Isle of Wight itinerary

7 days on Isle of Wight – Isle of Wight itinerary. We love the Isle of Wight, it really is a breath of fresh air in every sense. On our recent trip we travelled around the Isle of Wight in a vintage VW camper van which was so much fun. We’ve decided to put together our suggested route for one week on Isle of Wight with kids and an alternative itinerary for a couples trip to the Isle of Wight. So here are two versions of our 7 day Isle of Wight itinerary taking in beaches, theme parks and lots more. This is a jam-packed itinerary perfect for Isle of Wight family trips or for couples. So feel free to pick places according to your budget. The Isle of Wight is so brilliant because it’s easy to substitute a beach for any you don’t fancy. At the bottom of the page is an account of our trip travelling around by camper van.

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Day 1 – arrival and exploring Ryde & Sandown – Isle of Wight itinerary

For families:

• Take the hovercraft or ferry to Ryde
• Ride the vintage trains at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway
• Visit Sandham Gardens for mini-golf, go-karting, and a playground
• Relax on Sandown Beach, perfect for kids
• Fish and chips by the seafront

For couples:

• Arrive and take a stroll along Ryde’s Victorian pier
• Visit Quarr Abbey for a peaceful walk and café stop
• Walk along Yaverland Beach, a quieter spot
• Enjoy a seafood dinner at The Duck in Ryde

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Day 2 – The Needles and Alum Bay

For families:

• Ride the chairlift at The Needles Landmark Attraction
• Try sweet making and glass blowing demonstrations
• Visit the interactive 4D cinema experience
• Take a boat trip to see the Needles up close
• Have lunch at The Needles Café
• Spend the afternoon at Alum Bay painting sand souvenirs

For couples:

• Walk from Freshwater Bay to The Needles for stunning coastal views
• Visit the Dimbola Museum, home of Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron
• Take a boat trip around the Needles for a romantic view
• Sunset drinks at The Waterfront in Totland

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Day 3 – castles and adventure

For families:

• Explore Carisbrooke Castle, with dressing-up activities and donkeys
• Have a picnic in the castle grounds
• Visit Tapnell Farm Park for animals, soft play, and a giant jumping pillow
• Try out the Aqua Park at Tapnell for some water fun

For couples:

• Visit Carisbrooke Castle for a dose of history and panoramic views
• Stroll around Mottistone Gardens for a peaceful afternoon
• Afternoon tea at Chessell Pottery Café
• Relax with a spa evening at Lakeside Park Hotel & Spa

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Day 4 – Ventnor and Shanklin

For families:

• Spend the morning at the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary
• Play on the sandy beach at Shanklin
• Visit Shanklin Chine, a magical gorge with waterfalls
• Have an ice cream at the famous Crave Ice Cream Parlour

For couples:

• Start with a walk along Ventnor’s coastal path
• Explore the Botanic Gardens, perfect for a peaceful retreat
• Enjoy lunch at The Royal Hotel
• Sunset drinks on the terrace at The Spyglass Inn

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Day 5 – dinosaur day

For families:

• Visit Dinosaur Isle for interactive exhibits and fossils
• Head to Compton Bay to hunt for real dinosaur footprints
• Take part in a fossil hunting guided walk
• Visit the small but fun Isle of Wight Reptilarium

For couples:

• Take a scenic coastal drive to Compton Bay for a peaceful walk
• Explore the small, quirky Chessell Pottery Barns for unique souvenirs
• Have a romantic picnic with sea views at Mottistone Down
• Enjoy a fine dining experience at The Little Gloster

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Day 6 – adventure or relaxation

For families:

• Spend the day at Robin Hill Country Park with treetop adventures and falconry displays
• If the weather is bad, head to Monkey Haven or the indoor Isle of Wight Aqua Park

For couples:

• Enjoy a kayaking or paddleboarding session in Bembridge
• Take a scenic drive and stop at St Catherine’s Lighthouse for a walk
• Indulge in a wine tasting at Adgestone Vineyard

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Day 7 – east Wight and departure

For families:

• Visit Amazon World Zoo Park for exotic animals
• Have a final beach stop at Appley Beach before heading home

For couples:

• Enjoy a final morning walk at Bembridge Harbour
• Have brunch at The Seaview Hotel before departure

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Our spring trip around the Isle of Wight in a vintage VW camper van

Check out our video of our time on the island here.

