Saint Peter Port, GG

A long-running seafood restaurant in a former sailmaker's warehouse on the quay, the sort of place islanders book for an occasion rather than a quick bite. The kitchen keeps things straightforward and lets the local catch carry the plate. Best for a proper sit-down dinner with the harbour out the window.

A modern bistro near the harbour built around fish and shellfish, smaller and more relaxed than the white-tablecloth seafood spots. It works equally for a long lunch or an easy dinner, and the room turns over quickly enough that walk-ins sometimes land a table. Good for a lighter seafood meal without the full occasion treatment.

A glass-fronted bar and restaurant on the southern edge of Havelet Bay, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing Herm and Sark and a menu that runs from burgers to lobster. The setting does a lot of the work, especially at golden hour. For a drink-and-graze afternoon or a casual dinner with the best view in walking distance of town.

A long-standing Italian set in a 500-year-old building just off the main shopping street, with a covered courtyard at the back that softens the town-centre setting. The menu is the full traditional spread of pasta, fish and grills rather than anything reinvented. A reliable choice for a group or a relaxed dinner away from the harbour front.

A modern seafood-and-grill restaurant on Albert Pier with a sea-view terrace, leaning on seasonal local produce, charcuterie and chargrilled steak alongside the fish. It pitches itself for a date or a special meal more than a quick lunch. Best when the weather lets you take the terrace.

A loud, busy diner-style place across from Vazon beach doing big American-shack portions, burgers and seafood baskets. It is a family default after a day on the west-coast sand rather than a refined meal. Good for hungry kids and groups who want generous plates and a buzzy room.

The hotel restaurant and terrace right on Cobo beach on the west coast, doing local seafood and a strong breakfast with the bay in front of you. The beachfront terrace is the reason to come, ideally as the sun drops over the water. For a west-coast meal where the setting is part of the order.

A hotel restaurant in a Norman manor at St Martin with its own kitchen garden and a small on-site distillery, doing a refined seasonal menu away from the harbour crowd. It is one of the nicer dinners on the south side of the island. Best for a quieter special meal with a garden-and-grounds setting.

A small Indian restaurant tucked inside a town-centre hotel, with only a handful of tables around a bar and a kitchen that takes its cooking seriously. It is the island's go-to for a proper curry rather than a quick takeaway. Good for a relaxed dinner when you want something other than seafood.

A bar and grill in the converted old slaughterhouse out on Castle Pier, doing steaks, burgers and a strong line in desserts in a high-ceilinged industrial room. The harbour setting and the building give it more character than a standard grill. For a casual, lively dinner or drinks close to the marina.

A country restaurant inland at St Saviour that grows much of its own produce, with a menu that changes around what the garden and the boats bring in. It sits well off the tourist track in the green middle of the island. Best for a leisurely lunch or dinner when you want somewhere islanders actually drive to.

A beach cafe at Vazon with a roof terrace over the west coast, doing breakfast, coffee, sandwiches and easy seafood through the day. It is a casual stop between swims rather than a destination meal. Good for coffee or a light lunch with sand still on your feet.

A family-run tearoom overlooking Cobo Bay doing cooked breakfasts, home-baked cakes and the usual sandwiches and hot lunches with a sea view. It is an unfussy west-coast stop rather than anywhere trendy. For a relaxed morning or an afternoon-tea break after a beach walk.

The southeastern headland that marks the start of the south-coast cliff paths, with a short loop around the point past the Doyle monument and views out to the other islands. You can take just the headland circuit or push west onto the cliffs. A flexible walk that scales from twenty minutes to a half day.

A wooded valley that drops to a cove Renoir painted, with the marked Renoir walk placing empty frames at the spots where he set up his easel. The descent through the valley to the beach is gentle going down and a climb back up. Good for a walk with a story and a tea garden at the midpoint.

The highest of the south-coast headlands, with a cliff path that swings around the point between Saints Bay and Petit Bot through gorse and sea-pink. The walking is properly up-and-down, with steps down to the bays on either side. Best for a moderate cliff walk with the open south-coast views the island is known for.

