Holidays in Isle of Wight

When to go for the best weather

July and August are the warmest months on the Isle of Wight. During these months, the temperature will hover around 18C. That said, the Isle of Wight enjoys some of the best weather in the UK, which is precisely why it’s such a great year-round holiday destination.

When is the cheapest time to visit the Isle of Wight?

Autumn and winter are the cheapest times to visit the Isle of Wight, but there are still bargains to be found during summer, especially if you can travel outside of the school holidays. Keep in mind that the cost of living is slightly lower on the Isle of Wight than it is on the mainland, so eating out and getting around is affordable all year round.

When to go for the best of both

To get the best value for money as well as decent weather, visit the Isle of Wight in late spring or early autumn. It’s often warmer and drier than the mainland is during these times, and you’ll still benefit from lower hotel rates and fewer crowds.

For families

Families often make a beeline for Shanklin – a pretty seaside town with fantastic beaches and restaurants, and a great base for explorations further afield. Incredibly family-friendly, Shanklin has several mini-golf courses, seafront amusements, endless fish and chip shops, and easy access to gorgeous beaches for those all-important sandcastle-building sessions.

Sandown is also a top spot for families as kid-friendly attractions, Dinosaur Isle and Sandham Gardens are here. But, Sandown’s best bit is undoubtedly its seemingly endless golden sand, which stretches from the Esplanade to Yaverland Beach, a popular swimming spot known for its calm, shallow waters.

For couples

Built-up areas like Cowes and Ryde offer a good mix of accommodation, restaurants and things to do, but couples looking for a quiet escape on the Isle of Wight tend to head to the less-developed west and south coasts. The Isle of Wight’s western tip (known as West White) is where you’ll find villages and towns such as Yarmouth, Brighstone, Freshwater and Totland. It’s popular with walkers, who come to hike along the largely-untouched coastline and follow twisting footpaths to cosy country pubs.

Meanwhile, the south coast, popular during Victorian times, is having somewhat of a renaissance. You’ll find luxury accommodation such as the Royal Hotel, in Ventnor, here. To get around easily from here, you’ll benefit from having a car.

For a weekend break

There’s no bad place to stay for a weekend break on the Isle of Wight with a car – the island’s small size means you’ll be able to base yourself wherever you fancy and still visit the top attractions easily.

That said, if you plan on walking, cycling or relying on public transport, towns such as Ryde or Shanklin are probably your best bets. Both have easy access to the ferry ports and are on the island’s east coast railway. You’ll also be close to some of the Isle of Wight’s top attractions, and will have a wide range of hotels, guesthouses and self-catering properties to choose from.

For travellers on a budget

Cheap holidays on the Isle of Wight are easy to come by. Holiday parks are strewn about the island – you’ll find a number of options on the eastern side of the island in Shanklin, Bembridge, St Helens and Wooton – as well as a handful of campsites.

For hotels and self-catering properties, Shanklin and the northeast coast between Ryde and Bembridge offer the most range so you’re likely to find something within budget here.

For glamping

Yarmouth has a good range of glamping sites, such as Camp Wight and Glamping The Wight Way. At Tom’s Eco Lodge, also in Yarmouth, you can bed down in safari tents (complete with log burning range cookers and heated showers), wooden cabins, eco-lodges or modulogs – semi-circular wooden huts with two double bedrooms, a shower room, an open-plan kitchen-diner and a lounge with a sofa bed.

For holiday cottages

You’ll have plenty of choice when it comes to holiday cottages on the Isle of Wight – there are self-catering properties scattered all across the island and suit most budgets. Choose places on the Island Line railway, such as Shanklin or Ryde, for easy access to other parts of the east coast.

With a car, you can pretty much stay wherever you like –you’ll generally be no more than an hour’s drive from anywhere else on the island. 

Is the Isle of Wight expensive to visit?

The Isle of Wight is an affordable place to visit – generally, the cost of living lower is than other parts of the UK, although hotel prices naturally increase during peak times. Three-star hotels typically start at around £60 a night, and the island’s wide range of campsites offer fantastic accommodation to suit every budget, from safari tents to log cabins.

How do you get to the Isle of Wight?

Red Funnel and Wightlink ferries operate up to 200 sailings a day. These crossings connect Portsmouth, Southampton and Lymington with several Isle of Wight locations, including Ryde, Cowes, East Cowes, Fishbourne and Yarmouth. For something different, you can take a hovercraft from Portsmouth.

Do you need a car in the Isle of Wight?

There’s a train service which connects Ryde Pierhead with Brading, Sandown, Lake and Shanklin, but having your own transport is essential when it comes to reaching the island’s best bits. That doesn’t mean you need to bring your own car though – there are plenty of car hire outlets, many of which are next to ferry ports.

How many days should you spend on the Isle of Wight?

Two nights on the Isle of Wight is a good starting point, although you can easily spend much longer here. A week will be more than enough time if you want to really get to know the island.