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Hi, We are very close to booking our cruise, and I have two pieces of information that I would like to obtain. We have one full day in Bermuda. Which is the name of the best beach/ geography tour you can personally recommend? I want to make sure we see the pink sand! How do we hook up with the beach tours? Also.. the next day the ship sails at 12:00 noon. What could we possibly do? It doesn't seem wise to stray too far from the ship.
We are planning to see the Royal Naval Dockyard as you've suggested, the afternoon we dock @ 3:30. Do we take a bus from the dock to the Royal Naval Dockyard? How late do the busses run in order to get back to the ship each evening? Thanks for your help with all of this.. Never having been, it will truly be very helpful.
Barbara White (August 2012)
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Hi, Check out the following links for some nice tours of the beaches + island. Consider the western parishes tour as that includes some of the great south shore beaches of Bermuda and will be closer to the dockyard. If you want to spend the whole day touring, then you may combine the eastern parishes tour as well that includes St. George's Town, a UNESCO world heritage site which is steeped in history. This is where the first settlement began in Bermuda in early 1600s.
Kings Wharf is located within the Royal Naval Dockyard complex itself. So you can just walk around and visit the attractions within the dockyard. You can alternatively take a train trolley tour (a small train on wheels that runs on road). It starts from the cruise pier and takes you around the Royal Naval Dockyard complex. It also provides an on-board audio commentary giving descriptions of the places it passes by.
On your last day, you don't seem to have much time. So either explore the dockyard complex further, or make it to a south shore beach early in the morning and come back by 11am. Bus #7 goes by most of the south shore beaches like Horseshoe bay, Church bay, Warwick long bay etc. Alternatively you can take a taxi and visit the Daniel's Head Beach and Park (12-15 minutes drive). It's a serene beautiful place great for swimming and snorkeling, and not much known to the tourists. While returning from Daniel's head, you can walk back to the main road and catch bus #7 or 8 back to the dockyard.
Regards,
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) August 2012
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First of all: thank you very much for the great information! It is very helpful. We are coming to Bermuda in mid October and our ship will be in King's Wharf. I would like to go to the Crystal Cave with my son, and afterwards take Lunch or a snack. Then we would like to see a beach. Preferably Elbow Beach, maybe John Smith Bay or Horseshoe.
According to the bus and ferry schedules the ferry arrives 5 minutes after the bus both in Hamilton and St. George. Is there another possibility to save time and come to the cave more quickly? We only have 8 hours in Bermuda. Do you think the program we are planning is realistic in that short amount of time?
Marie Funken (September 2012)
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Hi,
The only other way of reaching the caves faster is to come to Hamilton by ferry and then take a taxi (about 15-20 minutes).
Your program is doable, however time your visits to the caves and beach properly. Also plan to take a quick lunch. Visiting Elbow beach or Horseshoe bay beach would require that you come to Hamilton and transfer to bus #7. Then continue on the same bus route to reach the dockyard. The entire bus ride from caves to the dockyard itself would take close to 1.5 hours. So I suggest you visit John Smiths or Shelly bay which are closer to the caves. Plan to come back to Hamilton or St George and take a ferry back. That would be fastest.
Always target to reach back to the cruise ship at least 1 hour prior to its departure. Note that there are lots of attractions within the dockyard itself including the National museum in a fort, a beach (Snorkel Park), dolphin center, Clocktower Mall etc. So even if you comeback early, you can still go around the dockyard and visit some of these attractions.
Regards,
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) September 2012
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Hi Raj,
first of all, thank you so much, you are a great help in making my mind constructed travel plans more realistic.
Would it also be possible to take a taxi from St. George to the caves? Would that safe time, too? Going through the map it seemed easy to go from the cave to Hamilton by line 1 and then change to line 7 and drop off the bus for Elbow Beach and later take the bus further to dockyard. Or for the way back taking line 7 leading the other direction, back to Hamilton, and taking the ferry. There I wonder which is the faster and/ or more beautiful route. If I plan like that, what amount of time should I consider for lunch, and beach?
