⚠️ Rules and entry requirements change without notice. Before booking, check entry conditions and local rules (visas, access, nature reserves, quotas) with the official bodies.
Alderney is the Channel Island closest to the continent: sixteen kilometres separate it from Cap de la Hague, against thirty-two from Guernsey. Yet it packs into 7.8 square kilometres everything you would not expect: eighteen Victorian forts, the only working railway in the archipelago, one of Europe's larger gannet colonies and a wartime history the UK only faced squarely in 2024. Here is how to get there in 2026 and what to know before booking.
Seven point eight square kilometres, two thousand people
Alderney covers 7.8 square kilometres and had 2,102 residents at the official census of 31 March 2021, rising to 2,167 on the end of March 2023 estimate. Everything is concentrated in St Anne, the island's only settlement, a village of cobbled streets and Georgian houses. Unlike Sark and Herm, cars are allowed here, with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour across the whole island.
The military heritage dwarfs everything else. In the 1850s the British Crown had eighteen forts and batteries built to watch France, armed in 1859, along with a breakwater begun in 1847 that reaches 1,463 metres and employed more than twelve hundred workers. Many of these structures are now private; Fort Doyle, the smallest, completed in 1854, is open daily from 10am to 4pm and free to enter, and Fort Clonque can be rented by the night from the Landmark Trust.
The Second World War left a darker mark. On 23 June 1940 around fifteen hundred residents were evacuated from Braye Harbour: Alderney is the only Channel Island to have been almost entirely emptied. Hitler turned it into a fortress, with hundreds of bunkers and four labour camps. One of them, Lager Sylt, came under SS control in March 1943, becoming the only SS concentration camp on British soil. An official review delivered in May 2024 under Lord Pickles established that between 641 and 1,027 people died there, out of 7,608 to 7,812 people held, of some thirty nationalities. The Lager Sylt site has been a designated conservation area since June 2021.
The German garrison surrendered on 16 May 1945, a week after the other islands were liberated. Residents only began returning in December 1945, after more than thirty thousand mines had been cleared. 15 December, Homecoming Day, remains a public holiday on the island.
On the nature side, the west coast and the islets of Burhou, Les Etacs and Ortac have formed the Bailiwick of Guernsey's first Ramsar site since 2005. The 2021 census counted 8,539 occupied gannet nests there, more than 1 per cent of the world population of the species; the 2022 avian flu outbreak cut numbers by around 28 per cent, with a recovery measured in 2025. Puffins nest on Burhou, with around a hundred and ninety birds counted in 2025. And the island is famous for its blonde hedgehogs, a genetic variant affecting roughly 60 per cent of local hedgehogs according to the Alderney Wildlife Trust.
May to September, unless you like it quiet
The season is dictated by transport. The sea links run only in summer: Manche Iles Express from 9 April to 27 September 2026, Alderney Ferry Services between Guernsey and Alderney from late March to early October, and the Cherbourg line from 27 April to late September. In winter, flying from Guernsey or Southampton becomes the only regular way in.
The sea peaks in September at 17.4 degrees and bottoms out in March at 9.3. Daylight runs to sixteen hours in June against eight in December. July and August hold the action, not least Alderney Week, the island's big festival whose first recorded edition dates back to July 1908; the 2027 edition runs from 31 July to 7 August.
Winter is not dead, though: the freely accessible heritage sites stay open, as do the pubs and restaurants. The Alderney Museum, however, closes from late October to early April, and the railway runs in season only.
Getting there, getting around, sleeping
Alderney Airport, code ACI, opened in 1935 and is the oldest in the archipelago. Aurigny Air Services runs daily links to Guernsey and Southampton under a public service obligation. The fleet has changed: the Dornier 228s flew their last commercial service on 13 February 2026, replaced by De Havilland Twin Otters operated on Aurigny's behalf since November 2025. Reckon on 68 to 84 pounds one way from Guernsey and around 118 pounds from Southampton, depending on season.
From France there are two routes. By air, the Breton airline Finist'air links Brest to Alderney via Jersey twice a week, Friday and Sunday, from late May to late September 2026; the Jersey to Alderney hop takes fifteen minutes. By sea, Manche Iles Express serves Alderney from Dielette during its season, with returns advertised between 43 and 85 euros, and Alderney Ferry Services runs a seasonal line from Cherbourg on Mondays and Fridays. Check dates and durations with the operators directly: they change from year to year.
One project to keep in mind if you plan far ahead. On 25 February 2026 the States of Guernsey voted funding of up to 24 million pounds to rehabilitate the runway, which will be widened from 18 to 23 metres. The works are scheduled from April to December 2027 and an extended closure of the airport during that period cannot be ruled out.
On the island, hire cars start at around 45 pounds a day, and several outfits rent standard and electric bikes. The Alderney Railway, opened in 1847 to carry stone for the breakwater, is the only working railway in the Channel Islands; Queen Victoria and Prince Albert rode on it in 1854. It runs three kilometres from Braye Road to Mannez Quarry in former London Underground carriages, at 12 pounds for an adult return and 6 pounds for a child. It operates in season only and the running days vary: confirm with the operator before travelling.
For sleeping, the island has three hotels, including the Braye Beach and the Blonde Hedgehog, half a dozen guest houses, around thirty holiday lets and a campsite at Saye Beach. Fort Clonque, a Victorian fort converted by the Landmark Trust, is the most spectacular option.
The essentials
| Main town | St Anne, the island's only settlement |
|---|---|
| Area | 7.8 km² |
| Population | 2,102 (official census, 31 March 2021) |
| Language | English |
| Currency | Pound sterling and Guernsey pound, at par |
| Getting there | Flights from Guernsey and Southampton all year; seasonal ferries from Dielette, Cherbourg and Guernsey |
| Entry | Passport plus a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation for EU nationals |
Your questions answered
How do you get to Alderney from France?
Two seasonal routes exist. By air, Finist'air links Brest to Alderney via Jersey on Fridays and Sundays, from late May to late September 2026. By sea, Manche Iles Express serves the island from Dielette during its season, from 9 April to 27 September 2026, and Alderney Ferry Services runs a line from Cherbourg on Mondays and Fridays from 27 April to late September. Out of season you have to go via Guernsey by air.
Does Alderney have an airport?
Yes, Alderney Airport carries the code ACI and opened in 1935: it is the oldest in the Channel Islands. Aurigny Air Services runs daily flights to Guernsey and Southampton. One caveat: the runway is due to be rehabilitated from April to December 2027, and an extended closure of the airport during the works is possible.
Can you drive on Alderney?
Yes, unlike on Sark and Herm. The speed limit is 35 miles per hour across the island and hire starts at around 45 pounds a day. Standard and electric bikes are also available, and taxis wait outside the airport.
Is the Alderney Railway still running?
Yes. Opened in 1847 to carry stone for the breakwater, it is the only working railway in the Channel Islands. It links Braye Road to Mannez Quarry over three kilometres, in former London Underground carriages, at 12 pounds for an adult return. It runs in season only and the operating days vary: confirm with the operator before you travel.
What remains of the German occupation?
Hundreds of bunkers, anti-tank walls and the remains of four labour camps. One of them, Lager Sylt, became in March 1943 the only SS concentration camp set up on British soil; the site has been a designated conservation area since June 2021. An official review published in May 2024 established that between 641 and 1,027 people died on the island, out of 7,608 to 7,812 held there.
When can you see the gannets?
From February to September, with a few birds lingering to mid-October. The colonies on Les Etacs and Ortac held 8,539 occupied nests at the 2021 census, more than 1 per cent of the world population. Puffins, for their part, are seen on Burhou in spring and early summer.