Family Days Out in St Helier

October 31, 2026

St Helier works well for families because the best sights are close together or a short bus ride away. Prices are in Jersey pounds, equal to sterling, and children under 6 get into the Jersey Heritage sites free. The tides are large, so check tide times before any beach or rock-pool visit and keep children close to you near the water.

Jersey Zoo

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust at Les Augres Manor in Trinity covers 32 acres and keeps more than 130 species. Highlights include western lowland gorillas, Sumatran orangutans, Andean bears, a walk-through tunnel of fruit bats, the Jewel of the Forest aviary and the meerkats of Discovery Desert. LibertyBus routes 3, 13 and 23 run from Liberation Station. Gate prices are £21.00 for adults, £18.90 for concessions, £10.50 for children aged 3 to 10 and £16.80 for ages 11 to 16, with under-3s free. Booking a date online saves about 10%. See Durrell for tickets and opening times.

The castle ferry

Children enjoy the amphibious ferry to Elizabeth Castle, which drives down the slipway at Westpark Slip, opposite the Grand Hotel, and motors across the bay. It runs at any state of the tide. The castle is open from 18 March to 1 November in 2026 and then closes until spring. A castle ticket with the return ferry costs £16.45 for children and students, £24.50 for adults and £75.95 for a family. A castle-only ticket for people who walk the causeway at low tide costs £11.45 for children and £55.95 for a family. The causeway is only for low tide and is about 1.1 km each way, so check the Ports of Jersey causeway access calculator at ports.je and ask at the ferry kiosk on 01534 634048 before you set out on foot. The Jersey Heritage site has opening hours.

Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum on New North Quay has hands-on displays where children pull ropes, work wave tanks, steer model boats and step into a wind and storm chamber, in the Shipwreck! experience. Tickets cost £15.45 for adults, £10.25 for children and students and £46.45 for a family. It opens daily from 10:00 to 17:00 until 31 October and from 10:00 to 16:00 from 1 November.

Havre des Pas and the beaches

The Havre des Pas pool is a sheltered seawater pool that is separate from the open sea. Entry has been free, but check the current terms. Lifeguards are present in season only, so adults need to supervise children.

St Brelade’s Bay has soft sand and a gentle slope, with lifeguard patrols from late May to September and pedalo, paddleboard and kayak hire. Plemont Bay on the north-west coast has rock pools, a freshwater waterfall on the beach and large sea caves at low tide. The whole beach is under water at high tide, so go on a falling tide only.

Wartime history

The Jersey War Tunnels in St Lawrence are a solemn wartime site, dug into the hillside by slave and forced labourers. The exhibition has dark spaces, loud sirens and sobering accounts, so parents should judge whether it suits their children’s age and sensitivity. Children aged 6 and under go free, and all children must be accompanied. Details are at Jersey War Tunnels .

For more ideas, see GetYourGuide family activities in St Helier .