A spring trip around the Isle of Wight in a vintage VW camper van.

The days were starting to lengthen and the temperature creeping upwards when we headed off on our travels for a spring trip around the Isle of Wight in a vintage VW camper van.

I can’t tell you how excited the kids were to be spending nights in our own little camper van for the week.

Getting to the Isle of Wight

We started our travels in Portsmouth where we caught the Wightlink ferry over to Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight.

The journey was much faster than I remembered, 45 minutes. We had no sooner set off, settled down to a snack and drink, watching the sailboats drift past, than it was time to get back down to the car ready to drive off.

The Isle of Wight is like a lovely, nostalgic step back in time.

It’s a warm embrace from an old friend, a slice of cake with a pot of tea, playing outside with newfound friends and a favourite knit jumper pulled over shoulders.

It has the feel of uncomplicated timelessness and although there’s plenty going on across the island it feels much quiet and calmer than the mainland UK.

Travelling around – 7 days on Isle of Wight with kids – Isle of Wight itinerary

We started off our travels at Isle of Wight Campers where we met our vintage camper for the week. A beautiful duck-egg blue van called Zebby.

A lesson in how to look after her and some of her quirks and we were off, bouncing through the countryside lanes and over to our campsite home at Appuldurcombe Holiday Park where we pitched up.

Isle of Wight Campers had supplied us with a tent to pitch next to Zebby. This was really useful to store all of our gear in, particularly when we were off exploring.

There wasn’t much time left in the day once we’d got settled at the Park. So we headed off to dinner at The Piano Cafe in Freshwater Bay.

We had the most amazing meal here. The table creaked under dishes of mezze from falafel bites with caramalised onions to garlic crostinis with various dips.

And with live music filling the air at exactly the right level, it was the perfect start to our holiday.

Zebby was a snug fit for five, with the two oldest kids up top, us on the double bed below and the littlest in the hammock bed over the front driver and passenger seat.

It was still a bit chilly in April when we visited and the smallest ended up in bed with us which at least kept us all warmer.

Starting our days – Itinerary for Isle of Wight

In the morning we made up a quick breakfast in Zebby, boiled water for tea, spread jam on toast, bowls of cereals being passed around.

Our days always started in this way. Relaxed, full of chatter with the kids desperate to run to the playground and hang out with their newly-made friends before we headed off.

Fossil hunting in Isle of Wight

One of our best activities we did on our week was fossil hunting on the beach at Sandown with Dinosaur Isle.

We headed across the sand with Dr Martin Munt, the attraction’s curator as he explained how we could look out for fossilised wood, different stones and if we were very lucky dinosaur bones.

The sun shone beautifully. It felt wonderful to be in the soft air of early spring, searching through the stones, eyes scanning the wet sand.

We were incredibly lucky. Our group found four dinosaur bones and my oldest two kids were lucky enough to find two of them.

Tiny, blackened honeycombed like pieces of dinosaurs. It was incredible to hold them, something over 100 million years old.

Such an amazing experience and prized possessions of the children now.

We also wandered across the beach with Martin pointing out various ancient fossils. Even dinosaur footprints that have fallen from the cliffs above due to erosion.

Isle of Wight beaches – 7 days on Isle of Wight with kids – Isle of Wight itinerary

The beaches around the Isle of Wight really are beautiful.

We visited a few, skimming stones at Freshwater Bay, wandering past gorgeous candy coloured beach huts at Ventnor and strolling along the Esplanade at Shanklin.

Osborne House

The children were in their element here. Clutching brightly coloured buckets and spades and playing in the sand. By far my favourite beach though is that at Osborne House.

