Getting Around Isle of Man

The Victorian Steam Railway is a must for any visitor running from Douglas to Port Erin through glens and countryside and villages on its way...
Also the Manx electric railway runs from Douglas to Ramsey with the option to board the Snaefell mountain railway at Laxey to travel to the summit of Snaefell. ( 2034 feet) .

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Running from Douglas to Port Erin using vintage steam locos and rolling stock. Not just a tourist line, many local families on board with us.
Journey time from end to end is just about an hour, scenery on route well worth the price.
Don't miss a ride!

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Ronaldsway airport is on the south of the island. It's very easy to reach by bus. See link on the website for timetables.
Plenty of flights daily to mainland UK and Ireland, not sure the runway is long enough to accomodate larger planes.
Check in and security just as tight as anywhere else.

It's possible to get to the Isle of Man either by boat or plane. Ferries arrive in Douglas daily from the north west of England (Heysham and Liverpool), Belfast in Northern Ireland and Dublin in the Republic of Ireland and take between 2 1/2 and 4 hours.

By far the easiest way to reach the island though is by plane. You can go from many regional UK airports as well London Luton, London City and Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. I flew from London City Airport with Euromanx which actually went bust a few months later but the trip to and from City Airport was by far the easiest journey I've had in a long while. VLM still fly from City while Flybe go from Luton. Beware the landings can be a bit hair-raising on these tiny 30 seater, twin engined aircraft in windy weather.

By far the best way for a tourist to use all the public transportation is the Island Explorer Ticket.
There is a one day, three day and seven day ticket, for £ 13,26 or 40. It is valid on the buses, trains and the horse trams along the promenade in Douglas.
I bought my ticket on the ferry on the way over, you can also get it in the tourist information in the sea terminal.
You validate it yourself, but rubbing off the day, month and year you first use it, like you do with the scratch tickets for a lottery.

A very special means of transport is the horse tram. A horse pulls a wagon, but this wagon, like a tram, needs rails. It's been operating since Victorian times, with a break during WWII. You can take it along the promenade in Douglas.
Douglas is the only place in Europe where you can still find horse trams.

I didn't take it myself, as I like walking. I'm also not too sure if this isn't really hard work for the horse. But from what I saw it was a great favourite of children.

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My favourite way of getting around was the steam railway, connecting Douglas and Port Erin, passing through Castletown and Port St. Mary on the way. The train also stops at request stops, but you have to tell the guard where you want to get off before boarding.

I must admit, when I first heard about the steam railway, I thought it's for tourists only. But it isn't, I used it several times and each time shared the compartment with people from the Isle of Man, travelling to see relatives or to do some shopping.

The train station in Douglas is a very impressive building, it seems almost too big for such a small train.

There is also an electric railway, from Douglas to the north of the island, but I didn't use it this time, as it's being repaired and people have to change into buses halfway through.

A very good bus system is operating on the Isle of Man, but for some out-of-the-way places a car would be useful.
I found out that I could have got to most places I wanted to see, but only to one in a day, because I'd have problems getting back. This is the reason why I didn't see half of I had hoped to see, a very good reason to come back.
The bus drivers will let you off in between stops, if you tell them before.