Transport on the Isle of Man
The Isle of Man has a large network of over 600 miles of road, including a series of A-roads that stretch between the major towns on the Island.
Road Network
The Isle of Man has a large network of over 600 miles of road, including a series of A-roads that stretch between the major towns on the Island.
You can reach any point on the Isle of Man within a 90 minute drive.
Your daily commute by car in the Isle of Man will be a lot less than the UK's average commuting time! 2015 research showed that the number of UK residents whose daily commute was greater than 2 hours had increased by 72% in the last decade!
Parking
Many areas around the Island are zoned for time restricted free car parking, but require a parking disc to show the time of arrival. You can pick up a disc from a number of tourist information points, including the Isle of Man Welcome Centre which is situated at the Sea Terminal.
Buses
The Island has an extensive bus network that connects a number of attractions, towns and villages. Most bus routes between the main towns operate on at least a half-hourly basis.
There tends not to be much traffic on the Island (outside of commuting hours) so the timetables are mostly reliable.
The Isle of Man Airport is served by buses between Douglas and Port Erin or Peel and Castletown. Buses are every 20 minutes to Port Erin or Douglas during the day, every 30 minutes off peak, seven days a week.
A late night bus service also operates on Friday and Saturday evenings which serves all major towns.
You can find route maps, timetables, prices and more information via Bus Vannin.
Railways
The Isle of Man has three heritage railways – the Manx Electric Railway (Douglas – Ramsey), Steam Railway (Douglas – Port Erin) and Snaefell Mountain Railway (Laxey – Snaefell).
The railways are seasonal and do not normally operate during commuting hours so are often used as a fun way to travel as opposed to a daily commute.
You can find route maps, timetables, prices and more information here.