A small beach at the foot of two wooded valleys on the south coast, with a Martello tower and a kiosk and cliff paths climbing out either side. It works as a destination at the end of a valley walk or a base for cliff-path sections toward Pleinmont. Good for a walk that ends with a swim and a tea.

A broad grassy common at the flat northern tip of the island, ringed by beaches and dotted with loophole towers and a golf course. The walking is easy and level, a complete contrast to the southern cliffs. Best for a gentle stroll, a beach circuit or a walk with small children or anyone who wants no climbing.

A small harbour and shingle cove on the south coast, with a steep slipway and cliff paths heading off toward Icart and Moulin Huet. It is a quieter entry point onto the cliffs than Jerbourg. Good for a moderate out-and-back along the south coast with a sheltered cove to start from.

A restored Victorian public garden on the hill above the harbour, with one of the few surviving heated glasshouses of its kind, a Victor Hugo statue and the island's museum within the grounds. It is free and open daily, an easy green break in the middle of town. Good for a slow wander or a picnic with a harbour view.

The island's largest public park, with landscaped grounds, a rose garden, a Japanese-inspired pond and the Folk and Costume Museum in a cluster of old farm buildings. There is a big playground and open lawn that make it a default family afternoon. For kids who need to run and adults who want a museum and a tea room within steps.

A tiny car-free island a short ferry ride off St Peter Port, walkable end to end in a couple of hours, with Shell Beach and Belvoir Bay on the far side and a single small village. It is the closest of the day-trip islands and the easiest with kids. Best for a half or full day of beaches and easy coastal walking with no traffic.

The walled gardens of Sark's manor house, the standout sight on the neighbouring car-free island, with formal beds, a hedge maze and a Victorian glasshouse. Reaching it is part of the day, by ferry then on foot or by bike or horse-drawn carriage. For anyone making the longer Sark crossing who wants a clear destination on the island.

A manor house at St Martin offering house tours, a subtropical garden, a woodland sculpture park, a small ride-on train and ghost tours on set evenings. It packs several different things into one site, which makes it a flexible family stop. Good for mixing a garden wander, sculpture and child-friendly extras in one visit.

An 800-year-old harbour fortress on its own breakwater island, now reachable on foot from the marina and home to several small museums covering island and military history. The grounds step up through period gardens to ramparts that look back across St Peter Port and out to Herm and Sark. Good for a half day if you like castles you can roam rather than file through.

The St Peter Port townhouse where Victor Hugo lived during his exile and wrote much of his later work, decorated floor to ceiling by Hugo himself with carved panelling, tapestries and salvaged furniture. The climb through the dim lower floors up to the glass lookout room at the top is the whole point. Best for anyone who likes interiors with a strong personality rather than grand stately rooms.

A tiny chapel built by a monk as a miniature of a French shrine, covered inside and out in mosaic made from broken china, pebbles and seashells. It is barely big enough for a handful of people at once, so the visit is short but unlike anything else on the island. Worth pairing with the gardens nearby to make a stop of it.

A privately built collection on the wartime occupation of the island, with a recreated occupation-era street, ration documents, vehicles and bunker-era hardware gathered over decades. It covers daily life under occupation more vividly than most official sites. For anyone who wants the human side of the island's WWII history rather than just fortifications.

A whitewashed Martello tower on a rocky islet in Rocquaine Bay, known locally as the Cup and Saucer, now holding a small museum about the wrecks on the reefs off the west coast. The setting is half the visit, tied to the shore by a short causeway with the open Atlantic behind it. A quick stop that anchors a west-coast drive.

A run of Victorian sea-bathing pools cut into the rock just south of the harbour, filling with clean seawater at high tide and drawing local swimmers year round. The walls keep out seaweed and the worst of the swell, so it is calmer than open-sea swimming. For anyone who wants a dip with a view across to Castle Cornet rather than a sandy beach.