Jaynes Jersey: Carhire, Coach Tours and Public Transport

GETTING AROUND

Car Hire, Coach Tours, Public Transport, Cycling

CAR HIRE

For a list of car hire websites for Jersey please click here to go straight to the end of this section.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that Jersey is a quaint little island with roads that are barely more than dirt tracks, frequented by the occasional tractor and a few horses. There are over 85,000 of us in this small space and we have an abiding love affair with our cars - the vast majority of families having two or more at their disposal.

Driving here can often be a time consuming and frustrating experience, but that being said, there is no doubt that as a visitor here, having a car at your disposal is by far the best way to see the island. It will allow you to get 'off the beaten track' and (equally important in a typical British summer) it provides more opportunities of things to do whilst staying dry.

Here are a couple of tips that will make life easier for you:

Car parks here operate using a 'Scratch Card' system. In other words you park and then scratch off the number of hours you intend to stay. Books of scratch cards are widely available from places like newsagents and little corner shops. It will cost you £3.50 for a book of 10 and each 35p card gives you an hour of parking time. Make sure you have sufficient cards before you park.
There are over 500 miles of roads in the island, so make sure you have a decent map. It sounds silly to say this, but in the past I have come across visitors struggling with a 'Holiday Map' which shows no more than half a dozen roads, and therefore causes tremendous confusion. Look out instead for a 'Perry's Pathfinder' map, which is given out freely at garages and shows all the main roads, together with a useful town plan and extras like walks, nature reserves and historical monuments. If you really want to explore all the country lanes you will need a 'Perry's Guide' which can be bought from either small newsagents or bookshops like W.H. Smith.

Like just about everywhere else in the world we have rush hour commuter traffic. For the vast majority of time, driving here is a pleasurable experience, with relatively clear roads. However from about 7.30 -9.00 am commuter traffic heading into St. Helier is bumper to bumper, and traffic becomes heavy again for the evening exodus between the hours of approximately 5.00 and 6.00 pm.

The speed limit here is 40 mph, but watch out for variations - many of the more built-up areas impose a 20 or 30 mph limit and small country lanes are almost invariably 'Green Lanes' where a 15 mph limit is strictly imposed.

COACH TOURS

If you are a non-driver, coach tour companies here offer plenty of half and full day trips to all the island's major attractions. (Mini bus tours are also available). Link to Tantivy Blue Coach tours.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Jersey Bus run a number of routes covering the island but sadly these often entail travelling into St. Helier in order to pick up another bus to your chosen destination. This often makes journey times rather long. To counteract this, they have now introduced a tourist route (the 8b) which links 5 of the island's attractions (Living Legend, Jersey Pearl, the Zoo, Gorey Pier and Gorey Potteries). If you want to travel to any of the other wonderful island attractions, be prepared to either base yourself close to The Weighbride Bus Station in St. Helier, or add on extra journey time.

CYCLING

Many of our country lanes have now been designated 'Green Lanes' and a strict 15mph limit has been imposed. In addition to this, specific 'Cycle Routes' have been set up to allow keen cyclists to tour the island, for the most part away from the main roads.

In my opinion, using a bike to get from A to B along main roads should be left strictly to only the most experienced cyclists.

Bicycles can be hired from Zebra Cycles

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