Prior to the construction of the Panama Canal, Stanley was a major repair stop for boats travelling through the Straits of Magellan. The rough waters and intense storms found at the tip of the continent forced many ships to Stanley Harbour, and the ship repair industry helped to drive the island economy. Later, support for the Antarctic sealing and whaling boats became a major industry. Today, the vast majority of the town's residents are employed by the government, with tourism also being a major source of employment; on days when two or more large cruise ships discharge their passengers by tender, the tourists may outnumber the local residents.

In 2022 Stanley received official city status, as part of the celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth.

See also: Falkland Islands#Get in

Arrivals to Stanley either come by boat or from the airport. Most large cruise ships will discharge their passengers by tenders (the lifeboats) near the centre of town and allow passengers time to roam the city and possibly take trips by vehicle to nearby wildlife sites.

When arriving by air, passengers will come in from -51.8235-58.46691 Mount Pleasant airport (MPN ^IATA), which is 56 km from town. As of 2016 LATAM flies there from Santiago, Punta Arenas and Rio Gallegos and the Royal Air Force also takes passengers on their flights from Brize Norton, Oxfordshire via Ascension. Taxis and a shuttle bus can drop passengers off anywhere within the town.

• -51.685672-57.7776442 Port Stanley Airport (PSY  ^IATA). Smaller than Mount Pleasant airport but just outside of town is used for domestic flights by Falkland Islands Government Air Service, although it is possible to land on an international flight at Mount Pleasant airport and then take a domestic flight to Stanley.  
• Penguin Travel Airport Transfers, ☏ +500 27630. Airport transfers between Stanley and Mount Pleasant to connect with RAF and LAN flights, which must be booked 24 hours in advance. Also operate island tours. £14 one way. (updated Jun 2016)

• -51.69227-57.856311 The Jetty Visitor Centre. Oct-Mar: M-F 9:30AM-5PM, Sa 9AM-5PM, Su 10AM-4PM; on some cruise ship days these hours are extended; Apr-Sep: M-Sa 10AM-3PM, Su 11AM-3PM. Information centre and shop. (updated Jun 2016)
• -51.69088-57.865162 The Falkland Islands Museum, ☏ +500 27428. Extensive information about the 1982 conflict, as well as history of the Falklands and some exhibits on Falkland Islands flora & fauna.  
• -51.6923-57.85863 Christ Church Cathedral. daily 8AM-5PM, Sunday services 10AM and sometimes 8AM & 7PM. This cathedral is the southernmost cathedral in the world. The cathedral was built in 1890-92, on the site of an earlier church destroyed in an 1886 landslide.The much-photographed arch in front of the cathedral is made from the jawbones of two blue whales, and was made in 1933 to celebrate 100 years of British rule on the islands. (updated Jun 2016)
• -51.69173-57.863774 St Mary's Church, 12 Ross rd. The wooden cathedral from 1899 is the only Catholic church on the Falkland Islands. On the western wall there are oil murals by the local artist James Peck. (updated Jan 2023)

• -51.69185-57.872615 Government house. The mid-19th-century residence of the governor is listed on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, and was also where Ernest Shackleton stayed during his Trans-Antarctic Expedition. This is the private home of the governor. (updated May 2016)
• -51.6915-57.86746 1982 memorial. Falklands War memorial, erected to the memory of the British troops. There are several other Falkland War memorials around the town. (updated May 2016)
• -51.69456-57.846867 1982 Memorial Wood, Watson Way. A wood planted by the local scouts. Each tree represents a British serviceman killed in the 1982 conflict. (updated Jun 2016)
• -51.6936-57.84728 Stanley Cemetery. The final resting place for islanders who died in both World Wars and British Falklands War casualties. Also features a war memorial. (updated May 2016)
• -51.6756-57.80789 Gypsy Cove. A fifteen-minute drive from town that can be easily arranged by taxi, Gypsy Cove is often the first place that visitors to the Falklands will encounter penguins. 
• -51.69046-57.875510 1914 Battle Memorial. A memorial erected in 1927 commemorating a World War I naval battle in which a British squadron sank 4 German cruisers resulting in 1,817 German and 10 British fatalities. A ceremony is held here every 8 December. (updated Jun 2016)

• -51.6932-57.87081 Stanley Leisure Centre. M–W 7AM-9PM; Th 9AM-2PM, 4-9PM; F 7AM-8PM; Sa Su 8AM-4PM. The town's community centre has a sports centre including the only public swimming pool on the islands, a library and a grass football pitch with regular games. (updated Jun 2016)
• Stanley Marathon, Starts at Standard Chartered Bank, Stanley. March. Run 26 miles, 385 yards (42 km), in this annual event, the most southerly road marathon in the world. Advance entry required. (updated May 2020)

The majority of shops in central Stanley cater to the huge number of cruise ship passengers that pass through the town in the summer. There are a lot of souvenir shops.

