Bermuda: One Week

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Last Updated on September 13, 2023 by Amy

We visited Bermuda via our sailboat, making a pit stop for provisioning and a break from the Atlantic Ocean. While there, we had four of our friends come to stay with us. The two couples, Jacky and John and Brownyn and Tony, are close friends of ours.

Where to Stay in Bermuda

Transportation around Bermuda is pretty easy, so don’t feel that by staying in one location, you’ll miss out on another.

Hamilton

Hamilton is the capital and biggest city of Bermuda, but it is still quite small. Although it only has a little over a thousand inhabitants, it feels like more: Hamilton is a big port, with cruise ships coming and going, plus the regular tourists.

While we stayed in St George’s, we went to Hamilton a few times for day trips.

St George’s

St George’s is even smaller and quieter. This is where we stayed. There are plenty of tourists here, but it’s more of a historic area. In fact, St George’s is the oldest continuously-inhabited settlement in the Americas (St. John’s and Jamestown were seasonal).

Getting Around Bermuda

The bus system is pretty great.  You can buy a sheet of 15 tickets for $25 (3 zones) or $37.50 (14 zones).  The 14-zone tickets will get you all the way to Hamilton, the main city, just $2.50 per trip.

Hamilton to St George’s is just a 35-minute bus ride.

The airport, L.F. Wade International Airport, is only 3.5 miles from St George’s or 9.5 miles from Hamilton. Taxi fares are roughly $15 and $30, respectively.

Bermuda Bus Routes & Maps

Things to do in Bermuda

Snorkeling

While Bermuda is certainly not the best snorkeling I’ve ever done (by a long shot), it’s still nice to get out into the water.

Tobacco Bay

This is supposed to be one of the best snorkeling locations. It’s near St. George’s, where we were staying, so we took the short hike (.8km) over to Tabacco Bay and arrived there around 4. We all dove into the cold water and snorkeled around the rocks. The water was cloudy, so we were less than impressed with the view. We did bring cheez-it’s and feed the fish and saw a few LARGE parrotfish.

Other Options

Bermuda 4 U – Snorkeling

Go To Bermuda – Where to go Snorkeling in Bermuda

St George

Definitely spend some time just walking around Sta George’s. We walked up and over to St Catherine’s Fort, and then we walked around the island, stopping at overlooks, forts, and beaches. The road itself wasn’t terribly nice; we passed the dairy farm and all the related smells, but it was a lovely day and we enjoyed the time outdoors.

Hamilton

We went over to Hamilton a few times, once while our friends were visiting. We did some shopping, dining, and walking around the city.

Go Fishing

One of our guests, John, is a big fisherman. While in Hamilton, he picked up some light tackle fishing rods, and we fished off our boat in St George’s. We were catching a lot of fish, mostly snappers, which were too small to keep. We did land three large enough – two snappers and a grey triggerfish – and John showed me how to fillet them.

Crystal & Fantasy Caves

One of our favorite stops was the Crystal & Fantasy Caves. These underground caves were spectacular!  Discovered in 1907, the cave system is huge and even includes an underground lake.

We actually enjoyed the Fantasy Cave more than the Crystal Cave (which probably had to do with our amazing guide and the smaller group size). We definitely recommend visiting them.

The grounds themselves are also very nice, with large grassy areas and tropical vegetation. We stopped at the ice cream stand next door before heading back to St George’s.

South Shore Beaches

From St George’s, we took the bus to Hamilton, stopped for lunch, and then took another bus to Warick Long Bay.  We were in search of pink sand beaches on the South Shore.

Unfortunately, during our lunch, the weather turned and became gray and rainy.  We soldiered on anyway and enjoyed the view of the beach, rocks, and waves, even if it was only for a short walk.

I would definitely go back to explore the South Shore.

Dining out in St George

White Horse Pub became our spot for pub food and a casual vibe. The building the pub resides in dates back to the 1700s, and White Horse opened in 1930.

We had a fabulous fine-dining experience at Tempest Bistro.

The original Swizzle Inn is Bermuda’s oldest pub and it serves the national drink: a Rum Swizzle. We went for a last lunch with our friends at the Swizzle Inn and watched the World Cup Rugby game.

Watch the Video:  Bermuda Bound