What an amazing day we had with John!!! So much knowledge and fun as we spent the day learning about the Isle of Man. Thank you for such a memorable day. You really made our trip to the Isle fantastic.
Dette var en flott tur og langt bedre enn det vi hadde håpet på. En bedre guide enn John tror jeg ikke det er mulig å finne. John kontaktet oss i god tid for at turen skulle bli så god som mulig for oss, møtte oss på flyplassen, hadde svært gode forslag til hva vi burde se, anbefalte restauranter med lokal mat og avleverte oss til hotellet etter turen. Han kunne alt om Isle of Mans historie og hadde jobbet som arkeolog på øya. Vi hadde en strålende dag med masse læring, diskusjoner om historie og etter turen var det helt klart at vi må tilbake til Isle of Man. Det kan ikke bli bedre!
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Une journée autour de l'île de Man.
Mon excursion d'une journée autour de la magnifique île de Man en août a été une expérience merveilleuse, grâce principalement à mon chauffeur John Shakespeare. Il possède une mine de connaissances sur l'île et sur les activités qui pourraient intéresser un visiteur pour la première fois. Il m'a également aidé généreusement à faire des recherches sur mes ancêtres, ce qui a rendu la journée plus personnelle. Merci John - c'était une journée très spéciale pour moi.
Réponse de Visit Mann Tours
2026.09.06
Hi Thank you for visiting the Island - my pleasure to show you around and reconnect you to your ancestors
I booked this as a birthday present for my sister-in-law, this is her review of the tour 😀
"A big thank you to John, who is not only an excellent driver with a very comfortable car, but combines this with an amazing knowledge of the Island, it's history and geography. He was happy to show us all kinds of great places to visit, which matched perfectly with our interests. Music, art, history, films and wildlife were all covered and we now need to spend another three months here to explore it all in detail!!! 😁 It was a fantastic treat for my birthday, thanks again." and a thank you from me John.
Kind Regards
Val
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John knows it all! A wonderful day at Isle of Man.
John was a wonderful guide and fun to chat with about the Isle of Man and its many historical points of interest. He is quite the guide and would be a true joy for anyone looking to get a tour from the guy who knows everyone on the island! :)
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A must book!
Our trip to Isle of Man would not have been what it was without John. If “above and beyond” was personified, it would be him. Our family of 11 booked two half day tours and John catered the tours around our family genealogy and balanced it out with a fascinating history of the entire island. He kept everyone engaged, from ages 5 to 65. We highly, highly recommend John to anyone considering!
For Mother's Day this year my mother and I visited the charming town of Conwy, Wales and then the most enchanting island... the Isle of Man. Despite the islands phenomenal public transit options, we wanted to gain an understanding and appreciation of the islands history. After extensively researching tour options we reached out to John Shakespeare at Visit Mann Tours.
From the beginning, John was extremely patient and flexible. He listened to our (lengthy!) wish list and made accommodations accordingly. The morning of our tour he was waiting outside of our Airbnb when we went down at 8:25am. Early and smiling, I liked him immediately. Being in his company makes you feel at ease, you can tell he is kindhearted in his core. He is breathtakingly brilliant and somehow also feels like your down to earth favorite uncle at the same time. John is captivating, fascinating and funny. He is hands down one of the most interesting people I have ever met. The depth and breadth of his knowledge is so expansive and his passion is contagious. Faeries and folklore*, battles and Vikings, archeology, astronomy, castles, Celts on and on.
*Given my interest in the islands folk history, John recommended the book "Folk" by Zoe Gilbert and I have to pass the recommendation on! It is a beautiful, mythical book and that will transport you to another place. Bewitching!
I've heard that when you die you get to relive the best moments of your life. Our day with John will most definitely make my highlight reel. It was positively magical, in every way! John has forever imprinted on my heart and into my memories. We spent 8 hours with him - and it truly pained us to say goodbye.
John Shakespeare is a treasure so if you're looking for a life changing day with an extraordinary human... congratulations friend... you just found gold.
Réponse de Visit Mann Tours
2026.05.25
Hi Leslie's! What an absolutely fabulous day we had - thank you for your lovely review. Sometimes the stars align and magic happens - come back soon John xx
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A day I will truly, never forget!
For Mother's Day this year my mother and I visited the charming town of Conwy, Wales and then the most enchanting island... the Isle of Man. Despite the islands phenomenal public transit options, we wanted to gain an understanding and appreciation of the islands history. After extensively researching tour options we reached out to John Shakespeare at Visit Mann Tours. From the beginning, John was extremely patient and flexible. He listened to our (lengthy!) wish list and made accommodations accordingly. The morning of our tour he was waiting outside of our Airbnb when we went down at 8:25am. Early and smiling, I liked him immediately. Being in his company makes you feel at ease, you can tell he is kindhearted in his core. He is breathtakingly brilliant and somehow also feels like your down to earth favorite uncle at the same time. John is captivating, fascinating and funny. He is hands down one of the most interesting people I have ever met. The depth and breadth of his knowledge is so expansive and his passion is contagious. Faeries and folklore*, battles and Vikings, archeology, astronomy, castles, Celts on and on. *Given my interest in the islands folk history, John recommended the book "Folk" by Zoe Gilbert and I have to pass the recommendation on! It is a beautiful, mythical book and that will transport you to another place. Bewitching! I've heard that when you die you get to relive the best moments of your life. Our day with John will most definitely make my highlight reel. It was positively magical, in every way! John has forever imprinted on my heart and into my memories. We spent 8 hours with him - and it truly pained us to say goodbye. John Shakespeare is a treasure so if you're looking for a life changing day with an extraordinary human... congratulations friend... you just found gold.
Réponse de Visit Mann Tours
2026.05.25
Hi Leslie's! What an absolutely fabulous day we had - thank you for your lovely review. Sometimes the stars align and magic happens - come back soon John xx
Exceptional tour from start to finish
What can we say? Everything was flawless from start to finish. John's passion, knowledge, and enthusiasm made the tour both educational and incredibly fun. He went above and beyond to ensure the experience was memorable. I wish we could give him more than five stars!
Date de l'expérience: 14 April, 2026
Date de l'expérience: 14 April, 2026
My mom and I did a tour with John and had an amazing time. He is so knowledgable and had so many interesting stories. We would recommend him to everyone going to the Isle of Man!
Réponse de Visit Mann Tours
2026.04.14
Thank you - lovely to meet you both - come back soon!
John was an amazing guide right from the start. Very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about all things Isle of Man- from local food, film sets, Vikings, archeology digs, the TT race and hosting celebrities. He loves this place and wants to share it with everyone. The only thing we regret is not getting a a bagpipe performance. Thanks so much John!- from Kyla, Moira and Kathy
Réponse de Visit Mann Tours
2026.05.25
Thank you so much for the review - it was a great pleasure to show you round the Island
We had a fantastic experience with Visit Mann tours - John is knowledgeable, kind, and was very accommodating. His tour was the highlight of our time on the Isle of Man.
Réponse de Visit Mann Tours
2026.05.25
Lindsey Just seen this!!!! thank you for the review - was great to meet you John
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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!
Réponse de 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.
Réponse de Visit Mann Tours
2026.06.26
Thank you great to meet you
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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.
Réponse de Visit Mann Tours
2025.08.12
Thank you for the review - come back soon!
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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.
Réponse de Visit Mann Tours
2025.08.12
Great to meet you and to go back 40 years
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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!!!
Réponse de 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!
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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!
Réponse de 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!!!!
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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.
Réponse de 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!
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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.
Réponse de Visit Mann Tours
2025.05.13
Thank you for the review was great to meet you - come back for a longer stay!