"I have to go back, there's still so much to see!" Top 5 Page for this destination Isle of Man by christine.j

Isle of Man Travel Guide: 264 reviews and 498 photos

Off the beaten path, at least for Germans

It seemed to me that hardly anybody in Germany had heard of the Isle of Man. When I mentioned I'm planning a trip there, people said :"Oh, it's one of the channel islands." Or they confused it with the Isle of Wight. One exception, though: Motorcycle enthusiasts. They knew all about it, much more than I did. Before I started reading about the Isle of Man, I had never heard of the TT.

I have to go back, there's still so much to see! - Isle of Man

From Germany it's easier and faster to get to Ireland than to the Isle of Man, which is actually closer to Germany. I decided to take the ferry, since I was going to be in the Lake District before, but when my husband joined me he had a seven hour layover in Manchester. To get back to Germany in one day, we had to travel to Dublin first and then take a plane to Germany.

But once you're there, you're welcomed in both English and Manx.

I had got good advice on the forum here on VT and I had been forewarned that it would be wet. Well, let me tell you,it was!

It was raining a lot and despite a raincoat and an umbrella I was soaked a few times. Luckily it also stopped in between and the breeze helped to get dry again. I also had a very nice day, with just some light rain, fortunately for me this was when I was running the half-marathon, so I felt really lucky.

I loved the island and I plan to go back and see much more of it.

Pros and Cons

Pros:A wonderful atmosphere, not too hot, very diverse
Cons:Hard to get to, but maybe that's a pro
In a nutshell:Not only for motorcyclists

Last visit to Isle of Man: Aug 2008
Intro Updated Aug 22, 2008
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Reviews (34)

Ramsey Things to Do (13)

Ramsey in the north of the island is the second largest town. It was, however, very quiet when we strolled through the... more travel advice

Port Erin Things to Do (13)

Port Erin is a very nice, small town in a beautiful bay. When looking into hotels for my stay on the island I had... more travel advice

Castletown:Birdwatching at Scarlett Point - Isle of Man

Castletown:Birdwatching at Scarlett... Things to Do (13)

From the Market Square there are signs leading to Scarlett Point. This is one of the birdwatchers' points on the Isle of... more travel advice

Castletown: The Police Station - Isle of Man

Castletown: The Police Station Things to Do (13)

Since I'm interested in Art Noveau one of the things I wanted to see was the police station in Castletown, as I had read... more travel advice

Warnings Or Dangers (1)
Beware of the Ducks
Shopping (3)
See All Used Books in the Market
Restaurants (3)
See All Open on Sunday
Local Customs (3)
See All Fairies

Sports & Outdoors (1)
The Isle of Man Half/Full Marathon
Favorites (2)
See All Internet Café
Hotels (1)
A Room with a View
Transportation (7)
See All The best ticket

Comments (20)

fabrice Sep 9, 2010 at 2:36 AM Report Abuse

such a tiny island and so beautiful
balhannah Mar 9, 2010 at 2:43 AM Report Abuse

Lovely interesting page! Would like to go for a ride in the Steam train and on the Horse Tram, and see the gorgeous white washed homes, very nice!
ranger49 Feb 22, 2010 at 1:01 AM Report Abuse

Oh my! What a treat for me to take a little wander around the little Isle that meant so much to me long,long ago. Last visit was 1949. I'll be back to finish the tour.
BruceDunning Nov 21, 2009 at 11:23 AM Report Abuse

This is a real treat to see the sites and you presented very well, and Castletown is fabulous. You may like to see my trip to Utah and Arizona parks for a different scene of deserts and mountains in US. Bryce and Natural Bridges are the better sites.
hopang Sep 16, 2009 at 6:34 AM Report Abuse

Excellent Isle of Man travel page complete with excellent travel tips. The Town Centre, Castle Rushen and Port Erin are our favourites. Jubilee Clock and Salisbury Building certainly look amazing. Thanks for sharing. ~ho & pang
scottishvisitor May 7, 2009 at 1:33 PM Report Abuse

My memories of Isle of Man are faint I was here in the 70's but still remember the palm trees & the cats with no tails
Pawtuxet Apr 23, 2009 at 6:22 AM Report Abuse

Great opening photo. Interesting animal details. The island looks idealic. someone recently wrote to me from this place so I had to learn more about it. thanks!
junecorlett Mar 13, 2009 at 9:00 AM Report Abuse

Hello Christine, thank you for your Isle of Man tips.
Kakapo2 Mar 8, 2009 at 12:48 PM Report Abuse

I knew it, I knew it - from motorsport, crosswords :-) Have even see a Manx cat here. Yes, those animals are strange. We also have dangerous ducks, always crossing the streets with the ducklings in the worst moment. Great light on your intro photo. Sissi
westsydney Feb 23, 2009 at 1:07 AM Report Abuse

I live in Australia & my family visited Isle of Man in 2006. Like Germans, hardly any Australians have visited the IOM. We stayed in Port Erin and it was great. We were lucky with the weather. My experiences of IOM are on the Trip Advisor site.