Bermuda Island Tours By Minibus
There are many ways to explore Bermuda on a road transport. While the public buses and ferries are excellent and can take you to virtually every place within the island, sometimes you may like to avoid the headache of planning every details of your tour. This is when guided tours on mini buses, vans and other road transports become the best mode, particularly if you are with your family or in a small group of your own. These group tours operate on per person rate although you can also charter a tour for your own private group which will require a minimum group size or payment.
Overland tours on road cover either one part of the island, like the east, central parishes or the west, or the entire island. The full island tour in a minibus or van covering most of the key attractions takes about 6 hours. Such tours will break for lunch or snacks on the way, or sometimes include a picnic lunch as part of the cost. For private chartered tours, you can customize your own tours.
In the following section I have described the operators offering some of the best sightseeing tours in Bermuda by minibus, vans and other road transports. They operate both on sharing basis with per person rates and also on private charters. In either case, the tours usually require some minimum number of persons to operate.
Rates by Viator
Bermudaful Island Tours
Operated by Jonathan, he has two air-conditioned and spacious minibuses. He himself and Bootsy are the two drivers who double up as excellent guides. On the way, they will fill you with lots of information about the island including its history and culture, and of course about the sites that you visit.
These island tours operate out of the Royal Naval Dockyard and you will find them next to the cruise piers. There are two island tours offered... one is a half day tour (for about 3 hours) and the other is a full day tour that lasts for about 5 hours.
The 3-hour tour passes by the quaint Somerset Village, the
Somerset Bridge which is the world's smallest drawbridge, and then stops at
Scaur Hill Fort Park (the fort was built in 1870s by the British to safeguard the Royal Naval Dockyard),
Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, a pink sandy beach,
Southlands Park and at Flatts Village where you can see the rescued sea turtles outside Bermuda Aquarium. The tour also passes through Hamilton City showing you the main landmarks in the capital and commercial hub of Bermuda.
The full-day tour is more immersive... other than what you see in the half-day tour, it has additional stops. The full-day tour usually has four stops... Gibbs Hill Lighthouse (in Southampton),
John Smith's Bay Beach (in Smith's Parish),
St. George (the historical town of Bermuda and the UNESCO World Heritage Site), and
Hamilton City. Both tours finally return to the Royal Naval Dockyard (at the meeting point).
Bermudaful Island Tours by minibus are among the very few relatively cheap group tours in Bermuda and offer good value for money... the guides are well-mannered, cheerful and very knowledgeable.
Rates by Viator
Kevin offers full island tours by his air-conditioned minibus which is quite spacious. He is quite knowledgeable and you will get to know a lot about the island and its history while touring around. The tour includes many photo ops and visits to the main highlights of Bermuda. The tour lasts for about 6-7 hours including a stop for lunch.
This tour also operates out of the dockyard and offers ample opportunities to visit a number of important landmarks, sites and attractions across the island.
The tour stops at Heydon Trust Chapel (the smallest chapel in Bermuda built in 1620), Fort Scaur (The parkland has lovely vistas), Somerset Bridge, Hamilton City (for about 30 minutes... you can walk down the Front Street which is the main shopping street in Bermuda), Bermuda Aquarium, St. George's Town (for 45 minutes and you can visit the town square, historic churches such as the St. Peter's Church). The tour returns via picturesque Tucker's Town, and then gets into the South Road where you can see lovely south shore beaches. The final stop is usually at Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. Go through the above link for details of the tour.
This is a great full island tour of Bermuda in a small minibus which can accommodate up to 10 passengers. Guided by the owner herself, this tour lasts for about 5 hours covering eastern, central and western parishes taking you through some of the key tourist attractions of the island. The tour includes picnic lunch and operates on per person rate.
Shore excursions on air-conditioned buses with capacity of 15 and 30. Group tours operate on per person rate. The tour company is owned and run by the Bermudian lady Juanita Jones, an ex police officer.
For a group of up to 15, they provide a great option for touring Bermuda in their Toyota mini buses. They offer 3-hour and 6-hour set sightseeing tours of the island, dine around tours and shopping tours. They also provide airport pickups and drops, wedding transportation, drop and pickup service for golf courses, and arrange for any special request even for large groups.
Flexi Transport Services Ltd.
This company was established in 2011 with the objective of providing tour and shuttle services in Bermuda. The company is owned and managed by a local Bermudian Douglas Outerbridge. If your cruise ship is docked at Royal Naval Dockyard, then you will find their tour minibuses right there departing daily for island sightseeing tour. This tour operates on a per person rate. If you are docked at Hamilton or St. George's port or staying at a hotel, then they can arrange for a sightseeing tour for your group or offer a group shuttle service.