Another thing I was wondering about was, if it really gets that crowded at the ferry terminal being in line for a day pass. Is it really true, that the bus leaves five minutes before the ferry?
Thank your very much for your quick and easy response and your help
Regards
Marie Funken (October 2012)
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Hi Marie,
You get taxis from St George as well. If you need to wait for a bus, then a taxi would save time. Otherwise take the bus.
The bus routes are well laid out and it's easy to reach a place by bus if you know the route #. So taking bus #1, 3, 10 or 11 from the caves to Hamilton and then changing to #7 is easily doable. But it's the time that you need to watch out for. Bus #7 takes the most scenic route along the south shore beaches. If you decide to go to Elbow and Horseshoe bay beach after the caves, you can plan to spend about 1 hr 15 mins in each, and 30-40 minutes for lunch. But start the day early. You may be able to spend some more time in Horseshoe beach depending on how quickly you are able to get the buses.
I suggest you go through the bus and ferry schedule thoroughly and understand the timings. They run independently and at their own frequency. I don't know which day of the week you arrive. Note that the frequency on the week ends is low compared to the week days. Also the orange route ferry between Dockyard and St George has limited runs (6 times a day) and operates only from Monday to Friday.
There can be a long queue at the Visitors Info Center at the Dockyard (Kings Wharf area) for the pass/tickets. That's the first thing every cruise passenger wants to get.
Regards,
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) October 2012
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Hi Raj,
..Yes, I have studied the bus schedule. According to the schedule the bus leaves St. George once every hour at :52. There will be half an hour waiting time from the ferry arrival to the departure of the bus in St. George. The orange ferry leaves Dockyard 9:45 am and takes 35 min. to St. George. The arrival of the ferry would be 10:10 am; departure of bus 10:52 am. I don't know how long the bus takes from St. George to the caves. As I could imagine St. George is quite nice, so half an hour waiting time might not be the worst and a chance to look around historic downtown.
As I have gotten more familiar with the islands beauty while studying the possibilities I came to the conclusion to leave the exact plan open to the real circumstances and stay flexible and keep to the module principle. If one thing doesn't work I'll take over to doing another. It was fun getting to know Bermuda theoretically. It will be the most fun to come and visit.
Thank you very much for your help, it is really appreciated!
Regards,
Marie Funken (October 2012)
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We will be at dockyard, take bus 7 to horseshoe bay at 7am ish. Stay there till 10am. take bus 7 to lighthouse, eat at Henry VIII. (can we walk there from lighthouse?) then take bus to Maritime Museum (at dockyard). from there at 2pm take ferry to St. George. Once there should we take taxi to crystal caves? then can we walk to swizzle inn? From there we would like to see St. George. should we take taxi to St. Peter's church and St. Catherine's fort? and which order should we visit them. from there we are going to Hamilton. How should we travel there.? thanks. :-)
Chantele Biondi (March 2014)
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Hi,
You can walk from Gibbs Hill Lighthouse to Henry VIII (about 400 meters). From St George you can take bus #1 or 3 for Crystal Cave. From the caves you can walk to Swizzle Inn (about 300 meters). From there take bus #1, 3, 10 or 11 for St George. From Sr George Town Center (Kings Square), St. Peter's Church is an easy walk (York Street). You can come back to King Square and take a mini bus service to St Catherine's Fort, or walk (about 25 minutes). It's an uphill walk. Get back to town center and you can catch bus #1, 3, 10 or 11 for Hamilton City.
