Holiday costs

What a Guernsey holiday really costs in 2026–27

Guernsey has a reputation for being pricey. Here's what a trip costs in practice, from the flight to the ferry to Herm, with every price checked against the operator and three sample budgets to plan with.

By Peter G., founder & editor

Updated 8 October 2026 · 9 min read

On this page

The quick answer
Prices at a glance
Getting there
Where you stay
Getting around
Herm, Sark and Alderney
Eating and drinking
Attractions and activities
Three sample budgets
Ways to save
Check hotel prices
Questions

The quick answer

Allow roughly £400 to £500 per person for a long weekend done simply, with the travel, a campsite or a winter hotel deal, buses, a day trip to Herm and meals. Four nights in a hotel in August comes to around £1,150 per person. The flight or ferry and your room are most of the bill; once you're on the island, buses are £1.70, the beaches and cliff paths are free, and there's no VAT.

For comparison, holiday visitors who flew to Guernsey spent £970 each on average in 2025–26, including their travel, and those who came by ferry spent £662, according to the islands' own visitor expenditure survey. The average stay was 4.6 nights.

Prices at a glance

Typical prices for a Guernsey holiday, checked October 2026
What	Price	Notes
Return flight from Gatwick	£112–£230	Cheapest seen £112 in November; averages vary by month
Fast ferry from Poole, foot passenger	From about £43	Each way, cheapest fares seen
Hotel room, average night	£185	£219 at weekends; £115 in February, £276 in August
Winter hotel break, 3 nights B&B	From £165pp	Two sharing, booked direct
Camping, own tent	£16–£20pp a night	Fauxquets Valley, May to early September
Bus journey	£1.70	Contactless only; 2-day visitor pass £15
Car hire, per day	About £46	Average; about £36 in November, £53 in June
E-bike hire, per day	£45	Go Guernsey, late March to September
Herm ferry, adult return	£19	Children £9
Sark ferry, adult day return	£34.55	Children £17.87
Tennerfest set menu	From £10	1 October to 30 November
Museum or fort entry	£5–£12	Little Chapel and the beaches are free

Details and sources for each price are below. Fares and room rates move daily, so treat them as a guide.

Getting there

Flying is the quickest way in. Aurigny flies from Gatwick, Southampton, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and other UK airports, and British Airways has flown daily from Heathrow since April 2026. Airlines don't publish simple “from” fares, so we checked comparison sites in early October 2026:

Gatwick: the cheapest return was £112 for a few days in mid-November, and a typical return about £137. Monthly averages ranged from about £142 in August to about £229 in December.
Southampton: about £75 one way or £131 return.
Manchester: about £63 one way or £161 return.
Heathrow (BA): £95 return for a few days in mid-November.

Fares include UK Air Passenger Duty, which is £15 per economy passenger leaving the UK from April 2026. Aurigny includes a cabin bag of up to 10kg and 55 × 40 × 23cm, so check what a hold bag would add before you book.

By sea, the fast ferry from Poole takes about three hours, and there's an overnight crossing from Portsmouth. The cheapest foot-passenger fares we saw on Direct Ferries were from about £43 each way. Bringing a car costs a lot more, and you may not need one (see getting around).

Packages can be good value in winter. One tour operator's offer on Visit Guernsey, for example, gives three nights at The Old Government House with flights and breakfast from £459 per person between November and February. Our holiday offers page lists current packages.

Where you stay

Hotels averaged £185 a night for a room midweek and £219 at weekends in Kayak's price data in October 2026. The season makes the biggest difference: the average was about £115 in February against £276 in August. Rooms are scarce in summer, when around 80% are full, so book early for July and August.

Winter breaks booked direct are often the best value. Three nights with breakfast start at £165 per person, two sharing, and some include dinner credit or afternoon tea. They're all on our winter deals board.

Camping is the cheapest way to stay. At Fauxquets Valley in 2026 a pitch for your own tent is £16 per adult a night in May and June and £20 from July to early September (£11 and £14 for children), with electric hook-up £5. Its ready-pitched safari tents and log cabins cost £140 to £180 a night for two, with a five-night minimum.

Self-catering prices vary widely with size and season, so compare a few on our self-catering page, which links to each owner's own booking page.

Getting around

Bus: £1.70 a journey by contactless card (buses don't take cash), or £1.25 with a Puffinpass. A one-day pass is £10, a two-day visitor pass £15, and family passes £20 for one day or £30 for two. Night buses are £5.
Car hire: about £46 a day on average, from about £36 in November to about £53 in June. It costs more than in the UK: in late August 2025 a week's hire averaged £362.74 in Guernsey against £152.50 at Gatwick. Parking is free almost everywhere except the airport, but you need a parking clock, which costs £5.70 from Driver & Vehicle Licensing or the police station.
E-bikes and scooters: Go Guernsey hires e-bikes for £45 a day or £165 a week (its 2025 price list), but it closes from 1 October to 26 March. Millards hires scooters for £55 a day.
Taxis: the States set maximum fares. In the daytime it's £4.50 to start, then about £2.80 a mile, rising to £6.30 to start in the evening and on public holidays, with £2 extra on Sundays.

See getting around Guernsey for routes, apps and tips.

Herm, Sark and Alderney

Herm: £19 return for adults and £9 for children on Travel Trident, with early-bird same-day returns from £14. The crossing takes about 20 minutes.
Sark: an adult day return is £34.55 and a child's £17.87, including tax and fuel. On Sark, e-bikes hire for £25 a day and trail bikes for £15.
Alderney: Aurigny flights start at about £74 each way. The ferry costs £85 one way for adults and £67.50 for children.

