The House of Manannan, Peel — prices, how long and is it good for kids?

The House of Manannan is the museum on Peel’s quayside, built around the old railway station. It tells the island’s Celtic, Viking and seafaring story with full-size reconstructions you walk through. This page covers what’s inside, prices, how long to allow, parking, food and who it suits. For the other Manx National Heritage sites and whether a pass is worth it, see our heritage guide.

House of Manannan tickets and opening times

Checked on MNH’s House of Manannan page (opens in a new tab) and its 2026 opening times (opens in a new tab) in October 2026.

Ticket	Price (October 2026)
Adult	£14, plus an optional £1.50 donation
Student (18+ with card)	£7
Children 16 and under	Free with an adult
7-day Heritage Pass	£35, covers every MNH site

It’s open daily all year, 9.30am to 4.30pm, winter included, and closed only on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. That makes it one of two MNH sites open from November to March; the other is the free Manx Museum in Douglas. MNH doesn’t publish a last-entry time here, so arrive by 3pm if you want the full route. It says the quietest time is 9.30 to 11.30am, any day but Saturday, outside the school holidays.

You pay at the desk on the day. There’s no online ticket for the museum on its own, and no discount for booking ahead. The passes (opens in a new tab) are sold online and at the sites for the same price. The £1.50 donation goes on unless you say no. National Trust and English Heritage members get in free. Special events, like the half-term Hop tu Naa day, are ticketed separately on MNH’s what’s on (opens in a new tab) page.

There’s no joint ticket with Peel Castle. Both on the door is £25 for one adult; the 7-day pass is £35, so it only pays if you add a third paid site that week. According to MNH’s access guide, the shop, café and temporary exhibition space don’t need a ticket.

What it is

Manannan is the sea god of Manx legend, who is said to have hidden the island in mist when enemies came. He’s your guide here. The museum opened in 1997, wrapped round Peel’s railway station of 1873, which closed in 1968. The galleries run over three floors, in one continuous route.

It’s less about glass cases and more about walking through recreated places, with sound, low light and the odd smell. That’s why children tend to like it more than adults expect to.

What’s inside

Manx National Heritage (MNH) describes it as a journey through 2,000 years of island life. In order, more or less:

• The Celtic roundhouse. A full-size Iron Age roundhouse, with a storyteller.
• Manannan himself, speaking from a waterfall.
• The Viking longhouse, based on an excavated Manx site.
• The stone crosses, with a theatre telling the stories behind the carved crosses you’ll see in churchyards across the island.
• Odin’s Raven. The centrepiece: a two-thirds-scale replica Viking longship built in Norway, which sailed to the island in 1979 for the thousandth anniversary of Tynwald. It’s shown returning from battle.
• Peel in the 1800s. A reconstructed quayside with a kipper yard, sailmaker’s loft, cooper and chandler’s shop. The smells are part of it.
• Temporary exhibitions, which change through the year.

There’s also a gallery on Peel Castle and St Patrick’s Isle, which is useful for anyone who can’t manage the castle’s steps.

How long, and is it good for kids?

Allow about an hour and a half. MNH’s group guide says around two hours, which is realistic with children.

It’s aimed squarely at families. The dark, walk-through reconstructions, the longship and the kipper yard work best for children aged roughly 6 to 12. Toddlers may find some of the low-lit rooms a bit much, and teenagers may find the storytelling a bit much in a different way. Under-16s go free, which helps.

Practical points for families:

• It’s step-free, with lifts between all three floors, and there’s a wheelchair to borrow.
• There’s baby changing in the accessible toilet and the ladies’ toilet on the ground floor.
• There’s a cloakroom for coats and bags.

Food

The Coffee Station is next door on the quay, in part of the old station building. Visit Isle of Man lists it as open seven days a week, 9.30am to 4.30pm, serving coffee and light bites, and it’s dog-friendly. For a proper meal, Peel’s town centre and seafront are a few minutes’ walk away. There’s more in our Peel guide.

Getting there and parking

The museum is on Mill Road, Peel, IM5 1TA, by the harbour.

• By car: there’s a large free car park behind the building, with three disabled spaces, plus some parking and a drop-off point at the front. An overflow car park further along Mill Road is unsurfaced. When the Peel Castle car parks are full, this is the one to use.
• By bus: MNH lists routes 4, 4B, 5, 5C, 6 and 6A, normally dropping off outside. From 21 September 2026 to 30 January 2027, though, promenade works mean buses can’t reach the House of Manannan stop and use the Town Hall stop instead (Bus Vannin). Peel bus station is about 10 minutes’ walk away, uphill on the way back. See our bus guide.

Pairing it with Peel Castle

Peel Castle is directly across the harbour, about ten minutes’ walk. The two tell the same story from different ends: the castle is the real place, outdoors and ruined; the museum is the reconstruction, indoors and dry. Both together cost one adult £25 on the door (October 2026). Remember the castle only opens at 11am and closes for winter on 1 November.