The TT ferry — how booking works, and what to do when it's sold out

Getting to the TT with your bike means the Steam Packet, and TT sailings go on sale about a year before the racing. This page explains how the booking system works for TT 2027, what it’s likely to cost, and what to do if the sailing you wanted has gone. It’s for bikers, but foot passengers can use it too. For the routes and ships the rest of the year, see our ferry guide. For race dates, see the TT schedule.

How TT booking works

TT sailings don’t go on sale like normal ones. The Steam Packet takes deposit-only bookings first and sets the fares later. For TT 2027 (Monday 31 May to Saturday 12 June 2027), deposits opened on 18 May 2026, a week before TT 2026 began (steam-packet.com (opens in a new tab), checked September 2026).

Stage	When	What happens
Deposits open	18 May 2026	£90 per vehicle or £45 per foot passenger secures a provisional sailing
Full schedule and fares	October 2026	Prices published for every sailing
Your total fare	By the end of January 2027	The Steam Packet invoices the balance
Balance due	26 February 2027	Pay, or lose both the booking and the deposit

The deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable. In euros it’s €110 per vehicle and €55 per foot passenger. You can book online, in person, or by phone on 08722 992 992 (+44 8722 992 992 from outside the UK). The Steam Packet recommends setting up an online account so you can see the booking and pay the balance there.

You’ll need everyone’s full name, date of birth and nationality, and the registration of every vehicle. Under “Motorcycle” you can book up to eight bikes on one booking, as long as there’s an adult passenger for each. Vans are bookable online up to 6.5m long and 3m high. Anything bigger means a phone call with the measurements, and those measurements include anything strapped on the back.

What it’s likely to cost

The 2027 fares weren’t published when we checked. The Steam Packet says they’ll be based on the 2026 standard fares plus inflation and any fuel surcharge increase. Here are the TT 2026 peak standard fares from its provisional 2027 schedule (opens in a new tab) (fares as at March 2026, checked September 2026):

Ticket	Single	Five-day return
Foot passenger	£76	£125
Motorbike and rider	£181	£291
Car or van up to 5.5m, with two people	£342.50	£496
Each extra metre of vehicle	£29	£49

Compare those with the ordinary “from” fares on our ferry guide: TT is a different market. Our cheap ferry fares tricks mostly don’t work this fortnight.

When the boats run

The provisional TT 2027 schedule puts on far more sailings than a normal week. Heysham has two or three sailings a day, including one at 03:30 most days. Liverpool has two a day, and in qualifying week some of them leave in the small hours. Larne sails on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and Dublin on Thursdays and Sundays, all at 17:00. For the week before, 17 to 24 May, the Steam Packet says to ask for sailing details.

The busiest days are the ones you’d expect:

• Outbound: the weekend before qualifying (29–31 May) and the Friday and Saturday before race week (4–5 June 2027). There’s an extra Heysham sailing at 22:30 on Saturday 5 June.
• Home: the weekend after the Senior (11–13 June). Heysham has three sailings a day from Friday to Sunday, and there are late sailings to Liverpool, including one just after midnight on the Monday.

If your sailing’s sold out

The Steam Packet’s own advice is that TT sailings “often sell out shortly after release”, so book as soon as you can (Steam Packet TT FAQs (opens in a new tab)). If you’ve left it late, here’s what’s left to try, best first.

Be flexible on the day and the port

Most people want the same few sailings. Try a Heysham sailing at 03:30, a Wednesday instead of a Saturday, or coming home on the Monday or Tuesday after the Senior. The Heysham night sailings sound grim, but they save you a night’s accommodation on the island. If you live in Scotland or the north of Ireland, Larne is worth a look too.

Go early, or stay late

The Steam Packet runs a TT Taster offer on the shoulder dates: a motorbike and rider from £146 return (web fare, September 2026). You travel out between Wednesday 19 and Tuesday 25 May and back between 1 and 3 June, which gets you qualifying week. Or you travel out between 8 and 11 June and back between 17 and 19 June, which gets you the last races and a quieter week after. Both are on the provisional schedule, and terms apply.

Go as a foot passenger

A foot passenger return was £125 at 2026 peak fares, against £291 for a bike and rider. You’ll be watching rather than riding, but buses, trains and your legs will get you to plenty of spots on the course. See where to watch, and plan around road closures. Don’t count on hiring a motorbike when you get here: Visit Isle of Man’s hire list (opens in a new tab) is all cars, vans and motorhomes. If you want to ride, bring your own bike.

Fly

If you don’t need your own bike, flying is often simpler. Flights fill up at TT too, so book early. The airlines and routes are in our flights guide.

Use a travel partner

The TT organisers list four endorsed travel partners (opens in a new tab): Duke Travel, VisitIOM, Sportsnet and Saiger Racing. They put together packages with travel and accommodation. You’ll pay for the convenience, but if you’ve left it late, it’s worth asking them what they can still do.

Keep checking after 26 February

Bookings not paid by the deadline are cancelled, so space can reappear after 26 February 2027. Nobody guarantees it, but it’s worth checking every so often.

Taking the bike over

Book the bike as a vehicle. The booking holds its registration, so you can’t turn up on a different bike. Loading and tie-downs are covered in the ferry with a motorbike. Normally, check-in in Douglas opens about 90 minutes before sailing and closes 45 minutes before for vehicles, according to the Steam Packet’s Douglas page (opens in a new tab). Leave more time than that on the way home, when half the paddock is trying to leave at once. Heysham’s port car park is first come, first served at TT, and Douglas’s Bottleneck car park closes for the fortnight.

When you ride off in Douglas, remember the island’s roads are working to a TT timetable. The course may be closed, and the Mountain Road will be one-way from Ramsey. Read riding the TT course before you set off anywhere.

The honest bit