There are lots of great places around Europe that can be reached from the Isle of Man in less than 24 hours and the carbon savings are huge. Slow travel can also be relaxing, giving you extra time to sit back take in the scenery, enjoy a good book and take in some quality time with family or friends on the journey. Let’s explore some of the best flight-free holidays before you rush to the budget airline websites.
All our journeys start with the morning ferry to Liverpool. This journey is only 5kg is CO2!
Itinerary 1: Isle of Man to Amsterdam
Travelling by ferry from the island to the UK is the lowest emission way to travel. So, start your journey by catching the morning boat to Liverpool, England. Less than half an hour on foot you'll reach Lime Street Station and can catch a train to London Euston, changing for a tube to London St Pancras International. Hop on the Eurostar, sit back and relax all the way into Europe.
The Eurostar takes 3 hrs and 52 mins to Amsterdam. There are no changes as this is direct. They run several times a day, the earliest being 6:16am and the latest being 18:04pm.
Carbon savings: Travelling to Amsterdam by Eurostar is only 2.13kg of carbon! The total journey from your doorstep in the Isle of Man to Amsterdam, using the ferry to Liverpool and train to London St Pancras, would be 20.13kg. A flight from Isle of Man to London and London to Amsterdam would total 278kg! Flight London to Amsterdam is 56kg.
In Amsterdam, there is loads to do, such as the Van Gogh Museum, a Canal Cruise and cycling around Vondelpark. Amsterdam has an excellent network of trams, metro and buses, and is one of the world's most cycle-friendly cities. Cycling is the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to see this city.
Learn more about this journey by visiting: https://www.greentraveller.co.uk/post/how-to-travel-by-train-from-london-to-amsterdam
Itinerary 2: Isle of Man to Nice, France
This journey will take 8hrs and 53 mins from London and includes 1 change.
Catch the morning ferry to Liverpool, England. Once in Liverpool, head to Lime Street Station and catch a train to London Euston, changing for a tube to London St Pancras International. Hop on the Eurostar, sit back and relax all the way to Paris.
You must change stations in Paris from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon, which can take about half an hour on the Paris RER line (it's only two stops, though try to leave 50 minutes for the entire transfer - you have about an hour and 15 minutes to get the connection).
Carbon savings: Emissions, including the IOM ferry to Liverpool and train to London are 33.5kg. A flight to Nice alone (not including off island travel) would be 97.24kg. Isle of Man to Nice by plane would be 319.24kg.
In Nice, you can visit the Archaeological Museum, climb the trees in Canyon Forrest, or take the 25-minute train journey to Monaco.
Learn more about this journey by visiting: https://www.greentraveller.co.uk/post/train-from-london-to-nice-south-of-france
Itinerary 3: Isle of Man to Rome, Italy
Take the morning ferry to Liverpool, England. Once in Liverpool, head to Lime Street Station and catch a train to London Euston, changing for a tube to London St Pancras International. Hop on the Eurostar, sit back and relax all the way into Europe.
There are 2 options. Option 1 (via Paris): Change from Paris Gare du Nord to Paris Gare de Lyon, then take the train to Torino Porta Susa (or Milan) and stay overnight and take the high-speed train the following morning to Rome.
Option 2 (via Lille): Change at Lille for train to Lyon where you stay overnight then take high-speed train the following morning to Rome.
Carbon savings: As a foot passenger this journey, including the ferry to Liverpool and train to London, is 67.5kg emissions per person. Flying from London to Rome is 410kg. Including the Isle of Man to London Flight, this would equate to 632kg of CO2.
In Rome, there is a wide array of things to do, including visiting the Colosseum, the Trevi fountain and the Vatican City.
Learn more about this journey by visiting: https://www.greentraveller.co.uk/post/train-from-london-to-rome-italy
Itinerary 4: Isle of Man to Santander, Spain
Catch the morning ferry to Liverpool, England. Once here, catch the train to Portsmouth before transferring to the ferry terminal for the overnight ferry to Santander. These ferries run twice a week and take 24 hours. The easiest way for foot passengers to reach the harbour is to take a National Express coach (e.g. from London Victoria), which stops right outside the ferry departure building. The closest train station to Portsmouth ferry terminal is 'Portsmouth Harbour' (it's a 20-minute walk from here to the ferry check-in or a 10-minute taxi ride). There are also local bus services to Portsmouth ferry terminal. Alternatively, train services London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour take 85 minutes and there are also services from London Victoria and Cardiff. This journey can also be done through Plymouth.
Carbon savings: As a foot passenger, the ferry to Santander is 15kg of carbon per person, a flight from the IOM to London, London to Santander would be 533kg per person.
The ferry terminal lies just one block along Avenida Castilla to Santander's main train station. Santander's train station is well connected to the Spanish rail network, with trains running to major centres in the region and the rest of the country.
In Santander, you can relax by one of its many beaches or enjoy its contemporary art gallery!
Learn more about this journey by visiting: https://www.greentraveller.co.uk/post/train-and-ferry-london-spain
Itinerary 5: Isle of Man to Lisbon, Portugal
Catch the morning ferry to Liverpool, England. Once in Liverpool, head to Lime Street Station and catch a train to London Euston, changing for a tube to London St Pancras International. Hop on the Eurostar, sit back and relax all the way to Paris Gare du Nord where you will change for Paris Gare Montparnasse. Change again at Irun (Hendaye station) on the French/Spanish border for the overnight sleeper train to Lisbon Estação do Oriente.
Carbon savings: For this journey, your carbon emissions would be 38.95kg. The full journey from the Isle of Man to Lisbon using planes would total 473kg.
Lisbon offers a complete, comfortable transportation network. Probably the most common way to get around the city is the Lisbon metro.
In Lisbon, you can ride the iconic vintage tram around the city centre, visit the local markets and visit the famous hilltop castle, São Jorge Castle.
Learn more about this journey by visiting: https://www.greentraveller.co.uk/post/train-from-london-to-lisbon-portugal
For more information about train only travel, visit https://www.greentraveller.co.uk/ or https://www.seat61.com/index.html for full guides and more options of countries to visit. The world is at your fingertips but not at the cost of your carbon footprint or our planet!
All emission calculations are provided by https://www.greentraveller.co.uk/post/carbon-emissions-data and added to our own carbon intensity data provided by DESNEZ Greenhouse Gas Reporting Conversion Factors 2023.
Learn more about sustainable travel here.