Holidays in Jersey

Understanding Jersey

High earnings, zero inheritance tax rates and a mild climate make the island a popular offshore finance centre Tourism, banking and finance, and agriculture, particular dairying, are mainstays of the economy Produce includes potatoes Jersey Royals, cauliflower, tomatoes, flowers, beef and dairy products as well as light industrial and electrical goods, and textiles

History

The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II

• Jersey War Tunnels Jersey War Tunnels Les Charrieres Malorey, St Lawrence, Jersey, JE3 1FU Head west from St Helier taking the inner main road From Bel Royal the attarction is well signposted Bus No 8a 01534 860808 http://wwwjerseywartunnelscom 10:00 - 18:00 £1050 Formerly known as the German Underground Hospital, the tunnels were built during the Second World War, and now is an interesting tourist attraction Cut deeply into rising hills, the site is now a museum telling the story of Jersey as the only part of Britain to be occupied by Germany during the war

Geography

Temperate, with mild winters and cool summers Gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast

Talking in Jersey

Languages: English official, and majority everyday language, French official for some purposes, Jèrriais a variety of Norman language, spoken in country districts Portuguese is widely spoken

What to see in Jersey

Pilgrimage routes

• 88 Temple Pilgrimage — an arduous 1,647 km trail around the island of Shikoku
• Chugoku 33 Kannon Temple Pilgrimage
• Narrow Road to the Deep North — a route around northern Japan immortalized by Japan's most famous haiku poet

• Witness the real-life effects of atomic warfare in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Pray at Ise Shrine, the holiest Shinto shrine in the world
• Explore the grounds of Himeji Castle in Himeji
• See the three great views of Japan Nihon Sankei; Matsushima, Amanohashidate and Itsukushima

What to do in Jersey

• Climb the 3776 meter Mount Fuji, an icon of Japan
• Take a walk amidst thousands of cherry blossoms in Yoshino
• Ascend Mount Aso to see one of the world's largest calderas
• Visit the snowy peaks of the country's largest national park, Daisetsuzan
• Climb the 2446 stone stops of the holy Haguro mountain through an amazing primeval forest
• Soak in the hot springs of Japan's Onsen Capital, Beppu
• Go River rafting in some of the last wild rivers in Japan in the Iya Valley
• Ski the world famous powder of Hokkaido or in the Japan Alps
• Overnight in one of the holy temples of Mount Koya

Buying stuff in Jersey

The economy is based largely on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism Potatoes Jersey Royals , cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs

Food and eating in Jersey

Jersey has an abundance of excellent restaurants 4 covering most tastes In particular a lot of French, Italian and Portuguese styles Chinese, Indian and Thai are well represented too Only one each of Greek and Sushi and one Mexican, located in Colomberie or Iranian though There are a few BYO restaurants example the Dicq Shack Fast food chains, such as McDonalds are in town, although there is only 1 McDonalds and 1 Starbuckslocated at the Airport

There are occasionally themed "food weeks" celebrating the different cultures in the Island Every October for a little over a month there is a Tennerfest 5 where you can explore many of the world-class restaurants

Vegetarian

Vegetarians will face a limited menu except in one or two very good vegetarian restaurants

• CafeJAC Phillips St, St Helier Arts Centre 01534879482 http://wwwcafejaccouk/

Drinking in Jersey

The minimum age for drinking alcohol is 18 years For such a small place there are a lot of bars and quite a few different clubs Despite duty on alcohol being lower than the UK most popular bars set their prices close to what you'd expect in London Normal pub closing time is 11PM and most clubs have to be closed by 2AM there is no "drinking-up-time" There are a few bars with alfresco areas including one with a view over the bay toward Elizabeth castle Most of the working-men's pubs became trendy wine bars in the early nineties so there's not much chance of finding a pool table in town There are two bars which sell Absinthe

There is quite a good music scene, in part due to licensing regulations which allow some bars to stay open till 1AM if they have live entertainment The bars with a late licence never have a cover charge but all the clubs do

The main town of St Helier is compact enough that you can wander from pub to pub and club to club quite easily

Accommodation in Jersey

Many hotels and guest houses disappeared in the late nineties but there's two new multi-million pound hotels both in town Jersey Tourism produce an accommodation guide containing all registered establishments, this is available free of charge

Budget

There is very little budget accommodation in Jersey The only Youth Hostel 6, near Gorey Village on the east coast was closed in 2008 due to a police investigation into child abuse that allegedly occured when the building was used as a childrens home The extensive forensic searches has meant that the Youth Hostel is not reopening and is now housing Jersey's seasonal lifeguards

There are some restrictions on caravans and motorhomes due to the size of the island's roads, but they are excepted at most of the Island's campsites

More details can be found on Jerseycom 7 There are four camp sites, including one in St Brelade near the west coast

Cities in Jersey