See Herm, Sark and Alderney for what to do when you get there.

Eating and drinking

Eating out is one of the bigger costs on the island. Visitors spend more on eating and drinking out than on anything except their room and their travel. A few prices to plan around:

Tennerfest (1 October to 30 November 2026): set menus from £10 at the restaurants taking part. It's the cheapest way to eat well in autumn.
Herm: the Mermaid Tavern's Captain's Table is two courses with the return ferry for £37 in 2026.
Afternoon tea: festive afternoon tea at The Old Government House is from £42 a person.

There's no VAT in Guernsey, but prices aren't lower across the board: inflation on the island was 4.3% in the year to June 2026, against 2.8% in the UK. In our budgets we've allowed £30 to £60 a person a day for food, depending on the style of trip. Adjust it to suit you.

Attractions and activities

Free: the beaches, the cliff paths and the Little Chapel, which runs on donations.
Guernsey Museum at Candie: £7 for adults and £2 for children, open all year.
Fort Grey: £5 for adults and £1.50 for children, open from late March to 1 November.
Castle Cornet: normally £12, but closed until about June 2027 while its bridge is replaced.
Hauteville House, Victor Hugo's home: £12, guided tours only, April to September, closed on Wednesdays. Free for under-18s.
Sausmarez Manor: £9 for the gardens and sculpture park, and £11 for a tour of the house.
German Occupation Museum: £10 for adults and £5 for children, cash only.
Guided e-bike tour: £65 per person with Go Guernsey.

The museums' Discovery Pass costs £24 an adult for a year (children free) and covers Castle Cornet, the Candie museum, Fort Grey and the German Naval Signals Headquarters. It's worth buying once Castle Cornet reopens; until then, pay as you go. More ideas are in things to do.

Three sample budgets

These are our own sums, per person and two sharing, from the prices in this guide. Food is an allowance we've set, not a measured price.

Summer camping, by ferry

£404per person

5 nights in July, travelling as a foot passenger from Poole

Fast ferry from Poole, return (cheapest fares): £86
Fauxquets Valley, own tent, 5 nights at £20: £100
Two 2-day bus passes and 4 single journeys: £36.80
Day trip to Herm: £19
Fort Grey and the Guernsey Museum: £12
Food allowance: £30 a day for 5 days: £150

Winter weekend, flying in

£481per person

3 nights from Gatwick between November and March, in a hotel deal

Return flight (typical fare): £137
Les Rocquettes Weekend Break, 3 nights B&B: £165
2-day bus pass and 2 airport bus journeys: £18.40
Day trip to Herm: £19
Guernsey Museum at Candie: £7
Food allowance: £45 a day for 3 days (breakfast included): £135

Summer break in a hotel

£1,142per person

4 nights from Gatwick in August, at an average hotel price

Return flight (August average): £142
Hotel, 4 nights at £276 a room, your half: £552
E-bike hire for 2 days: £90
2-day bus pass and 2 airport bus journeys: £18.40
Day trip to Herm: £19
Day trip to Sark, with an e-bike there: £59.55
Hauteville House and Sausmarez Manor gardens: £21
Food allowance: £60 a day for 4 days: £240

Ways to save

Go out of season. Hotel prices in February average less than half August's, and winter breaks booked direct often add dinner credit or a free night. See the winter deals board.
Skip the hire car. A two-day bus pass is £15, and the island is only about 24 square miles.
Catch the early boat to Herm for the cheaper same-day return, and take a picnic.
Time it for Tennerfest in October and November for set menus from £10.
Check your phone plan. The Channel Islands aren't part of the UK, so some UK networks charge roaming there. Check yours before you go.
Spend your Guernsey notes before you leave. Guernsey pounds are worth the same as sterling and UK money is accepted on the island, but shops in the UK won't take Guernsey notes.

Check hotel prices for your dates

Prices change with the season and the day of the week. Add your dates to compare live prices for hotels, B&Bs and holiday lets across Guernsey.

Questions

Is Guernsey expensive to visit?

Getting there and a summer hotel room are the big costs. On the island, buses are cheap, parking is free and there's no VAT, but car hire costs more than in the UK and island inflation has been higher. Going in winter, booking a hotel deal direct and using the bus keep the cost down.

How much spending money do I need for Guernsey?

Once your travel and room are paid for, allow for food (we use £30 to £60 a day), buses or bike hire, a ferry to Herm or Sark (£19 or £34.55) and a museum or two (£5 to £12). Holiday visitors who flew spent £970 each on average in 2025–26, travel included.

When is the cheapest time to go to Guernsey?

November to March. Hotel prices averaged about £115 a night in February against £276 in August, and the cheapest Gatwick fares we saw were in November. Some hotels and attractions close in winter, so check before you book.

Is there a tourist tax in Guernsey?

No. A visitor levy was suggested by the island's hospitality association in 2025, but it hasn't been adopted.

Can I use UK money in Guernsey?

Yes. Guernsey uses the pound, UK notes and coins are accepted, and cards work everywhere you'd expect. Guernsey notes aren't accepted in the UK, so spend them or swap them before you go home.

Sources

Peter G.

Founder & editor, Stays Guernsey

Peter founded Stays Guernsey to bring every hotel, cottage and island trip in the Bailiwick together in one place. Each guide is researched from official island sources and the businesses themselves, checked before it's published, and updated when things change.

Checked against the operators' own fares and price lists, comparison-site fare data, and the islands' 2025–26 visitor expenditure survey on 8 October 2026. Live on the islands or run a business here and spotted something we've missed? Tell us.

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