The practical stuff about getting on and off the islands, written by someone who does it twice a month. Plus every official live link in one place.
Ferry or fly?
Checked September 2026
Both work. Which one wins depends on what you're carrying, how much time you've got, and how much you trust the weather that week.
Flying
Ferry
Time door to door
Usually 3–5 hours including the airport faff
Poole fast craft about 4½ h from Jersey, 3 h from Guernsey; Portsmouth is the slow boat, 7 h or more
Luggage
Budget airlines charge for hold bags; small cabin bag included
Effectively unlimited, and no weighing
Taking a car
No
Yes — drive on, drive off
Weather
Fog is the enemy; a foggy morning can wipe out a whole day of flights
Wind is the enemy; the fast craft is cancelled in a big sea, the conventional ship usually sails
Where you land
Sixteen UK airports; London, Southampton, Exeter and Manchester most often
Poole or Portsmouth, both with a station a short hop from the terminal
Groups and families
Costs multiply per seat
A car full of people is often the cheaper way
The honest rule of thumb: one person, light bag, somewhere north of Southampton — fly. A family, a lot of stuff, the south coast or anywhere you'd want a car at the other end — ferry.
The operators changed recently and it still catches people out. DFDS runs Jersey's UK sailings (since March 2025). Condor, now part of Brittany Ferries, runs Guernsey's. For flying, Blue Islands collapsed in November 2025; Jersey–Guernsey and several UK routes are now flown by Loganair and Aurigny, alongside easyJet, Jet2 and BA.
The one journey where the ferry isn't just an alternative, it's the only option. Jersey's vehicle sailings leave from Elizabeth Terminal in St Helier; Guernsey's from St Peter Port.
Before you go
Vehicle check-in typically closes an hour before the sailing. Foot passengers get longer, drivers don't.
Bring the booking reference, photo ID for everyone, and your driving licence.
You'll be asked the vehicle length and height when you book. Roof boxes and bike racks count. Getting it wrong can mean being turned away or charged more at the port.
Pets travel in the car on most sailings, but check the operator's rules for your crossing, and remember an animal health certificate is needed for the UK.
On the day
Drive-on is staged in lanes; follow the marshals and expect to wait. Get there early and bring a coffee.
Once parked on the car deck you can't go back down until arrival, so take what you need up with you.
Fast craft crossings can be lively in a swell. If you're a poor sailor, the conventional ship or a calmer day is worth the extra hours.
Worth knowing: both operators have affiliate route pages that open with your crossing preselected from the planner. Date and vehicle details still need entering on their site — no ferry operator publishes a link format that carries them.
The ferry terminal is about a ten-minute walk from Poole railway station, flat and signposted. Trains from Poole run to Bournemouth, Southampton and London Waterloo direct. If you're heading west (Exeter, Cornwall) you'll change at Southampton or Bournemouth. Taxis wait at the terminal for sailings.
Portsmouth
The international port is a bus or taxi ride from Portsmouth & Southsea station, roughly ten minutes. Portsmouth Harbour station is the one for the Isle of Wight ferry and Gunwharf; Portsmouth & Southsea is the one you want for most trains north and to London. Both are on the same line so a mistake costs you a stop, not an hour.
From the other end
Heading home, arrive at the terminal with time to spare. Foot passengers need to be there around 45 minutes before; drivers an hour. The planner's onward-journey leg builds the train to the port for your date and will usually save money if you book a return rather than two singles.
How early: the airport asks for two hours before departure. It's a small airport and security is rarely slow, but the check-in desks close on time and the airlines don't bend.
The bus: Route 15 links Liberation Station (the bus station in St Helier) to the airport, about 25 minutes, roughly every 15 minutes in the daytime and every half hour in the evening. The planner shows the actual timetable and works out which bus makes your flight.
Taxis: there's a rank outside arrivals. For a booked car, Citicabs, Domino Cabs, Premium Cabs and Ryde all do airport runs; Citicabs can be booked online. Executive and chauffeur cars are listed on the airport's own site.
Parking: short and long stay both on site, pre-bookable. Book if you're going for more than a couple of days; it's cheaper and the long stay fills up in summer.
Food: eat before security if you're fussy. Airside is small.
Every islander has a fog story. Here's what actually helps.
Fog
It's the biggest cause of cancelled flights, and it's local: the mainland can be clear while Jersey sits in cloud. Jersey Met's forecasters work directly with pilots and airlines, so when they say it'll lift by lunchtime, that's a well-informed guess. Check their forecast the night before and the morning of.
Storms
High winds cancel the fast ferry first, then flights. The airport can close early in a named storm, and did during Storm Goretti. Watch for red and amber warnings from Jersey Met and check the live departure board before leaving the house.
Your rights and your money
Cancelled by the airline or ferry operator: you're entitled to a refund or rebooking. Weather isn't the operator's fault, so compensation on top is unlikely, but the fare itself comes back.
An operator goes bust (as Blue Islands did): if you paid with a credit card from a UK provider, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act makes the card issuer jointly responsible. Debit card users can try a chargeback. Package bookings have ATOL protection.
Missed connections: a train ticket booked separately isn't the airline's problem. Give yourself a buffer, or book a flexible rail ticket if the flight's at risk.
Simple insurance: pay for the flight on a credit card, book trains as returns rather than singles, and don't book a non-refundable hotel for the night of a winter crossing.
LibertyBus runs the whole island from Liberation Station in St Helier. The network is good in the daytime, thinner in the evening, and much thinner on Sundays.
The airport route is the 15. Routes 9, 10, 12 and 22 also call at the airport if the 15 doesn't suit.
Paying: a single is around £2; the AvanchiCard contactless card makes it cheaper and faster. Unlimited day passes for 1, 2, 3 or 7 days are good value if you're hopping around.
Live times: the LibertyBus app shows where the bus actually is. Worth installing before you need it.
Timetables change twice a year, late September and around Easter, with a fuller summer service.
From the airport: the 15 bus to town is cheap and every quarter hour; a taxi is quicker and waits outside arrivals. Most hotels are in St Helier or along the south coast, all easy from town.
From the ferry: Elizabeth Terminal is a ten-to-fifteen-minute flat walk to the bus station. There's no shuttle. Taxis meet sailings.
Getting around: the island is nine miles by five. Buses reach the beaches and the main attractions; a hire car opens up the lanes. Cycling is lovely on the green lanes and brutal on the hills.
Money and phones: Jersey pounds are interchangeable with sterling on the island but hard to spend in the UK, so spend the local notes before you leave. UK mobile roaming rules vary by network; check yours, as Jersey isn't always included.