Travel and Tourism Information

Travel - International

AIR

Bermuda has no national airline, but British Airways operates regular weekly flights to and from London Gatwick and Bermuda. Other airlines serving Bermuda include Air Canada, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta, Iberia, United and US Airways.

International Airports

Bermuda International (BDA) (website: www.bermudaairport.com), is 15km (9 miles) from Hamilton (travel time – 25 minutes). To/from the airport: Pre-arranged transportation is available by Bee-Line Transportation and Bermuda Hosts (buses) meet all arrivals. Taxis are also available. Facilities: Duty free shops, cafes, bar and bureaux de change. Duty free goods may also be purchased in town shops for collection at the airport on departure.

SEA

The Main ports: The traditional port is the City of Hamilton, the capital and the most commercial area on the Island. Many ships tie up in the Town of St George, where you walk off the vessel into a charming town of 17th century buildings, narrow lanes, and small boutiques. The West End, Bermuda’s third port of call, is fast becoming the preferred place to be. Its Royal Naval Dockyard, an erstwhile shipyard that was the British Royal Navy’s headquarters until March 1995, has been beautifully restored as a mini-village. Facilities: Shops, restaurants, a maritime museum, an art gallery, and a crafts market. Cruises operate in the summer months of April to October and suspend services during the winter.

Travel - Internal

SEA

Ferries run on a regular daily schedule across Hamilton Harbour and to points on the West End and East, and May through November between the City of Hamilton, RN Dockyard and Town of St George (website: www.seaexpress.bm).

ROAD

The main island has an extensive road network, but foreign visitors may not drive cars in Bermuda. Motorcycles and scooters may be hired (see below). Caution should be taken as many roads are narrow and winding. Outside main urban areas, there is also little street lighting. The speed limit is 35kph (20mph) and traffic drives on the left.
Bus: Buses are modern, frequent and punctual. Bermuda’s state-run buses (painted pink and blue) are a pleasant and inexpensive way to visit points of interest. The trip from the city of Hamilton to the town of St George, the northeastern tip of Bermuda, takes about 30 minutes, with the ride from the city of Hamilton to the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda’s southernmost point, taking about 45 minutes. It is essential to have the correct fare in coins. A route and schedule map is available free, and books of tickets are available at sub-post offices with transportation passes available for one-, three-, four- and seven-days' unlimited use on both buses and ferries.

Taxi: All taxis are metered with Government-set rates, with a surcharge after midnight; there is a maximum of four passengers per taxi. Blue Flag taxi drivers are qualified guides approved by the Bermuda Department of Tourism. Taxis displaying small blue flags are driven by qualified guides approved by the Department of Tourism. A 25 per cent surcharge operates between midnight and 0600.

Carriages: Horse-drawn carriages are available in the city of Hamilton and the town of St George.

Motorcycle/bicycle hire: Lightweight motor-assisted bicycles (‘livery cycles’) may be hired throughout the island; a driver's licence is not required for this. Crash helmets must be worn. Third party insurance is compulsory. Bicycles can also be hired from some liveries.

Resorts & Excursions

HAMILTON

The colony's capital city, situated at the end of Bermuda's Great Sound on the inner curve of the 'fish hook' is an interesting place to explore. Here, between Parliament Street and Court Street, is the Cabinet Building where the Senate - the Upper House of Bermuda's Parliament - meets. The Lower Chamber of Parliament is housed in the Sessions House in Hamilton and is open to the public. Front Street is Hamilton's main street which runs along the water's edge from Albuoy's Point, site of the Ferrydock and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, to King Street in the east. Located on Queen Street in Hamilton is Perot's Post Office. The Perot stamp, Bermuda's first postage stamp, was printed by Bermuda's Postmaster from 1818 to 1862. In the summer months there are usually up to three cruise ships moored at the city's piers. Ferry trips are available round Hamilton Harbour, and also longer cruises to Great Sound and the rural village of Somerset. The restored 19th-century Fort Hamilton welcomes visitors to its formidable ramparts, cannon, underground web of limestone tunnels and spectacular view of Hamilton. In Hamilton parish is the Bermuda Aquarium, Natural History Museum and Zoo, based at Flatts Village

ELSEWHERE

In Somerset, on the western end of the island, Fort Scaur is a good place to picnic, fish, swim and enjoy the panoramic view of the picturesque Great Sound.

At the far eastern end of the chain of islands is the 17th-century town of St George, Bermuda's first capital, founded in 1612. It has been the focus of considerable recent restoration; today, the town's narrow winding lanes and historic landmarks appear much as they did more than three centuries ago. At the corner of Duke of Clarence Street and Featherbed Alley is a working model of a 17th-century printing press. Also to be seen are the Confederate Museum, a hotel for Confederate officers during America's Civil War; the Stocks & Pillory; and the replica of the 'Deliverance', one of Bermuda's first ships. St George also has many excellent pubs, restaurants and shops.

Gates Fort, which dates back to 1620, is built on a promontory overlooking the sea and offers a spectacular view of the ocean and harbour. Nearby is Fort St Catherine, built in 1622, the largest and one of the most fascinating of the island's fortifications.

At the very tip of Bermuda, on the western side, is Ireland Island, with a Maritime Museum which displays relics of sunken wrecks and the neo-classical buildings of the Royal Naval Dockyard.

Two of the best known caves are Crystal Caves and Leamington Caves, made up of sprawling underground systems and crystalline tidal pools. They are open daily in season.

The best view of the island is from Gibb's Hill Lighthouse, in Southampton parish.

Two notable churches on the island include Old Devonshire Church and St Peter's Church, on Duke of York Street in old St George.

Everywhere on the island there are circles of stone, called Moongates, a design brought to Bermuda in the 1800s by a sea captain who had seen them on a voyage to China. Oriental legend has it that honeymooners should walk through them and make a wish.