Verified Company
Verified
An excellent and enjoyable tour with a terrific guide.
We spent two really interesting and enjoyable hours in Peel with our guide, John Shakespeare. Not only did we learn all about the history of Peel and about the archeological finds in the castle, but we learned a huge amount about the history and culture of the Isle of Man. Our guide, John Shakespeare, could have kept us entertained for much longer with stories, legends, and helpful information about the Island. Thank you, John!
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2025.08.12
Lovely to meet you and spend some time sharing the great stories of the Island
Confession, one of our party of 8, Anna, was a student taking an archeology degree and worked alongside the amazing John Shakespeare way back in the 80s on the Isle of Man. John very kindly spent a couple of hours with us, not only catching up with Anna but educating us all with the history of Peel castle. He was gracious with his time and across those hours gave us the rich detail of the castle and much, much more. He is a true historian and raconteur with a deeply passionate and engaging style. You will learn and remember! Thank you, John, for making our time of the Island so memorable for us all and, in particular, Anna.
Verified
The Bard of the Isle of Man
Confession, one of our party of 8, Anna, was a student taking an archeology degree and worked alongside the amazing John Shakespeare way back in the 80s on the Isle of Man. John very kindly spent a couple of hours with us, not only catching up with Anna but educating us all with the history of Peel castle. He was gracious with his time and across those hours gave us the rich detail of the castle and much, much more. He is a true historian and raconteur with a deeply passionate and engaging style. You will learn and remember! Thank you, John, for making our time of the Island so memorable for us all and, in particular, Anna.
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2025.08.12
Great to meet you and to go back 40 years
Verified
A journey through time!
Fantastic tour with John - truly knowledgeable about all things Manx, his enthusiasm for the Island shines through. Highly recommend!A huge thank you - highlight of our visit to IOM.
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2025.08.12
Thank you for the review - come back soon!
Verified
COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANY BETTER!!!!!
I cannot thank you enough, John, for our family tour of the Isle of Man. We’ve been home now for just short of a couple of weeks and the memories are continually resonating in my heart. I appreciate your personal excitement for the island and your extra attention to our family’s heritage there. I'm planning to return!!!
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2025.07.08
What a lovely day we had - it is always a pleasure to make those connections from the past and share a families history - come back soon!
Verified
Had the best time on the Isle of Man!
Today was AMAZING! John is fabulous! He is a local who is incredibly knowledgeable, wonderfully interesting and took the time to research our specific family history! His tour tripled the valued of our trip. We learned so much about the island and our ancestral origins. Wish we had another day to spend with him!
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2025.06.22
The day was very special and went so quickly - as a guide I will never tire of meeting genuinely lovely people who appreciate their ancestry and the Isle of Man. And we only managed to see a small part of the Island so much more to come back for!!!!
Verified
So much to see.
We signed up for the Isle of Mann Viking Tour with Guide, lead by John Shakespeare. Without a doubt, John was the best tour guide we have ever encountered. My wife and I, along with our 21 year old granddaughter, thoroughly enjoyed John's depth of knowledge on so many topics. Whether it was archaeology, politics, or culinary suggestions, John was able to give you a sense of how events occurred. He also knew what seemed like every person in town. We enjoyed the water side lunch, especially the queenies scallops and his playing the bagpipes. If you are interested in Viking history, castles, light houses, mining history, and old cemeteries, John should be your guide. If we ever get back to IOM, we would definitely want John to be our guide.
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2025.05.13
We had such a great day - I love my job especially when you meet such lovely people. Come back soon!
Verified
Ancestoral Tour
Wow. Heartfelt. Educational. Enjoyable. John insured that our quick trip to the Isle of Man was truly memorable. My son and I visited family churches, homesites, and cemeteries plus got an overview of all things IOM. Highly recommend working with John, he will not disappoint.
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2025.05.13
Thank you for the review was great to meet you - come back for a longer stay!
My wife and I recently had the pleasure of taking Visit Mann’s Viking tour of the Isle of Man, and it was an unforgettable experience. From start to finish, everything was flawlessly organized, offering us a perfect blend of history, culture, and natural beauty.
Our guide, John, was exceptional. His expertise in the history and archaeology of the Isle of Man added a unique depth to the tour. His detailed explanations and fascinating stories brought the island’s past to life in a way that was both educational and thoroughly engaging. He is a delightful person whose personal warmth, kindness and love of the Isle shone through.
My wife and I came away with a deep appreciation for this unique island and memories we will cherish forever. If you’re looking for an enriching and insightful experience of the Isle of Man, I cannot recommend this tour highly enough.
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2024.12.01
Thank you for such a lovely review - it was a pleasure to show you both around the Island John
Verified
Genealogy and Isle of Man tour Extraordinaire
I did an 8 hour tour with John. It was worth every penny! John is a wealth of knowledge and gave me not only wonderful rich history of the island, but also took me on the most special genealogy tour of my ancestors. We saw churches and graveyards where my ancestors were buried. He also arranged a tour of the farm where my ancestors lived. I will never forget it. I am a solo traveler and John was such a gentleman, opened my car door at every stop, plus went the extra mile and mapped out what I should do on my other days on the island in detail and gave pub and restaurant recommendations. While I don’t have experience with any other guides on the Isle of Man, I’d be shocked if there were any better than John!
