Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
63.4km²
Area
84km
Coastline
110m
Highest point
63,950
People
17°C
Warmest sea
August
44km
To the mainland
When to go to Guernsey
Good all year round.
The sea is warmest in August (17 °C) and coolest in March (9 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
One of the Channel Islands, part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which is one of the British Crown Dependencies
Guernsey is an island in Guernsey. It belongs to Channel Islands. It covers 63.4 km², with 84 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 110 m. About 63,950 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 44 km away.
Getting there
- Guernsey Airport (GCI)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at GCI airport (Saint Peter Port)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesGuernsey (GBG) - Jersey (GBJ), Guernsey - Herm, Guernsey - Sark, Guernsey - Alderney
- 44 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Guernsey.
- 60beachesSaint's Bay, Fermain Bay, Le Jaonnet and 57 more
- 26viewpointsCatioroc headland, Viewing Gallery, View of Guernsey, Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1883 and 23 more
- 4lighthousesVictoria Marina Lighthouse (Red Light), Belvedere Light, Crocq Pier Light and 1 more
- 3ferry terminalsSt Peter Port Harbour, Condor Ferries Vehicle Check-In
- 5marinasVictoria Marina, Albert Marina, Queen Elizabeth II Marina and 2 more
- 1named peaksHautnez
- 1waterfalls
- 12castles and fortsFort Hommett, Tower 11, Loophole Tower 9 and 9 more
- 29ruins and archaeological sitesLe Creux ès Faïes, Pleinmont Tower, Tower MP4 and 26 more
- 5campsitesVaugrat campsite, La Bailloterie, Les Maingys Activity Centre and 2 more
- 127hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 159restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Guernsey in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Guernsey, each with its own numbers.
15beaches and covesCoastya
3mountainsPeakyas
Highest point
70m
Mont Herault
according to Peakyas
Beach with the warmest sea
17.0°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
15 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- North Beach17.0°C
- Petit Bot Baycove17.0°C
- Le Jaonnet Baycove17.0°C
- South Beach17.0°C
- Telegraph Baycove17.0°C
- Port Soifcove17.0°C
- Fermain Baycove17.0°C
- Baie de la Forgecove17.0°C
7 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 47 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 51 %0–50 m
- 49 %50–200 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
10 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Saint Peter Port16,488 people
- Vale Parish9,646 people
- Saint Sampson8,966 people
- Saint Pierre du Bois Parish2,001 people
- Forest Parish1,624 people
- Tortevalno census figure
- Saint Saviourno census figure
- Castelno census figure
- Saint Andrewno census figure
- St Martinno census figure
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 11 |
| Night low (°C) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 9 |
| Sea (°C) | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 12 |
| Rain (mm) | 96 | 79 | 68 | 47 | 51 | 46 | 46 | 54 | 47 | 96 | 110 | 106 |
| Wet days | 16 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 16 | 18 | 18 |
| Sun h/day | 1.3 | 2.7 | 4.5 | 7.4 | 8.5 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 7.6 | 6.5 | 3.7 | 1.9 | 1.1 |
| Wind (km/h) | 33 | 32 | 28 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 33 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +1.1 | +0.9 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.6 |
| 2021 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.3 | −0.4 | −0.4 | +0.2 | −0.3 | −0.3 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.7 |
| 2022 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +0.8 | +1.3 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +1.1 | +0.7 | +1.0 | +0.7 |
| 2023 | +1.0 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.2 | +1.2 | +1.1 | +0.5 | +0.8 |
| 2024 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +1.3 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +1.0 | +0.6 |
| 2025 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +1.4 | +1.5 | +0.8 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.8 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Sark
Guernsey5.3 km²114 m16 km away
HermGuernsey1.3 km²66 m9 km away
AlderneyGuernsey8.1 km²90 m40 km away
Jersey
Jersey120 km²143 m41 km away
La MotteJersey0.01 km²8 m49 km away
Isle of Portland
United Kingdom12 km²149 m122 km away
Isle of WightUnited Kingdom380 km²241 m166 km away
Île de Batz
France3.1 km²14 m131 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q3311985) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Peakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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