Ryde

The largest town on the Island, and full of everything you would expect in a seaside resort, including six miles of sandy beach! plus some beautiful Georgian and Victorian buildings. Leading up from the sea is the town's main thoroughfare, Union Street, which gets its name from the fact that when it was built in around 1780, it joined the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower Ryde. Along the town's Victorian Esplanade you will find a putting green, ice rink, tenpin bowling, plus many typical seaside shops, arcades and cafes. There are also plenty of quality restaurants, bars and pubs in the town.

Newport

Built around the River Madina and in the heart of the island, Newport is the county town of the Isle of Wight, founded in 1180 as the port for the then capital Carisbrooke. It is now a mix of bustling streets, twisting lanes and grand Georgian buildings, with a popular shopping centre and plenty of cafes, pubs and restaurants, cinema complex, theatres, galleries, and museums. St. Thomas's Church was built around 1840, and dominates St Thomas' Square which is the venue for the Farmers' Market held every Friday.

Cowes

During the Summer, this famous maritime centre hosts two of the world's most prestigious sailing events, Skandia Cowes Week and the Round the Island Yacht Race, and come August, the place is buzzing with the sound of the incredible U.I.M Powerboat P1 British Grand Prix of the sea.

Even so, Cowes remains a small town with a friendly, cosmopolitan atmosphere. The High Street is pedestrainised, allowing good access to shops, art galleries, maritime museums, restaurants and pubs.

East Cowes has its own lively marina, seafront promenade and shopping centre, and don't miss Queen Victoria's famed seaside retreat the magnificent Osborne House where she lived until her death in 1901.