Day 1: Meet in Guernsey
Arrive independently in Guernsey (flights from UK regional airports available) and transfer to your hand-picked 4-star hotel near St. Peter Port. Evening welcome meeting with your McKinlay Kidd tour leader over a welcome dinner featuring Guernsey seafood. Get to know your small group (maximum 15 travelers) and preview the week ahead. Overnight Guernsey (3 nights).
Day 2: Discovering Guernsey
Full-day private guided tour of Guernsey. Morning exploration of St. Peter Port’s cobbled lanes, the 19th-century Candie Gardens with their subtropical plants, and the Guernsey Museum. Visit Castle Cornet, the 800-year-old island fortress with five museums inside its walls and the daily noon-day gun firing. Afternoon drive along the stunning south coast, stopping at Fort Grey Shipwreck Museum (the ‘cup and saucer’ martello tower), the hidden coves of Moulin Huet Bay where Renoir painted 15 canvases, and the dramatic cliffs at Pleinmont Point. Overnight Guernsey.
Day 3: Herm — An Island Apart
Morning ferry to Herm Island—a 20-minute crossing to another world. Herm has no cars, no crowds, and some of Europe’s most beautiful beaches. Walk the coastal path around the island (about 2 hours), passing Shell Beach carpeted in millions of tiny shells, Belvoir Bay with its startlingly clear water, and the wild northern heathlands. Lunch at the Mermaid Tavern. Spend the afternoon swimming, beach-combing, or simply savoring the silence of an island where the loudest sound is the sea. Return ferry to Guernsey. Evening at leisure. Overnight Guernsey.
Day 4: Fly to Jersey — The War Years
Morning flight from Guernsey to Jersey (15 minutes). Transfer to your hotel in St. Helier. Afternoon visit to the Jersey War Tunnels, the most powerful museum in the Channel Islands—over a kilometer of tunnels dug by slave labor during the German occupation, now telling the story of those dark years with extraordinary sensitivity. Evening orientation walk through St. Helier’s Victorian market and waterfront. Overnight Jersey (3 nights).
Day 5: Jersey Coast & Castles
Full-day private guided tour of Jersey. Begin at Mont Orgueil Castle at Gorey, one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval castles, with 800 years of fortifications and views across to the French coast. Continue to the north coast fishing harbor of Rozel. Afternoon visit to a Jersey wine estate for a private tour and tasting—the island’s unique microclimate produces surprisingly good wines. Walk the dramatic north coast cliffs at Plémont. Evening at leisure to explore St. Helier’s restaurant scene. Overnight Jersey.
Day 6: Beach Walk & St. Helier
Morning: a private guided beach walk on one of Jersey’s stunning bays—St. Brelade’s or St. Ouen’s—followed by an oyster tasting with a local producer. Walk the sand, learn about the island’s aquaculture, and taste the freshest oysters you’ll ever eat. Afternoon exploring St. Helier at your own pace: the Jersey Museum, the Maritime Museum, or the central market with its Victorian cast-iron structure. Farewell dinner at a top St. Helier restaurant. Overnight Jersey.
Day 7: Departure
Transfer to Jersey Airport for your onward flight.
