How to book the Isle of Man TT – Our expert guide
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Booking a trip to the Isle of Man TT can seem overwhelming, confusing and time-consuming for first-time visitors, especially when matching your travel with available accommodation.
This is where the helpful team at Duke Travel are on hand to help. As an official Isle of Man TT travel partner, we have helped thousands of TT fans worldwide attend the event, offering a wide range of packages and tours.
This easy-to-follow guide will help you understand what you need to consider when planning your trip to the TT; from booking your ferry to finding activities for non-race days, we have it covered.
Top Tip
If you are looking to book everything yourself, do not waste time looking for hotels on big travel websites like Expedia, as many hoteliers do not list their properties on these sites. They only sell direct or through companies like ourselves.
Isle of Man TT: When to visit?
The TT Races take place over a two-week period with the mid-point Sunday, generally known as ‘Mad Sunday’, always the 1st Sunday in June. The first week of the event is TT Practice Week, with qualifying sessions taking place Sunday-Friday preceded by the Saturday afternoon opening ceremony.
Practices generally occur in the evening, but sessions are in the afternoon on the first Sunday and Friday.
The first race day takes place on the Saturday before Mad Sunday with racing than on alternate days (Saturday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Practice or racing requires the closure of over 37 miles (60 km) of public roads so, if your accommodation is inside the course, access may not be possible until roads open and careful route planning is strongly advised. Alternatively, you could book one of our spectator packages that take you by coach from Douglas to selected grandstands and vantage points with on-site facilities.
The final race day is also known as Senior Race Day. It’s a Public Holiday on the Isle of Man, so popular vantage points are likely to be busier than other days.
Practice week is a lot less busy on the Island, so better deals are to be had, especially when booking your accommodation. The boats tend not to be as busy too if you are looking to bring your motorcycle to the event.
Top Tip
The TT Races’ dates change each year, so please be aware when booking your travel and accommodation, as this often catches people out.
Travel: How to get to the Isle of Man
Travel to the Isle of Man by Sea
There is one ferry operator to the Island called the Isle of Man Steam Packet, which offers sailings from English ports Liverpool and Heysham, located in Northwest England, or from Belfast and Dublin in Ireland.
Sailings on board the fast craft Manannan or the slower conventional ferry Ben My Chree take 2 to 4 hours. It is the gentle way to get to the island and the only option when you want to bring a vehicle. All sailings to the island dock in Douglas at the Isle of Man Sea Terminal, from which the island is easily accessible.
Sailings during the TT and Manx Grand Prix periods are increased to meet demand but will sell out within months of going on sale, especially for vehicles.
- To and From Liverpool and Heysham – Daily
- To and from Dublin – Once per week
- To and from Belfast – Two to three sailings per week
Travel to the Isle of Man by Air
If you plan to reach the island by air, you have many options available. Most major UK and Irish airports are covered, including London Heathrow.
Flight times take from just 20 minutes from Belfast or up to 1 hour from London. It’s nice to be able to jump on a short flight and a swift transfer to take you to your Isle of Man destination.
The island’s airport is located in the south of the island near Castletown, around 20 minutes from Douglas by taxi or just a few minutes more on public transport.
- Easyjet.com – Belfast International, Bristol, Liverpool, London Gatwick, Manchester
- Logainair – Birmingham, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London City, Manchester
- Aer Lingus – Dublin
Travel around the Isle of Man without my own transport
One of the major questions you need to ask yourself is if you are planning a trip to the island do you need a vehicle? This will have a bearing on whether you choose to fly or sail.
Public transport is good on the Isle of Man, and the TT course can be accessed by using public transport. Bus services go around the course apart from the mountain section from Douglas to Ramsey – but you can use the Electric railway from Laxey to access the mountain – when the TT course is not closed for practice sessions or racing.
Top Tip
Our opinion is to increase your options of getting here and travelling by sea as a foot passenger or flying using the island’s excellent public transport system while you are here.
Accommodation: Where to stay
There are plenty of options to suit a wide range of budgets, from four-star resort hotels, to self-catering cottages, camping, glamping and Duke’s pop-up hotel right next to the TT Paddocks. To help you make your mind up, we have put together a handy guide to the different options available.
Camping with your own tent: The cheapest option available and with a vast number of TT campsites around you will be spoilt for choice. Campsites offer all the facilities you would expect, including toilets, showers and on-site catering facilities.
Glamping: Or luxury camping for those not in the know! A 5-metre bell tent offering proper beds, linen and bedding, sleeping up to 4 people. Forget the hassle of bringing your own tent and stay in one of ours.
IOMTT Village: Pop-up hotel-style accommodation located at the TT Grandstand. A village made up of individual twin-bedded en-suite cabins with continental breakfast included each morning. Our 2019 customers loved the IOMTT Village!
Hotels: We have managed to secure some hotel allocation for TT visitors, so you are in luck if luxury is your thing.
TT Homestay: Stay with a local family or go self-catering for the duration of your visit with the TT Homestay scheme operated by Miquando.
Top Tip
Book your travel over to the Island first. This is the hardest part to sort as plenty of accommodation is up for grabs.
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