The Isle of Wight is a small island on the south coast of the UK. With beautiful beaches, stunning coastal scenery and fun activities, the Isle of Wight is a great holiday destination for all ages. Here’s my best itinerary for 5 days on the Isle of Wight.
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The best places to stay and how to get around the Isle of Wight
To fully enjoy the best itinerary for 5 days on the Isle of Wight, I’d recommend taking your own car. There are several car ferries from mainland England, so it’s easy to drive to the Isle of Wight. And when you’re on the island, having a car will give you the freedom to explore. There are good bus services between the main towns, but fewer buses to the more remote areas. These scenic locations are some of my favourite places, so I loved having a car to explore them.
There’s a huge range of places to stay on the Isle of Wight as well. I stayed in a static caravan, and really enjoyed it. Static caravans are good value for money, but a lot easier than camping, especially if it rains! Have a look at the Isle of Wight website here for the top recommendations for places to stay. I’d recommend staying near Shanklin and Sandown, which were two of my favourite seaside towns, with plenty of other activities nearby as well. If you’d rather stay in a cottage, look at the Sykes Cottages website for ideas by clicking the picture below (affiliate).
If you’re looking for a helpful map and guide for your trip to the Isle of Wight, I’d recommend this one (affiliate). It’s a really useful guide to take with you, and will help you enjoy all the below activities to the full.
Day 1 – Ferry to the island, Osborne House and Ryde
Ferry
Start off the best itinerary for 5 days in the Isle of Wight with a ferry trip from mainland England to the Isle of Wight. If you’ve got a car, you’ll need to take a car ferry. There are ferries from Southampton, Portsmouth and Lymington. I took the Southampton to Cowes ferry, which takes about an hour. It was an enjoyable ferry trip, with lovely views along the way. There’s a cafe and toilets on board, as well as plenty of seating outside and inside.
Osborne House
After arriving in East Cowes, I then drove the short distance to Osborne House. Osborne House is just next to East Cowes, so it’s a great location for your first activity on the Isle of Wight after you’ve just arrived on the ferry into East Cowes.
Osborne House was famously visited by Queen Victoria in the 1800s. You can walk around the stately home and learn about the history. There are beautiful gardens as well. It’s a great place to spend some time after you get off the ferry before heading to your next stop. Check out the opening times and prices here.
Ryde
Next, I headed to the town of Ryde. Its only about 20 minutes drive from Cowes. Park in the Quay car park, then take a walk. One thing you can do in Ryde is to watch the hovercraft. The hovercraft crosses the sea from Portsmouth, and it’s really impressive to see it fly across the water.
After watching the hovercraft, head over to the small harbour. There are some boats here, and I always enjoy seeing boats. I loved the views here.
Next, head to the beach in Ryde. It’s a beautiful beach, with wide expanses of golden sand. The views across the water to Portsmouth are beautiful as well, where you can see Portsmouth’s famous Spinnaker Tower as well.
Relax on the beach at Ryde with an ice cream – there’s a great ice cream shop just behind the beach. And there are traditional seaside arcade games here as well. Ryde is a lovely seaside town, and a great place to spend the rest of your first day on the Isle of Wight before heading to your accommodation.
I have always wanted to visit the Isle of Wright. I definitely am saving this post.