Bermuda City Guide

Bermuda is a British overseas territory comprising an archipelago of approximately 200 coral islands and islets located at a distance of 650 miles from the east coast of America on the western edge of the Sargasso Sea.

Bermuda was discovered in 1505 by Spanish navigator Juan de Bermúdez after whom this island paradise is named. It was settled by the English in 1609 and continues to remain Britain’s oldest overseas territory.

The island of Bermuda down the ages has been known as the ‘Isle of Devils’ as it has been associated with a large number of shipwrecks, many of which have been attributed to the mysterious existence of a phenomenon known as the ‘Bermuda Triangle’. However in spite of this association, Bermuda’s close proximity and easy accessibility from Florida has made this gorgeous island territory of pink sand beaches, azure seas and old colonial towns a popular stop of the cruise ship route.

It is estimated that nearly 200,000 visitors go for Bermuda vacations every year. Though apart from tourism, Bermuda is also an important center for high finance since it has an extremely advantageous tax system that attracts corporate entities to set up shop in the territory. It is, in fact, believed that Bermuda is one of the richest countries per capita in the world.

The main territory of Bermuda extends over 20 miles and consists of seven main islands that are connected by causeways and bridges. This island nation is further divided into nine parishes, which are named after various English towns and counties.

Bermuda’s diverse accommodation choices are located throughout its entire territory, though it does have a concentration of luxury hotels in cities and towns like its capital, Hamilton, which is a quaint colonial city and in the town of St George, which is located on the east end of the island and offers numerous attractions including museums, shops, art galleries and restaurants.

Other popular choices for vacationers to Bermuda include areas like King’s Wharf, which is the converted Royal Naval dockyard area and areas like Horseshoe Bay and Warwick Long Bay, which are known for their pink sand powdery beaches and are located within the parish of Warwick on the south-western coast of the island.

If you are vacationing to Bermuda with your children, then you must include the Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo in your places-to-see list. The Bermuda Aquarium hosts over 200 species of fish and other marine life including coral reefs while its zoo is home to over 300 species of birds, mammals and reptiles that hail from the islands. The museum offers enclosures like The South American Aviary, the Friends of Madagascar, the Islands of the Caribbean and more.

Bermuda’s Natural History Museum is also located close to the Aquarium and zoo complex. It is worth a visit for it offers exhibits that highlight the geological formation and ecological development of the island.

The Bermuda Maritime Museum is located within the old fortress of the Royal Naval Dockyard on the western end of the island extending over six acres and offering eight buildings full of exhibits that chronicle island’s 500 years of maritime history. This is another ‘must-visit-place’ for Bermuda vacations if you are visiting Bermuda with your kids.

The museum has displays of canons though it also has an enclave for dolphins (the Dolphin quest) which offers interactive shows that feature dolphins as well as a chance to swim with these friendly marine creatures.

Once, the place where Bermuda Railway Trail is located host the railway line that connected the cities located on the island’s eastern and western sides. Today, the Bermuda Railway Trail is a public walking path that hosts walkers, bikers and horse-riders. The 21 mile long trail offers a great way to explore the splendid natural environs of Bermuda along with its flora and fauna.

The Bermuda Snorkel Park is located at King’s Wharf or the Royal Naval Dockyard. This snorkel park offers a wide range of water sporting activities along with a beach bar and a restaurant.

This church is believed to be the oldest Anglican church in the Western hemisphere and features a décor that is stunning in its simplicity adorned. It features many rough-hewn pillars, exposed cedar beams and candlelit chandeliers.

The church is located at St George and was built in 1615 under the supervision of Bermuda’s first governor Richard Moore on the site of a far simpler structure that stood here previously. The church was extended in 1713 to include a tower and outer wings were designed to hold worshippers of African descent. The church is the oldest piece of woodwork in Bermuda.

The Gibbs Hill Lighthouse stands atop a hill in the Southampton Parish of Bermuda. This 117 feet tall lighthouse is the oldest cast iron lighthouse in the world and was built in 1846. The lighthouse affords great views of Bermuda from its summit, but you have to climb 185 steps in order to access this summit to get these views. You should visit the lighthouse during Bermuda vacations for a bite of history and glorious architecture.