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) March 2014
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I love this site Raj-so informative and easy to follow. My wife and I arrive in Bermuda on Sunday, July 20th aboard the Grandeur. Our only full day is Monday the 21st. We are on a snorkel trip in the AM and will be dropped off at the ship at 12:00. We are planning to get to the South Shore Beaches by 1:30 or so. If we walk along the beaches for a few hours and then head into St.George's say for 6:00 PM will there be much to do? Will places of interest be closed? We would have a bite to eat and then take the long bus ride back to the ship. Does this seem reasonable or would you advise to stay at the beaches a little longer and then do some site seeing on the way back to the ship (not seeing St. George's). I appreciate the time you devote to this site and hopefully you can help us out. Sincerely,
Brad (July 2014)
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Hi,
July 20th is a Sunday and all stores, retail outlets and other activities in St. George's and even Hamilton City would be closed. Stores and outlets close by 5pm even on weekdays and the places would be deserted after that. Only the clocktower mall in dockyard remains open until about 6pm on Sundays. So I think spending more time on the beaches would be a better option. Try the South Shore trail... here is the link:
To eat, you can consider one of the following:
1) Swizzle Inn south shore pub in Warwick ... start the walk from Horseshoe bay beach in that case (west to east)
2) Gulfstream (recently opened... seafood, Italian, International cuisine)... start the walk from Warwick Long Bay and get to Horseshoe. It's located opposite to horseshoe entrance and on the main road
3) The Dining Room restaurant ... below Gibbs Hill Lighthouse in Southampton and close to Horseshoe (note the lighthouse closes by 4:30pm).
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) July 2014
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Hello
I will be in Bermuda in June one day, coming in on a Saturday on a cruise ship. I want to go to the Horseshoe Beach, spend some time on the beach and see a few sights and shop, and be back to the ship on time. Any suggestions?
Ruth Woodcock (November 2015)
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Hi, First take a bus (#7 or 8) to Horseshoe Bay Beach (about 35 minutes). You can pay in cash ($5 in exact change in US or Bermuda currency, or buy tokens of $4.5 each from Visitors Information Center located next to the pier). From Horseshoe bay beach, walk down (or take a short bus ride #7) to Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, climb up to the balcony at the top for a view around. Visit the souvenir shop at the base of the lighthouse as well. Continue on bus #7 to Hamilton city (about 20 minutes from bus stop).
Walk along Front Street to see the shops (this is the main hub of Bermuda). Try out the fish sandwich at Rosa's (121 Front Street)... has been voted best fish sandwich in 2015. From Hamilton get back to the dockyard by ferry (20 minutes ride. Check the ferry schedule for Saturday).
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) November 2015
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Arriving on cruise ship west end 4/23 Saturday and would like to see as much of the island as possible in a day. Was interested in the dockyards and Hamilton or what u would suggest? From west end can one walk to dockyards to get Ferry and purchase ticket? Thank u in advance for your reply
Connie (February 2016)
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Hi, if one full day is all what you have and like to see most of the island, then I suggest you take a guided minibus tour that takes up to 15 persons on a per person rate. The driver is usually a certified tour guide and will let you know a lot about the island and its history. A full day island tour covers western, central and eastern parts of the island showing you all the major highlights including some lovely beaches, historic buildings, forts, parks and reserves etc. The tour stops at several places along the way for photo ops.
They will also stop for lunch usually at Bermuda's one of the old traditional restaurants with typical local flavor. The driver ensures that you are back at the port well in time. If you are looking for similar such tours but in more privacy, then another good option is hiring a taxi by the hour (minimum 3 hours required) and take an island tour. The Blue Flag Taxis have drivers who are also government certified tour guides. You can discuss with the driver and draw up a tour plan, or just leave it to him after letting him know about your site preferences and time constraints. The total transport cost won't be much higher than minibus, in fact it would be lesser if you are in a small group of 4 or so. There are taxis with capacity of 4 and 7. You should ideally book a tour in advance.
Visit the following links for more info on these options and how to book the tours:
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) February 2016
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We will be in Bermuda on a cruise on 5/25/22 for one day and overnight. Is Harbor Nights going on at that time? We get into port at 8am and I would like to go directly to Horseshoe Bay beach and then take the walking trail to see all the small beaches and coves and end up at Warwick Long Beach. I am also interested in going to Astwood Park but don't see that on the bus route. What would be the best way to get there and is it worth it to add that to our itinerary?
