There are three main modes of transport to get to Guernsey. For me, the Condor wins hands down. There is no better way to arrive into Guernsey than pulling up into the picturesque St Peter Port, with the wind in your hair and watching the boat navigate between the narrow harbour walls. You dock up right in the centre of one of the prettiest of towns in Europe and within minutes of disembarkation, can be walking up the main street in St Peter Port.
Condor Ferries Liberation To Guernsey
If you are travelling to Guernsey by car in the summer, the Condor Liberation is the best way to travel. It has space for up to 880 passengers and 245 cars and takes around 3 hours (specific timings are dependant on the tides, which dictate when the Condor can get in and out of St Peter Port harbour) and when the weather is good, it is a smooth and quick way to get to the islands of Guernsey and Jersey.
Onboard the Condor itself you have a choice of three classes of travel. Ocean Traveller is the standard class with bright blue airline style seating dotted around the boat. In this class, you have access to a cafeteria and some snack bars. Ocean Plus (view pictured above), which takes up at the entire front section of the boat named the “Horizon Lounge”, is arguably the best choice if you are budget conscious but still want a good level of comfort and luxury. Finally, Ocean Club is a private lounge to the right side of the boat when facing forward, with enhanced reclining leather seating, table service and complimentary newspapers and hot drinks. It also has its own (payable) food menu which is served to your table. All the seats in the Ocean Club lounge have their own table and power supply and it is nice to have table service and meals served to you on proper plates. I have reviewed the three classes of travel in more detail in my article reviewing Condor Ferries Poole To Guernsey.
Is it worth upgrading to Ocean Plus and Ocean Club on Condor?
The price of a one-way upgrade to Ocean Plus seat from UK to the Channel Islands is currently £9.95 GBP one way. The cost of upgrading to Ocean Club is £29.95 GBP. Without hesitation, I would recommend upgrading to Ocean Plus. Last summer I wrote a more detailed review of the Ocean Club on Condor Liberation if you would like to read a more detailed review about this boat which travels between Poole and the Channel Islands.
Condor Ferries Clipper
The Condor Clipper is a conventional ferry which means it travels across to Guernsey whatever the weather (unlike the Condor Liberation which is faster but does not run in high winds). This well-equipped ship operates daily between Portsmouth and the Islands and has space for 300 passengers and over 100 cars. You can book reclining seats or even a cabin as the Clipper takes around 7 hours to travel between Portsmouth and St Peter Port, making it a less appealing choice than the Condor Liberation which travels from Poole and does the trip in 3 hours. It is, however, a good option if you are travelling with a caravan or transporting larger items.
Flying on Flybe
Flying on Flybe is arguably the fastest way to travel to Guernsey. It doesn’t offer the exciting arrival of motoring into St Peter Port and luggage can be very limited. There are however a number of flights throughout the day into the island from various airports (mainly Southampton) and if you are travelling from London without too much luggage, this is a good choice, as long as it is not foggy. If it is foggy the islands are notorious for turning away flights as they cannot land so you risk flying back to the UK without even landing in Guernsey! This would be a bit of bad luck but it has happened to me.
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