Their standard tour that operates from the Dockyard (for cruise passengers docked at Kings or Heritage Wharf), takes you to Hamilton City and then to St. George located at the eastern end of the island. On the way they show you Somerset Bridge - the smallest drawbridge of the world, the historic British fort known as Fort Scaur that was built in 1870s. In Hamilton, you can do some leisure shopping before proceeding to the historic town of St. George where you can visit St. Peter's Church - the oldest continually used Anglican church in the western hemisphere, and many other historical sites. You can take your lunch at St. George at a waterfront restaurant. While returning, they visit a few south shore beaches with lovely pink sandy beaches.
They also offer customized tours for your group including visits to several attractions that are not covered in the standard tour such as Crystal & Fantasy Caves, Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo, swimming in hidden caves or at a beach of your choice, doing cliff jumping, dining at a restaurant of your choice, etc.
Their fleet includes several minibuses that are fully air-conditioned and maintained very well. All the buses include PA systems that are used by the knowledgeable drivers to tell you stories about the island's history and culture.
Contact info:
Phone: +1 441-505-7690
There are two separate minibus services, one for the fringe of St. George covering a number of beaches and historical attractions like forts and churches, while the other one for St. Davids covering beaches, bars and historical places. Both services loop around the attractions and return to town square. You can buy a day ticket for a service and hop on and hop off the minibus at any stop along the circuit during the day and visit the attractions. Update: Routes shortened.
Beeline Transport
They are one of the oldest transport operators in Bermuda and offers complete transportation management services. Their buses can accommodate large groups. The services include Group Transportation, Group Tours (Sightseeing and Dine Around), Airport Shuttles, and catering to any special requirement. They also offer airport receiving and luggage handling services. Phone: (441) 293-0303; Email:
[email protected]
Postal Address: Beeline Transport Ltd., P. O BOX HM 2270, Hamilton, Bermuda HM JX.
Titan Express
Titan Express Ltd is a minibus transportation and tour company. They have 4 air-conditioned buses which are new and hold seating up to 24 on each bus. Other than free wifi, they accept Visa and Master Credit Cards for payment. While they organize island tours (including Day and Night tours, Pub Crawls, Party Bus etc), they can also handle transfers and transportation of large private groups between any points in the island. Call: (441) 234-1096; Email:
[email protected]
They offer guided sightseeing tours of Bermuda in their mini buses. The minibus has a capacity of 20. The set tours include Eastern Parishes and Western Parishes tours each for 3 hours duration. They also offer personalized tours for private groups. The guides are certified by Department of Tourism and have great knowledge of the island.
This is a mini bus tour and service run by the veteran Bermudian Michal Tucker. The mini buses take groups of up to 12 including couples. He offers island tours (5 hour and 3 hour), dining and shopping tours, beach and Eco tours etc. In a group tour the charges are on a per person basis. A private tour can also be booked (minimum 2 hours booking required). The experienced drivers also double up as guides.
Train Trolley Tours and Others
Train Trolleys are mini train like vehicles that move on wheels and on roads. The tours operate in Dockyard area, Hamilton City and St George. These are usually one-hour tours, operate on per person rates and take you around several attractions in the area while giving a running audio commentary. So you can sit back, relax and enjoy the ride while visiting the tourist attractions. These tours are run by private companies.
Photo: Bermuda Train Company
These tours are not in a Bus, car or a van ... but you do ride an amazing machine to move around effortlessly and see some great places like Dockyard and St. George. It's fun and terrific! Find out how.
A bus which is also a boat (Also known as The Duck Tour) X No longer in operation
They offer a 45-minute scheduled tour on an amphibious vehicle that can move on both land and water. It's a bus with a capacity of 40 that doubles as a boat. You will be able to experience both land based and water based attractions.
Find and Book Guided Tours
Select and book from a range of guided island tours using Viator (World's #1 online tour service).
Rates by Viator
|
 By Raj Bhattacharya
Raj, a seasoned travel writer and Bermuda destination expert, has extensive global travel experience. This website reflects his profound insights, garnered over nearly two decades of dedicated findings and research on the island. Raj has assisted countless Bermuda-bound visitors by providing direct, personalized responses to their queries and imparting his wealth of knowledge through this platform. This site serves as an indispensable guide for those seeking informed and reliable insights into Bermuda's treasures.
|
Related Articles
|
Visitors' Reviews and Comments
Pat Atkin (September 2018)
I have been trying to contact Beeline Transport for months with no luck regarding their airport shuttle service. Are they still on the go?
Docysy (September 2013)
Dear Raj, Excellent information. Will be traveling in October 2013 with RCL. We have a family of six, including grandparents, and 3 year old and 8 month old children. Is there any minivan service for smaller group or is it better to take a regular taxi? Thank you in advance.
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) September 2013
Hi, A 6-passenger taxi will be the most economical option for your group. Take a Blue Flag taxi (which has a driver certified as a tour guide). Another great option is to take the mini bus of Byways (which accommodates 6-8 persons). Although Heidi (the owner) offers a set tour of the island, you can always customize that. She will pick you up and drop you at the dockyard. Regards,
|
