If you’re planning to join the convoy of TT fans crossing the Irish Sea, securing a spot for this legendary event can be a bit of a mission; however, as experts in the field, our travel team have all the experience and determination to secure your spot, taking into account your individual requirements. 

Before you rush into booking a ferry package, however, we’ve put together some information for first-time TT visitors to make sure you are as informed as possible about what to expect. Read on for everything you need to know about the atmosphere, the logistics, and the essential details of travelling to the TT by ferry.

Ticket Types

Foot Passengers – This refers to people travelling on foot without a vehicle. Our travel packages can include either foot passenger tickets or motorbike and rider tickets. For those travelling without their own transport, we can also offer unlimited public transport passes to make getting around the island hassle-free.

BYOB! Bring Your Own Bike – The biggest advantage to travelling by ferry is that it offers the only way to bring your own motorbike, which, for die-hard bike fans, is one of the best ways to experience the TT.

Standard Vehicles (Cars) – The ferry company only releases a limited number of car spaces during the TT fortnight, and we would encourage people to consider the inconveniences associated with bringing a car to the TT before making a booking. Heavily congested roads and extremely limited parking near the best viewing spots and around the main towns are the biggest challenges. 

Non-standard vehicles (Vans, Trailers, Motorhomes) – Duke Travel cannot offer packages that include non-standard vehicle tickets; these must be booked directly with the ferry company. 

Ferry Port Locations

Services to the Isle of Man run from Liverpool, Heysham, Belfast, Larne, and Dublin, with journey times ranging from 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours 45 minutes. 

The ferry port on the Isle of Man is situated in Douglas, at the Southern end of the promenade. The bus station is just 400m away for those using public transport to reach their accommodation.

TT Sailing Schedule

The number of sailings increases over the TT fortnight, so for visitors from England, there are usually multiple options available from either Liverpool or Heysham. However, services from Ireland are more restricted.

There is only 1 ferry service per week from Dublin to the Isle of Man, and 4 from Belfast/Larne, which means day trips and 1- and 2-night trips are not possible using these ferries. Because there are so few sailings, availability is also more limited than the UK sailings.

Availability

Sailings typically go on sale 1 year in advance for TT, with some sailings, especially for vehicles, selling out within weeks. Popular dates, such as scheduled rest days (days with no racing) and the days immediately after TT, are already selling out or down to extremely limited numbers of spaces. 

The most important part of your trip is securing ferry travel, so this should take priority; accommodation, tickets, and passes can then be built around it.

You can check out our pre-built packages on our website; however, we can also create custom bookings tailored to your needs, subject to availability. 

International Travellers

For UK-based visitors, the ferry service offers a straightforward, cost-effective way to reach the island. For International visitors, however, there are a few added challenges you would need to consider:

Ferry Port Location in conjunction with your UK arrival airport – Depending on your arrival airport, you will need to consider how to reach your chosen ferry port, which may require knowledge of the UK road or rail network. For example, if you are arriving in London, the drive time to Liverpool is approximately 5 hours.

Sailing times – the service does not operate continuous crossings; therefore, you would need to consider your arrival time at the port and factor in when the next ferry would be, which could be several hours later, or even the following day.

Flights as a convenient alternative – For international travellers, we encourage booking flights which can usually be taken directly from your UK arrival airport (such as London, Dublin, Manchester, or Liverpool). This avoids the need to navigate the potentially long distance from the airport to one of the ferry ports, all after having travelled internationally. 

Potential for Delays/Cancellations

While generally reliable in Summer, ferry travel across the Irish Sea is subject to weather conditions, meaning there is a small risk of delays or cancellations due to high winds or rough seas.

Want a TT package built around the ferry with everything handled for you? Duke Travel can help you build a route-first TT travel package with ferry space included — explore our packages or get in touch to check availability.