Bermuda has a long legacy of slavery that dates back more than 200 years to the early 1600’s. Slavery continued in Bermuda until the year 1834 when it was finally abolished. In 2001, the Bermuda Department of Tourism and the African Diaspora created a trail that traced the legacy of slavery in Bermuda with the aim of preserving the heritage and culture of the African Diaspora. This trail now includes many sights and monuments located all over the island marked with bronze plaques. The African Diaspora Heritage Trail is a designated UNESCO Slave Route Project.

Bermuda has a year round amenable climate as it is warmed by the westerly winds of the nearby Gulf Stream. This island territory experiences a subtropical climate with no real extremes of hot or cold weather though it does experience a hurricane season that extends from June to November.

The winter months in Bermuda are characterized by average highs of approximately 68°F (20°C) while the summers are usually warmer at around 86°F (30°C).

Peak Bermuda vacation time, like most of the Caribbean, tends to extend from December to April, and hotel rates during this season tend to be sky-high.

However if you do hotel booking with Fare Buzz, you can be assured of the best hotel rates at any time of the year. We manage such feat due to the special relationship shared with over10,000 hotel properties around the world.

Unless you want to cruise to Bermuda, you would want to try our extensive inventory of cheap air tickets accessible instantly through our platform. Cruising is another attractive option for people looking to have fun in the azure waters.

Once you have reached the city, moving around is not difficult. The public transport system in Bermuda is largely made up of public buses and commuter ferries, which operate from the ferry terminal in Hamilton.

Bermuda’s bus service operates on eleven routes and serves the entire island community. Cars were not allowed in Bermuda until 1946, today even though residents in Bermuda are allowed to own and drive cars, visitors to Bermuda are not allowed to rent cars or operate any four or more wheeled vehicle on Bermuda’s roads given the island’s small size and its dense population.

Moreover, foreign driving licenses are not recognized in Bermuda. Even disabled and handicapped visitors cannot bring their motorized vehicles into Bermuda; though visitors are allowed to rent low powered scooters and use the island’s many taxis to meet their transportation needs.

Bermuda is a small island nation but offers ample shopping opportunities at its many stores and boutiques where visitors can find many treasures including luxe items. The main shopping enclaves in Bermuda are concentrated around Front Street in Hamilton and around Cecile Town in St George.

Shopping in Bermuda is not about quantity but about quality. However, since the island is a British territory, it continues to have a colony-like arrangement with Great Britain wherein certain goods that it imports from Britain and Ireland like fine china, crystal, and cashmere sweaters and tweed jackets cost less in Bermuda than what they would cost in the country of origin and in the US.

Visitors to Bermuda often buy antiques, fine tableware, porcelain, crystal, silverware, jewelry, timepieces, and perfume on their shopping jaunts around the island though they also make it a point to take home typical Bermuda souvenirs, which include Bermuda shorts, silk scarves, watches, commemorative coins, carriage bells, decorative flower plates by Spode and shark’s teeth polished and mounted in 14 K gold.

Bermuda offers a wide range of restaurants, though many tourists think that the prices charged by most restaurants in Bermuda are quite high compared to similar restaurants back home.

While some tourists in Bermuda opt for cooking their own meals; others venture out and sample the many Bermudan eateries like Mickey’s Beach Bistro and Bar, the Swizzle Inn on Bailey’s bay or its sibling establishment on the South shore, the Barracuda Grill, Ascots Restaurant in Pembroke and Waterlot Inn in Southampton. In fact, these are some places that you must explore during your trip to Bermuda.

Bermuda’s many hotels offer various kinds of bars, pubs with game rooms, live music venues and dance clubs that keep revelers rocking until the wee hours of the morning. However, the island offers various nightlife venues located outside hotels and include joints like the Frog and Onion Pub, Light Nightclub at the Whitehorse, Latin (nightclub), the Pickled Onion restaurant and bar and others.