Bermuda 6 Day Itinerary

Bermuda 6-Day Itinerary

Don’t plan on renting a car here, because you can’t. Bermuda bans standard car rentals for visitors outright, a law that’s been in place for decades to keep the island’s narrow roads from choking on traffic; your options are mopeds, scooters, a small two-seat electric “twizy” style vehicle if you hold a valid home license, taxis, or the bus and ferry network. Budget for that reality before you land, since it shapes every day below.

Day 1: Arrival and Hamilton City

  • Land at L.F. Wade International Airport, which sits out in St. George’s Parish at the island’s northeastern tip, not in Hamilton Parish as older guides sometimes claim; Hamilton, the capital, is a good 11 kilometres southwest.
  • The number 11 bus runs from the airport into Hamilton’s Central Bus Terminal roughly every 20 minutes for around 3 dollars and takes about 33 minutes, though it’s a rough ride with luggage since buses here aren’t built for suitcases. A taxi is the easier call straight off a long flight.
  • In Hamilton, the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute and the Botanical Gardens are both worth an hour each, and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club’s waterfront is a pleasant walk even without stepping inside.
  • Lunch at a local Hamilton restaurant serving fish chowder with the traditional splash of black rum and sherry peppers, a genuinely Bermudian dish rather than a tourist invention.
  • Horseshoe Bay Beach in the evening light, with its pink-tinted sand from crushed coral and shell, is one of the most photographed beaches on the island, and it’s far quieter after 5pm once the cruise-ship crowds head back to their ships.
  • Overnight in Hamilton or near Horseshoe Bay.

Day 2: St. George’s and the Eastern Parishes

  • St. George’s, the original English settlement in Bermuda and a UNESCO World Heritage town since 2000, is worth the trip back out near the airport; the old streets, St. Peter’s Church, one of the oldest continuously used Anglican churches in the Western Hemisphere, the Old State House, and the Unfinished Church are all walkable from each other.
  • Ferries and short water taxis connect St. George’s to nearby beaches; Tobacco Bay is the better-known snorkeling spot in this part of the island, with calm, reef-sheltered water good for beginners.
  • Drive or taxi around the Eastern Parishes to St. David’s Island and its lighthouse, a quieter, more local stretch of the island that most cruise-ship day-trippers never reach.
  • Overnight in Hamilton or near Horseshoe Bay.

Day 3: Somerset Village and South Shore Beaches

  • Somerset, out toward the island’s west end, has a slower, more residential feel; the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo is actually located over in Flatts Village on the way, not in Somerset itself, so plan the stop accordingly if it’s on the list.
  • Spend the afternoon at Elbow Beach in Paget Parish, one of the calmer South Shore beaches and a good alternative once Horseshoe Bay’s crowds build up.
  • Dinner at a local Hamilton or Paget restaurant doing Bermudian classics, cassava pie around the holidays, otherwise fresh rockfish or wahoo, both far better indicators of the island’s food scene than a generic hotel menu.
  • Overnight in Hamilton or near Horseshoe Bay.

Day 4: Royal Naval Dockyard

  • The ferry from Hamilton out to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Sandys Parish is the most scenic way to make this trip, cutting across the Great Sound rather than the longer road route.
  • The National Museum of Bermuda, housed in the old Keep fortress, covers the island’s maritime and naval history properly, and is genuinely one of the better small museums in the Caribbean and Atlantic region. Dolphin Quest runs interactive dolphin programs on site if that’s of interest, though it’s a separate paid booking from the museum.
  • A glass-bottom boat tour out of the Dockyard area passes over several of the roughly 300 documented shipwrecks scattered around Bermuda’s reefs, a legacy of the same treacherous coral that has wrecked ships here since the 1500s.
  • Dinner at a restaurant in the Dockyard’s converted dockside buildings, which have been steadily rebuilt into a proper dining and shopping strip over the last decade.
  • Overnight near the Dockyard or head back to Hamilton.

Day 5: The West End and Central Parishes

  • Jobson’s Cove, a small, almost fully enclosed cove near Warwick Long Bay, is one of the calmest swimming spots on the South Shore, sheltered enough for families with young kids.
  • Gibbs Hill Lighthouse in Southampton is one of the oldest cast-iron lighthouses in the world still in operation; the climb to the top is worth it for the panoramic view over the South Shore reefs.
  • Crystal Caves, in Hamilton Parish despite the day’s western theme, is worth a detour: guided tours run through both Crystal Cave and the adjoining Fantasy Cave over a floodlit underground lake, about 24 dollars for one cave or 35 for both, with tours departing every half hour and walk-ins welcome outside busy periods.
  • Overnight in Hamilton or near Horseshoe Bay.

Day 6: Departure

  • Spend the morning shopping on Front Street in Hamilton or back at the Dockyard’s shops for last-minute Bermudian rum cake, black rum, or local artwork.
  • Head to L.F. Wade International Airport with real buffer time built in, since it’s a taxi or bus ride out to St. George’s Parish from wherever you’re staying, not a quick hop from central Hamilton.

Things to know:

  1. Road signage blends British and American conventions, and driving, or being driven, is on the left, which catches out visitors used to American rules even as a passenger judging distances.
  2. English is the official language, with a distinct Bermudian dialect and accent that leans partly British, partly Caribbean.
  3. The Bermudian Dollar is pegged one-to-one with the US Dollar, and US cash is accepted everywhere without any need to exchange currency.
  4. Tipping runs 15 to 20 percent at restaurants and for taxis, similar to US norms, and many restaurants already add a service charge, so check the bill before tipping twice.
  5. Visitors from the US, Canada, the UK and most EU countries don’t need a visa for short tourist stays, but confirm current entry requirements against your specific passport before travel, since rules do shift.
  6. Carry local or US cash for smaller vendors and beach-side stands, since card acceptance thins out away from Hamilton and the Dockyard.
  7. Dial 911 for police or medical emergencies, the same number used across North America.