City break in UK island?

If you're looking for a city break in UK or considering European city breaks, Jersey might not be your first thought! But the Island offers much of what you might look for in European short city breaks, and although it's not technically part of the UK it is part of the British Isles. The main town of St Helier is considering applying for city status!

If you're looking for UK city breaks because you want good restaurants, nightlife, culture and shopping, Jersey has plenty to offer.

Eating out

Jersey restaurants are superb, and without venturing outside of St Helier you will find restaurants serving everything from international cuisine of the highest standard, Italian, Portuguese, French, Thai, Chinese, Indian, Bangladeshi; brasseries, carveries, seafood restaurants, alfresco eating and small romantic restaurants among many others.

Food festivals take place throughout the year. In November it's the Tennerfest. Dozens of restaurants prepare special menus priced at £10 or £15 so that you can afford to eat out every day, lunch and dinner if you want.

In January a similar festival called Winter Warmers takes place. Throughout the summer season open air food festivals take place, and most large events include a wide range of food stalls.

If you want a quick snack while you take a break from the shopping, there are coffee bars, cafés of many types, and sandwich bars galore. Look for the Mange Tout or Jersey Pottery cafés around the Town if you are something of a foodie. Or try the Bean Around the World Coffee Shop, or Café JAC at the Art Centre if you like to hang out with the arty crowd.

Nightlife

If you are considering a city break in UK or European city break because you like to party, Jersey has a vibrant nightlife, most of it based in St Helier.

The Drift Bar at the Royal Yacht at the Weighbridge is currently one of the 'in' places to be. A large dance floor, screens, seafood and sushi bar, and regular live entertainment mean that it's always buzzing. The entertainmnet includes anything from world famous DJ's and bands to cool jazz, soul, hip hop, blues and funk nights, and up and coming local bands.

The Waterfront area boasts several popular places to eat, drink or party, including the stylish Liquid and Envy twin scene club, The Bar, and Chicago Food Bar and Rock Café.

Cosmo is a straight-friendly gay nightclub and bar.

With several other nightclubs around town, you are bound to find somewhere you like to party the night away!

Theatre and music

Maybe you are looking for a city break in UK or considering European short city breaks because you like to go to the theatre or to concerts?

St Helier has three main venues and attracts some of the best shows and performances you will find in any city. The Arts Centre often shows top American blues guitarists who can't always be seen elsewhere in the UK. They also have top classical pianists, world music, comedy, and contemporary dance performances on a regular basis.

The Opera House is an ornate, recently restored theatre originally opened in 1900. Jersey's most famous actress and socialite, Lillie Langtry starred in the opening performance there. The Opera House hosts a full programme of top level entertainment including opera, dance, musicals, comedy and world music.

The Gloucester Hall at Fort Regent is a larger venue which hosts a number of acts, usually for one or two nights at a time. Tribute bands, Irish dance spectaculars and orchestras are among the acts here.

Check out the theatre and cinema page to find out what's on.

Shopping

If you want a city break in Uk for the shopping, Jersey has plenty of in and out of town shopping. You'll find many high street names here, as well as a few specialist and local stores. Check out the shopping in St Helier page.

Travel

One of the most important factors in chosing a city break in Uk or considering European short city breaks is travel time. You don't want to be spending most of your short break getting there and back. This is one place where Jersey really scores. Flight times from the Midlands and South of the UK are as short as 45 minutes, and there are flights from many regional airports.

You also want flights for your city break in UK to be reasonable. Low-cost airlines operating to Jersey include Thomsonfly (Coventry and Doncaster), Easyjet (Luton and Liverpool) and Flybe (19 regional airports).

Places to stay

Jersey has a wide choice of hotels from budget to luxury situated in the main town of St Helier. The recently opened Ramada Hotel on the Waterfront overlooks the marina and is only a few minutes walk from the Waterfront nightclubs and restaurants. Other large central hotels include the Grand Hotel and the Pomme D'Or Hotel.

Find out more about shopping in St Helier here.

Find out more about theatre and cinema here.

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