Isle of Man Travel Forum

I'm going on an Ireland tour in June '07. Want to come to IOM for several days & want to maximize time. I want to go on the trains, buses to see the island--don't want to walk a lot, climb mts. Would like a seaview hotel/bb for one person. I do genealogy as a hobby and want to soak up the Manx culture, scenery.
Suggestions on lodging? Probably arr/ret Dublin--maybe air one way, boat the other?
Any and all info would be appreciated. I'm NOT coming during TT.
Thanks

Douglas is the public transport hub, and has many hotels and B&B on the seafront.
Onchan is an area of Douglas to the north of the main bustle of the town.

We stayed in Port Erin at the Ocean Castle Hotel. Plenty of Manx culture, scenery and sea views, we had a lovely time. It is located 10 mins drive from the airport. The railway and buses serve Port Erin, but it does take a long time by public transport to see the whole island from this far southerly location.

Judging by the date of your posting you haven't gone yet!
I'm doing much the same thing, but my tour's based around motorcycle racing. (It isn't just the TT!)
A decent single room will cost £25 - £3o for B & B.
Must do - the Museum. (Directions on my homepage - click on my name.)
The camera obscura's pretty neat, too.
Last time I was there (August) I met somebody on the train who'd worked out the following public transport route to show his daughter around the Island.
(You'll need a travel pass and timetable: ask at the Tourist Office in the Ferry Terminal.)
Steam Train Douglas-Port Erin.
Bus Port Erin-Peel.
Bus Peel-Ramsey
Electric train Ramsey-Douglas
(you could break journey at Laxey.)
It allowed 40 minutes-an hour at least at each stop.
Feel free to email me - I'm a regular visitor!

Hi,

The Department of Transport does a free bus timtable which has details of train/bus/tram times etc in. However these may change before next year.

Depending on how long you are staying if its 3 days I would split the Island into sectors. Stay in Douglas as that is probably the best bet you will need to ring around for deals on places to stay but there are lots on offer.

Go down to the South of the Island for one day and take in Castletown which has a castle you can visit, then stay down in the same area and visit Cregneash which if in season will be run like an old farming village which traditional bakers, stonemasons etc etc and displays going on. It is really pretty, whilst there I would head to the sound and have lunch or a snack as they have just done up the cafe there. If you wanted to you could also visit Port Erin while you were there.

The next day I would use to visit the West of the Ireland and go to Peel, again there is another castle, beach and a Museum called House of Mannannin. I haven't been to this yet though but apparantly it is very good. On your way back fromPeel I would stop at St Johns and see Tynwald Hill where the Manx Parliament reads in the new laws (we are seperate to Uk law and have our own parliamentry system which is one of the oldest in the world)I would also take the opportunity to have a look round the arbouretum and I would go to Tynwald Mills a nice small shopping complex which really is a great place to browse around and just relax there is also a gallery down there too.

Then I would do the North of the Isalnd you might want to take the Electric Tram up to Ramsey, you could stop at Laxey either on the way up or the way back, Laxey has a mine and a massive Water Wheel and superb gardens. The Electric Tram takes you round the coast so it is great for scenery and that.

Onchan and Douglas you could do whenever, Go to the Manx Museum in Douglas it is excellant and gives you full details on Manx Heritage etc and other places to visit. I would go there on your first day. If you want more info I can get some leaflets from Tourist Information e-mail me your address and I'll get some sorted for you, along with some maps etc.

I must read these more carefully! Didn't notice the year.
I've only recently returned from the Island, so while it's fresh in my mind...
Manx Museum first day. Make sure you take in the introductory film show. (20 minutes)
The Reference Library attached to the museum has info leaflets about genealogy on the IOM. They're very big on it.
I totally agree with FeeFox about what to do, with the one exception that I'd put Peel earlier in your itinerary.
And allow a lot of time. House of Mannanan is about an hour and a half (it's part museum,part interactive displays) and the castle's another hour.
You can also get leaflets of city walks in Peel, Douglas, Castletown and Ramsey, which draw your attention to points of interest. Even after visiting regularly for 20 years, I still discover things this way.
You can get a pass to 4 Historic Attractions, which includes the House of Mannanan, but I can't recall what the other 3 are.
One final point. I am obliged to send kippers to various friends every time I visit. There are two suppliers on the Island: Moore's (at the Kipper Factory and also in Ramsey) and Devereux (Down the Road from the Kipper Factory, and main shop in Douglas.) I don't eat kippers, so this isn't a personal recommendation, but they insist on Moore's.