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2025.05.13
Thanks you so much for this lovely review - we had a great day - it is always so rewarding to connect people with their past
Verified
More than I imagined.
The day was amazing. John went above and beyond at helping track down our ancestral farm and church. He included it with the tour of the island according to when we might have the best chance good weather during the day. It worked out beautifully. He is a wealth of knowledge and enjoyable to spend time with and hopefully if we get to come back I would do more again.
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2024.09.17
Great show you around - even if Manannan's Cloak was out for part of the day! Come back soon John
Verified
Brilliant!
John was amazing. A wealth of knowledge. He found sites where my ancestors lived and are buried. The historical, cultural and natural history stories he told were brilliant!
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2024.08.26
PLeasure to meet you and show you around the places your ancestors lived. Don't leave it so long for the next visit!
Verified
One-of-a-Kind, Fascinating, Excellent
Our tour was one of the best historical tours we've been on- the Viking Tour. The guide was on time, extremely nice and warm, was rich with information to share, while he himself is part and parcel with the history of Mann itself, having done amazing archeological work on the island himself. It was an amazing way to see the Island, see the amazing viking hisrory while also pointing out general info as well. Highly highly recommended! הסיור שלנו היה אחד הסיורים ההיסטוריים הטובים ביותר שהיינו בהם - סיור הוויקינגים. המדריך הגיע בזמן, מאוד נחמד וחם, היה עשיר במידע לחלוק, בעוד הוא עצמו חלק מההיסטוריה של מאן עצמו, לאחר שעשה עבודה ארכיאולוגית מדהימה באי בעצמו. זו הייתה דרך מדהימה לראות את האי, לראות את ההיסטוריה הוויקינגית המדהימה תוך הצבעה גם על מידע כללי. מומלץ מאוד מאוד!
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2024.08.26
We had a great day - also enjoyed our discussion about languages and thanks for posting in Hebrew! Hope you can come back soon next time you are in Liverpool!
Verified
Isle of Mann tour
John was an amazing guide. Very knowledgeable, friendly and polite. We did an all day tour around the entire Isle of Mann. Amazing views, history and food. John took us to a cute Cafe for lunch with homemade food. Stopped and had cake and tea at the end of our tour. Top notch guy. Would use him again if we get the opportunity to come back.
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2024.07.09
Thanks you for the review - we had a great day and I enjoyed meeting you all! John
Verified
Isle of Mann
John is very knowledgeable. Great tour of the Isle of Mann. So much beauty and history. Thank you John for the great experience.
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2024.07.09
Hi Thanks for the review was lovely meeting you and sharing the Isle of Man - come back soon! John
Verified
Outstanding Tour with an outstanding Guide
John was an exceptional guide for the Isle of Man tour. You could feel how proud he was to show you the island. He was so knowledgeable on Viking history, the history of the island, and the energy he had for the hours we spent with him. He seems to know everyone on the island. This was the best tour I have ever had and when I return to the IOM, I will do a full day tour with John. Thank you, John
Anne 2024
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2024.07.07
Thank you for the review - I had great fun showing you round the Island - look forward to our next merry meeting! John
Verified
Amazing experience- highly recommend
John is an extraordinary tour guide and all-around fun person to spend time with. He is incredibly knowledgeable about Isle of Man history, the sights to see, and out-of-the-way gems that few tourists ever get a chance to experience. We were absolutely delighted with the tour experience John provided. We came away with a deep appreciation for Isle of Man and the people who are lucky enough to call this place home.
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2024.05.08
Hi THanks for the review - we had a fun day!!! Hope you can come back again John
Verified
Wonderful car tour of Isle if Mann
The day my husband and I spent with John Shakespeare touring the Isle of Mann in his car was the highlight of our trip. John is extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. We had discussed (by email) beforehand what we wanted - culture, history, archeological sites, scenery - in places we couldn't get to by public transport. Off grid!! John's full day tour exceeded our expectations. We had great conversations with him too, and breaks for a good lunch and afternoon tea were part of the wonderful experience. John's suggestion to spend time at the comprehensive museum the day before was a good one as it gave us some background. I would highly recommend John's tour to anyone visiting the Isle of Mann.
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2023.10.01
Lovely to meet you both - the day went far too fast!!! Come back soon
Verified
Only way to see Isle of Man
Full day tour of the island was a great experience with John. We visited as my partner’s ancestors came from IOM and John was helpful in do some family history reaserch as well as the tour. We saw most of the island highlights in the 8 hour tour. John is knowledgeable and engaging and happy to tailor the tour to suit your interests. Highly recommend taking a tour with Him.
Reply from Visit Mann Tours
2023.09.26
Thank you for the review was a great day!