A coastal lighthouse on rocky terrain surrounded by calm waters under a hazy sky. Coastal path leads to the lighthouse. A corner building with a blue facade features the sign for 1823 Grill, surrounded by streets and parked cars on a cloudy day.
Channel Islands

Jersey: The Scent of Fish and Money

Corner building in St. Helier
 Jersey, Channel Islands, October 2025

Jersey sits somewhere between England and France—geographically and otherwise. The town names are French, the cars drive on the left, and the seagulls seem to scream in both languages.

Politically, too, the island is a curious in-between. It’s not part of the United Kingdom, but a Crown Dependency, with its own government. Jersey belongs to the British Monarch, but not to Britain itself. It’s complicated.

The capital, St. Helier, home to around 35,000 people, feels like a seaside town with big ambitions—and serves as the island’s economic heart: a mix of modern facades, a few Victorian buildings, and plenty of wind. It smells of fish and money. One in five of the island’s 100,000 residents works in finance.

Beyond the town, the island is surprisingly diverse. The north has steep cliffs, while the south has wide, sandy beaches, rugged bays, and small villages where time seems to stand still. The coastline is wild and ever-changing. Jersey’s tidal range is among the largest in the world. At low tide, the sea retreats for miles, revealing a landscape of rocks, seaweed, and puddles, best explored with rubber boots and patience. Those who know their way around find oysters; those who don’t, slip.

Boats lie stranded in the sand like forgotten toys. Towers and fortresses that stood on islands just hours before can suddenly be reached on foot. The sea comes and goes.

The money stays.

Map of Jersey
A waterfront view featuring modern apartment buildings and a marina with boats moored, set against a cloudy sky.
A bustling marina filled with numerous boats and yachts moored along wooden docks under a gray sky.
A bronze sculpture of people holding a flag stands on a circular stone base with water features, surrounded by a picturesque setting.
The Jersey Liberation Monument on Liberation Square in St. Helier commemorates the liberation of the island on May 9, 1945, after almost five years of German occupation. The bronze sculpture depicts islanders and a British soldier holding up a flag together, forming a victory arch that visitors can walk through.
A corner building with a blue facade features the sign for 1823 Grill, surrounded by streets and parked cars on a cloudy day.
A historic building surrounded by greenery, viewed from a grassy area with gravestones and a sturdy tree nearby.
A row of charming houses with blue and white facades behind a black iron fence, surrounded by fallen autumn leaves and stones.
A street scene featuring charming shops with unique architecture, including a store named "The Peirson" with a bright red door.
A historic stone building with red accents, palm trees, and a car passing by on a road. Modern structures are visible in the background.
A colorful mural depicting local activities on the side of a building, with a promotional sign for a theme park event nearby.
A partially demolished building with exposed structure and colorful advertising panels on the street below.
Aerial view of industrial roofs with modern buildings in the background under a cloudy sky.
A red car drives past a charming house with greenery in Jersey, framed by cloudy skies and neighboring buildings.
A charming Victorian-style building with bay windows, located on a quiet street, showcasing white exterior and red-tiled roofs.
A quiet street scene featuring grey buildings, colorful doorways, and a light blue railing along the sidewalk. Overcast sky above.
A charming house facade split between blue and white, featuring dormer windows and contrasting shutters, set along a quiet street.
A panoramic view of a coastal area with sandy beach, rocky shoreline, and buildings lining the waterfront under a cloudy sky.
A wooden pier extends over calm waters, lined with lamps and a blue building at the end, under a cloudy sky.
The Lido is a seawater swimming pool built in 1895 on a rocky plateau off the coast of St. Helier. It is connected to the mainland by a bridge. There are changing rooms and a club room for the Jersey Swimming Club.
A small boat stranded on a muddy beach, secured by a buoy and rope, with distinct patterns in the wet sand.
A fishing boat with the designation J49 rests on the sandy shore, surrounded by a coastal town and cloudy skies.
Low tide in the harbor of Gorey, a village on the east coast of Jersey.
A calm coastal scene featuring a small boat on wet sand, with distant buildings on a hazy day. Orange buoys dot the shoreline.
A coastal scene with boats resting on dry land at low tide, colorful buildings line the marina, under a cloudy sky.
Low tide in the harbor of St. Aubin, a village on the south coast of the island.
A picturesque harbor view with moored boats at low tide, surrounded by charming coastal buildings and lush greenery.
A coastal view featuring a tidal landscape with a castle on a distant shore, surrounded by boats and rocky terrain.
Fort St. Aubin is located in the bay on a tidal island directly opposite the port of St. Aubin. At low tide, it can be reached on foot.
A coastal lighthouse on rocky terrain surrounded by calm waters under a hazy sky. Coastal path leads to the lighthouse.
La Corbière Lighthouse is the most photographed landmark on the island of Jersey. It was commissioned on April 24, 1874. Its beam has a range of 33 kilometers. At low tide, a causeway connects the lighthouse to the shore.
A coastal observation tower on rocky terrain, surrounded by greenery and overlooking the ocean under a cloudy sky.
Near the lighthouse stands a former range-finding tower, which was built by German occupation forces during World War II. After the war, the top floor was converted into a viewing platform with a new roof and glazing. Since 2004, the tower has been available for rent as vacation accommodation.