Plan a Day Out from St Helier

October 31, 2026

This planner lists each outing with the transport, the length of time to set aside and the practical points. Buses leave from Liberation Station on the Esplanade, run by LibertyBus, the island’s only public operator. Look at libertybus.je for fares. Costs here are in pounds, with Jersey and sterling at par.

Quick comparison

Destination	How	Time to allow	Main draw
Gorey and Mont Orgueil	Bus 1, 1A or 2	Half day	Medieval castle and harbour
St Brelade’s Bay	Bus 12 or 14, about 25 minutes	Half day	Sandy bay, Fisherman’s Chapel
La Corbiere Lighthouse	Bus 12A or 22	Half day	Tidal causeway and lighthouse
Jersey Zoo	Bus 3, 13 or 23	Half day	Conservation zoo
Les Ecrehous	Bus 2 or 2A to St Catherine, then boat	Half day	Seals, sandbanks, reef
St Malo	DFDS fast ferry	Full day	Walled town in France

The castle at Gorey

Mont Orgueil Castle overlooks the harbour at Gorey, about 7 km east. Work began in 1204. Entry is £19.50 for adults and £11.45 for children and students, and it is open daily, with shorter hours (10:00 to 16:00) from 25 October. It shuts on 1 January and on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December. The harbour has seafood restaurants for lunch. Details are at Jersey Heritage .

Beach and headland

St Brelade’s Bay faces south and has sand, lifeguards in season and water-sports hire. Its 12th-century parish church stands beside the Fisherman’s Chapel, built on the shoreline rocks. To the south-west, La Corbiere has a lighthouse from 1874 on a tidal rock. The 300 m causeway to it is passable only at low water, and a siren sounds 10 to 15 minutes before it floods. Leave straight away when you hear it, and consult Ports of Jersey for tide times.

The zoo

Durrell sits at Les Augres Manor in Trinity, about 7 km north of town. Gate prices are £21.00 for adults, £10.50 for children from 3 to 10 and £16.80 for those aged 11 to 16, and booking a date online cuts roughly 10%. The collection includes gorillas, orangutans, Andean bears and aye-ayes. Book through durrell.org .

By sea to the reef

Les Ecrehous is a reef about 6 miles north-east of the island. Jersey Seafaris starts from St Catherine Breakwater rather than the harbour at St Helier, and its trips run for 1.5 to 3 hours. On the sandbanks you may see a few old fishermen’s huts, and the reef is home to grey seals and nesting terns. Check the price at jerseyseafaris.com .

France and the other islands

DFDS sails from the Elizabeth terminal to St Malo, and the fast ferry fits a day return of about 09:30 out and 18:00 back. The crossing takes about 2 hours, so check the schedule with DFDS, and remember your passport. Sark is served by Manche Iles Express only from April to September, and its crossings resume on 3 April 2027. No ferry links Jersey and Guernsey in 2026, and Alderney has no direct sailing from St Helier. For ready-made trips, search Viator day trips from St Helier .