Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight has a special place in the hearts of many people who grew up holidaying on the island, with experiences like hunting for fossils under the chalk cliffs, fishing for crabs amongst rock pools and staring in awe at the giant dinosaurs of Blackgang Chine, etched in their memory forever. The Isle of Wight continues to be a hugely popular tourist destination, with millions of people visiting every year from across the UK and further afield. The traditional British seaside holiday continues to be a strong pull for tourists, but holidays focusing on nature and heritage have also grown in popularly in recent years.
Places to go on the Isle of Wight
Britons have been holidaying on the Isle of Wight since the turn of the 19th Century and you can smell and feel that traditional British seaside experience in every town and on every beach throughout the island. You should spend the morning exploring some of the seaside towns like Ryde or Sandown and stock up on spades and sunscreen for a day down on the beach. Why not enjoy some fresh seafood for dinner before a night on the town. Ryde and Sandown are both popular nightspots with many pubs, bars and nightclubs to choose from. Make sure you venture away from the traditional seaside experience during your visit to the island as it has an incredible amount to offer in the way of nature and history. More than half the island, mainly in the west, is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). You can view the multi-coloured sand cliffs of Alum Bay and the jagged chalk stacks of The Needles either from the top of the cliffs, or from the sea on a scenic boat trip.
Our Top Picks on the Isle of Wight
We want you to enjoy the best that the Isle of Wight has to offer and so here's a selection of our favourite things to see and do.
Blackgang Chine
Arguably the oldest and most eccentric theme park in the UK, Blackgang Chine has captured the imagination of children for decades with its whimsical and unusual attractions. A succession of landslides, the most recent in 1994, forced the park to relocate further inland, but that has done little to detract from its magic. No trip to the Isle of Wight would be complete without sampling the park’s life-size dinosaurs, full-scale Old West frontier town, huge hedge maze, and various 'life-sized' nursery rhyme characters and their homes.
Osborne House
Dating back to 1850, this magnificent royal seaside palace was built as a summer retreat for Queen Victoria who lived there with Prince Albert and their nine children. Osborne House is filled with original furnishings and offers you a unique glimpse into the private life of the royal family. Outside you can stroll around the beautiful grounds, including the Victorian Walled Garden and the hot houses of tropical plants.
Dinosaur Isle
You’ll find nowhere better to get an appreciation of the Isle of Wight's standing as one of the richest dinosaur localities in Europe than at Dinosaur Isle. The museum has numerous replica fossils and life-sized models of dinosaurs on display and holds a collection of some 30,000 geological specimens. You are given the opportunity to speak to experts and watch them at work.
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