Osborne House was Queen Victoria and Albert’s country retreat. It is now open for the public to explore and you can wander through the long hallways as if an intruder creeping past.

You can peer in to rooms that feel as though the Royal residents have just stepped out.

There’s something eerily hypnotic about Osborne. It has an air of melancholy that is addictive.

Seeing Albert’s study, left as it was when he died and Victoria’s bedroom with the very bed she died on was very moving.

But it’s the beach at Osborne that just calls to me.

I could almost imagine her children splashing about in the sea here as they learnt to swim.

Queen Victoria’s ‘bathing machine’, a mobile changing room, sits just back from the sand, ready to roll forwards into the clear water.

A little shelter called “The Queen’s Alcove” waits for visitors to sit a while and contemplate. Listening to the rhythmic roll in and out of the waves.

This little secluded beach is up there with some of my favourites in the world.

Carisbooke Castle

If history is your thing, and it is most definitely mine, then the Isle of Wight really delivers. 

Carisbrooke Castle sits inland and holds many secrets.

Charles I was imprisoned here and you can see the room he attempted to escape from before being caught and eventually taken off to London to be executed.

Despite its dark history it is a great place to explore and there’s plenty here to enjoy. Including, as the children did, playing on the bowling green, constructed for Charles I’s own enjoyment.

The whole castle is great to wander around with children. There are battlements to explore, a moat you can go into and lots of hidden hallways and windows to keep imaginations ticking over.

After all this exploration we headed to The Cow Co for some burgers and milkshakes. It was the perfect spot to chill out in.

The kids spent time drawing while we watched the sun set over the hills to the sea beyond. The food here was wonderful with plenty of veggie options alongside their traditional meat menu. It’s got such a cool vibe.

Travelling around in Zebby was such a great experience.

We felt like minor celebrities watching people stop to see us drive past. And there was nothing like hearing the purr of the engine as she rumbled in to action.

It was fun spotting the other VW vans that we passed, not lots but a fair few when you’re looking for them. And giving a wave as we crossed paths.

Robin Hill – 7 days on Isle of Wight with kids – Isle of Wight itinerary

We spent a fun day at Robin Hill, an amusement park which embraces the countryside. You can walk paths around meadows of bluebells.

It’s a fun place to get outside and do something very child focused whilst still having beautiful surroundings.

Blackgang Chine

We also visited the legendary Blackgang Chine, a much more traditional theme park which has been a stalwart on the Isle of Wight for decades.

We loved walking through the dinosaur park and our favourite area was Cowboy Town which is so much fun and really well set up.

There’s plenty going on at Blackgang Chine to keep you and the kids occupied for a good full day.

West Wight Alpacas

One of our favourite things to do was walking alpacas at West Wight Alpacas.

This was so much fun, leading these beautiful creatures around the fields, learning more about their manner and what they are used for. It was such a different activity but one that all the kids adored.

We couldn’t resist trying the wood fired pizzas at the Llama Tree, based here at West Wight Alpacas either.

The garlic bread with pesto and melted mozzarella was delicious and we loved all the pizzas too. The kids enjoyed digging in before running off to play on the swings next to the restaurant.

Monkey Haven – 7 days on Isle of Wight with kids – Isle of Wight itinerary

Since we’re an animal loving family we also couldn’t resist Monkey Haven. It rescues primates, owls and more creatures to give them a new life.

We loved this animal park which is the perfect place to spend an afternoon. The children dashing about to complete the trail and stamp the little books they were given.

This island really is all about quality family time. Coming together to explore, enjoy and find something you will love.

It’s a beautiful place and our spring trip around the Isle of Wight in a vintage VW camper van was so much fun. Something so different and a fantastic way to explore the multitude of places and activities on offer here.

We can’t wait to return.

Check out our film of our adventures on the Isle of Wight here.

We were guests of Visit Isle of Wight for the purposes of this 7 days on Isle of Wight with kids – Isle of Wight itinerary review but all opinions are our own.

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