A guide to the Channel Islands, from which islands to visit and where to stay

The Channel Islands are a curious blend. Closer to mainland Europe than Britain, they have a soupçon of Gallic flair: historic ties to France run deep and many place names have roots in Norman French. But in other ways, these British Crown Dependencies feel more English than England. Or like an England of the 1950s, where doors can be left unlocked, traffic is minimal (or outright banned), children can run wild, and the pound note is still legal tender. Holidaying here feels like a…