• -51.6922-57.85941 FIC West Store, Dean St. M-F 8:30AM-8PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 9AM-5PM. Open seven days a week and offering food (including Waitrose products from the UK), toiletries, phone cards, and other essentials. (updated Jun 2016)
• -51.6917-57.85972 Capstan Gift Shop, Ross Rd. Located across from the West Store, offers all manner of Falkland Islands gifts. 
• -51.6914-57.86443 Philatelic Bureau, Ross Rd (Town Hall). Falkland Islands stamps and first-day covers are known throughout the world and can be purchased directly from the Philatelic Bureau. Also, the Town Hall with the Post Office and telephone boxes outside is a sight in itself. 
• -51.69143-57.863424 Standard Chartered Bank, Ross Road, FIQQ 1ZZ. M Tu Th F 8:30AM-5PM, W 9AM-3PM. (updated Jun 2016)
• -51.69763-57.843895 Seafood Chandlery, Chandlery Estate, Airport Road. Supermarket on the edge of town. (updated Jun 2016)

• -51.6917-57.86631 Malvina House Hotel, 3 Ross Rd (across the street from Government Jetty), ☏ +500 21355. Dinner reservations may be required, especially during weekends. (updated Apr 2016)
• -51.6957-57.84742 Shorty's Diner, Davis St East, ☏ +500 22855. M-F 10AM-8:30PM; Sa Su 10AM-8PM. Chargrilled burgers, steaks, curries, local fish and chips, local organic produce, homemade desserts. Also has an adjoining motel. (updated Jun 2016)
• Waterfront Kitchen Café, 36 Ross Road , Stanley, Falkland Islands, Falkland Islands (Waverley House), ☏ +500 21464. Spring and summer: daily 8AM-10PM; autumn and winter: Tu-Su 8AM-10PM. Upmarket café bar, offering breakfast, lunches and dinner, as well as cocktails and tapas Most meals at lunch time around £12. Most meals at dinner time around £18. (updated Jan 2023)
• -51.69385-57.856913 Woodbine Cafe, 29 Fitzroy Rd, ☏ +500 21002. Fish & chip shop, also offering pizzas, burgers, chicken, empanadas, and a selection of beers. 

• -51.6931-57.859651 Deano's Bar, 40 John Street, ☏ +500 53296. Reportedly a Stanley institution since the 1990s, with a wide range of bottled beers. On Friday and Saturday nights it becomes a night club. (updated Feb 2024)
• -51.69285-57.856542 Globe Tavern, Crozier Pl, ☏ +500 22703. Located one block up the hill from the public jetty, offering beers as well as pub food such as fish and chips. Ask to meet all the lovely ladies that often pop in, and also go for the Karaoke on a Sunday night which is always good fun. (updated Feb 2024)
• -51.69368-57.857163 Victory Bar, 1A Philomel Hill, ☏ +500 21199. Beer and hot food. Occasional live music. (updated Feb 2024)
• -51.69429-57.83534 The Narrows Bar, 39 Ross Road, ☏ +500 22309, thenarrowsbar@horizon.co.fk. Pub and restaurant. (updated Feb 2024)

Compared with nearby South America lodging in Stanley can be quite expensive. If you are on a strict budget inquire about pitching a tent; if allowed by the land owner the costs are often considerably less than paying for a room.

• -51.69315-57.863941 Kay McCallum's B&B, 14 Drury St, ☏ +500 21071, kay@horizon.co.fk. Clean and cozy, and Kay is very helpful with travel information and arrangements. 1 twin and 1 double room. Her gnome garden is a locally-famous attraction that includes one intrepid garden gnome who disappeared in 2004, but whose travels around the world were chronicled in photos sent anonymously to the local newspaper. (updated Jun 2016)
• -51.6918-57.86592 Malvina House Hotel, 3 Ross Rd (across the street from Government Jetty), ☏ +500 21355, info@malvinahousehotel.com. Top-end accommodation including sauna room. Accepts credit cards. Rates vary by season and room type with prices from £84-220. 
• -51.69858-57.841733 Lookout Lodge, Keil Canal Road, ☏ +500 22834. Accommodation mainly for groups. Also has the Chandlery restaurant. (updated Jun 2016)
• -51.6923-57.85744 Waterfront Hotel, 36 Ross rd, ☏ +500 21462, thewaterfronthotel@horizon.co.fk. Upscale hotel with 8 rooms. Rooms are equipped with TV and WiFi. £160-290 including breakfast. (updated Jan 2023)

Due to lingering tensions from the 1982 war with Argentina, Spanish-speakers should avoid using Spanish names for places (for example "Puerto Argentino" or "Islas Malvinas"), as doing so will undoubtedly be offensive to the locals.

• -51.6334-57.76331 Kidney Cove. Home to a small colony of Gentoo and King penguins, as well as several Magellanic penguins.
• -51.471111-57.8452 Volunteer Point. A white sand beach that is home to King, Gentoo and Magellanic penguins.
• Pretty much anywhere else in the Falkland Islands; Stanley Airport just outside the town is the hub for Falkland Islands Government Air Service, flying to numerous places all over the archipelago:
  • Goose Green, midway down East Falkland accessible by road or air, the site of a battle in the 1982 conflict.
  • Carcass Island, a small island to the west of West Falkland
  • New Island, a small island to the west of West Falkland
  • Pebble Island, an island to the north of West Falkland
  • Port Howard, on West Falkland, accessible by air or by road then a ferry
  • Saunders Island, an island to the west of West Falkland
  • Sea Lion Island, the most southerly inhabited island in the Falkland Islands
  • West Point Island, a small island to the west of West Falkland
• Go further south to South Georgia and then Antarctica, possibly on a cruise ship