe between 9-noon) on our own walking in the town. But I'm wondering if any shops will be open on a Sunday morning?

Keep an eye on this page as the date nears:

http://www.visitguernsey.com/event/seafront-sunday

Last year, they had several "Seafront Sundays", many of which were planned to coincide with cruise ship arrivals. You can always get in touch with the tourism office via the website as well. Should you talk to Jenny, say hi from her American cousin :)

If it's an off-Sunday, as mentioned, many of the shops will open later in the morning or noon.

Since you're off the ship so early, if you like to hike a bit and see some of the coastline, a morning stroll along the cliff paths to Fermain Bay would be my recommendation. http://www.visitguernsey.com/food-drink/fermain-beach-cafe

Plenty of stairs and some uneven terrain on the walk, just so you're aware.

If you don't want to venture far, Castle Cornet is right by the port, but might not open until 10.

The round-island bus is common for cruise visitors, though it's without narration. Either the 91 or 92 bus will take you all the way around from the town terminus. I do wish they would cater to tourists and add a narrator on the cruise days. Even if for an extra pound per person, it would be nice.

Intransit and Island Coachways offer more personalised, narrated tours that stop at some of the highlights. If you want to do more than the 1-hour commuter bus and cover as much of the island as possible while getting out to see some sights, this is not a bad option.

It's hard to go wrong, the coastline of Guernsey is varied and gorgeous all the way around, from cliffs on the south, bays and beaches on the West and North, and of course St Peter Port on the East, and the interior of the island is nothing to sneeze at either.

Keep an eye on this page as the date nears:

http://www.visitguernsey.com/event/seafront-sunday

 

Last year, they had several "Seafront Sundays", many of which were planned to coincide with cruise ship arrivals. You can always get in touch with the tourism office via the website as well. Should you talk to Jenny, say hi from her American cousin :)

 

If it's an off-Sunday, as mentioned, many of the shops will open later in the morning or noon.

 

Since you're off the ship so early, if you like to hike a bit and see some of the coastline, a morning stroll along the cliff paths to Fermain Bay would be my recommendation. http://www.visitguernsey.com/food-drink/fermain-beach-cafe

Plenty of stairs and some uneven terrain on the walk, just so you're aware.

 

If you don't want to venture far, Castle Cornet is right by the port, but might not open until 10.

 

The round-island bus is common for cruise visitors, though it's without narration. Either the 91 or 92 bus will take you all the way around from the town terminus. I do wish they would cater to tourists and add a narrator on the cruise days. Even if for an extra pound per person, it would be nice.

 

Intransit and Island Coachways offer more personalised, narrated tours that stop at some of the highlights. If you want to do more than the 1-hour commuter bus and cover as much of the island as possible while getting out to see some sights, this is not a bad option.

 

It's hard to go wrong, the coastline of Guernsey is varied and gorgeous all the way around, from cliffs on the south, bays and beaches on the West and North, and of course St Peter Port on the East, and the interior of the island is nothing to sneeze at either.

I would like to do the hike...where do I start from?

I would like to do the hike...where do I start from?

Right from the port. :)

You'll walk South along the sidewalk bordering the harbour, along the main road. (Grab a bus timetable as you pass the town terminus, as you may want a ride back later) This sidewalk will take you past a waterfront cafe, and then past the pools. Many nice views back towards town and Castle Cornet along here. Once you reach the end of the road, you'll see the Guernsey Aquarium which was built into a German WW2 tunnel.

To the left of the aquarium, take the stairs up to Clarence Battery, which sat below Fort George and was part of the island's defense. As soon as you walk through the archway into Clarence Battery, notice the trail to your right. That's your path to Fermain. A little time at Clarence to enjoy the vista is quite nice.

When you're ready, follow that path up and out of Clarence Battery. At each junction in the path, you should see an engraved marker stone that will point you in the proper direction. There are a good many of them along the way, but they're easy to follow. There are also several vistas with benches should you wish to stop and rest a bit. On a clear day, Sark is not too distant and should be well visible, and you may well get a glimpse of Jersey as well if you look more to the South. There's even one spot (Ozanne Steps) where you can make the short journey down to the shore. The journey back up is not so short though! Eventually you'll come upon Fermain Bay and the cafe bearing its name.

Here's a map of the area: https://goo.gl/maps/u3wst4aQ2kz

Once you're there, you can take the road up the hill from the cafe and catch a bus (or walk) back to town. You can continue around the cliff path, which you can follow all the way to the West coast if you like, though you might miss your tender by doing so. The walk up the hill is a bit steep, but my 70+ year old in-laws managed fine, and walked back to town. Or if you want some more of the cliff path, you can continue on. There's a convenient exit at Route de Jerbourg near the Doyle Column. Buses stop along this road, so that route map and timetable might be handy. It's online here, too, but may change for next summer: http://buses.gg/routes_and_times/journey_planner

Doyles Column:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Doyle+Column/@49.4270611,-2.5348681,169m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x480d73665d63947f:0x69742f2dae597892!8m2!3d49.4270602!4d-2.5343028

This is the walk back to town from Fermain Bay. This route takes you past Hauteville House (Victor Hugo's place). https://goo.gl/maps/eDfbGjaQK972

How long should the walk take one way...thanks for the detailed info...hope we have a nice day!

For the cliff walk, it naturally depends on your pace, but if you figured 90 minutes, I think you would be safe even at a moderate pace. Looking at the time-stamps on my photos from June, it took us very close to 90 minutes from near Castle Cornet to walk the cliff path to Fermain Bay. That was with my 70+ year old in-laws who do get along quite well.

90 minutes after that was enough time that we'd had a lunch and walked back up the hill from Fermain and down into town along the route posted above. If you look at the walk back to town, Google pegs it at about 45 minutes. I'd say that's pretty fair for the after-lunch portion.

I do hope you have nice weather. The Channel Islands are one of the most sunny places in the UK (except for this past June). They're also my mental "wish I was there" place most days :)

Thanks for all the info. Spouse has some mobility issues, but there are certainly some good options here.

We will be on Princess next August, visiting St Peter Port on a Sunday from 6am-2pm. We were thinking about just having a short, quiet day (maybe between 9-noon) on our own walking in the town. But I'm wondering if any shops will be open on a Sunday morning?

Please read "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" before you go! A fascinating look at the island during WW II. The writing style is a bit different, but I feel certain you will enjoy it! Can't wait to visit the Island myself.