I was thinking on the way back of stopping at the lighthouse and also Church Bay beach. I love to snorkel and read that is a good place to do so. Are there any other good snorkeling spots in that area that are easy to get to? Are there any good restaurants/beach bars with water view to eat at and get the Swizzle drink? I see that the Rum Bum bar is closed and the Swizzle Inn south shore is no longer open. What would be your suggestion for transportation for all this.
Besides the public bus, I also read that there are minibuses from the Dockyard. We are trying to do all this on a budget, so I don't want to take a private taxi to go everywhere. Also if we were to return to the ship, shower and change and then go out again, would you suggest Hamilton? We will be there on a Wednesday and I was thinking Harbor nights would be cool if it is going on. Are there water taxi's or is ferry/bus the only option. If we do public transportation it looks like we could take ferry there but would have to take bus back unless there is a water taxi. Any suggestions on this itinerary or any other suggestions within our limited time? Thanks so much.
Lisa Volk (May 2022)
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Harbor nights will begin on June 1, 2022, and unfortunately, you will miss that by a week. Your plan is overall quite okay. Take the minibus shuttle from the dockyard, if available, otherwise take a bus to get to Horseshoe. There are several small coves/beaches along the South Shore Park Trail that starts from the eastern end of Horseshoe and most of them are good for snorkeling. Jobson's Cove is excellent for snorkeling and so is Warwick Long Bay (when the water is calm).
Astwood Cove is a great little secluded beach, but the water can be rough and it may not be always suitable for snorkeling. The access to the beach is through steep steps that are carved on the rocks and not quite easy... you need to be careful... but once there, it's a piece of haven. You can take bus #7 from South Road at Warwick Long Bay heading east and get off at the nearest bust stop for Astwood Cove... it's about a 250-yard walk from the bus stop to the beach.
Church bay beach is undoubtedly one of the best beaches in Bermuda for snorkelers. However, there are many underwater sharp rocks here, and you need to be careful, otherwise, you may end up with bruised feet. Ideally, you should be using water shoes. Yes, Rum Bum Beach Bar on Horseshoe beach has closed down. Although Swizzle Inn South shore in Warwick has also closed down, there is another restaurant Lost in The Triangle (LITT) which has opened there... it's a Seafood Restaurant & Bar, they serve freshly caught seafood made to perfection. The owner Delvin himself is a fisherman. You can also get island cocktails there.
If you specifically want to take your lunch at a beach bar with water views, then you can try Mickey's Beach Bar & Bistro at Elbow Beach (you need to check out if it is open by the time you are in Bermuda, it remains closed during the low season). From the nearest #7 bus stop on South Road, the beach is about a 500-yard downhill walk. Being part of a luxury hotel, this beach bar is quite expensive. Alternatively, after getting back to Dockyard, you can walk down to Snorkel Park Beach (a 5-minute walk from the cruise piers)... it's a nice small beach great for snorkeling and there is also a beach bar & restaurant here.
You can later visit Hamilton from Dockyard if you want to do some shopping and dine out. There is no water taxi. The ferry & bus are the only other public transport. The ferry would be convenient from Dockyard (takes 20 minutes each way). Unless you want to be late, you can catch the last ferry from Hamilton which leaves at 8:30 pm on the weekdays. Note that all shops in Hamilton close by 5:30 pm, but the restaurants and bars remain open until late at night.
Instead, if you want to experience a great beach bar and some more beachside snorkeling, then you can consider visiting Tobacco Bay Beach at St. George. Luckily on May 25, the Orange Route ferry from Dockyard to St. George will be operational (35 minutes each way). From the ferry dock at St. George, walk down to Kings Square where you can get a minibus to Tobacco Bay Beach (which takes 5-6 minutes) or you can walk (20-25 minutes). The beach bar here serves great Swizzles, burgers and other snacks. Note that the last ferry from St. George is at 6 pm. You can also take a bus to Hamilton and then another bus or ferry to the dockyard.
Good luck!
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) May 2022
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Thank you so much for the great information. I am now rethinking our plan. The south shore beaches are a must, but do you think there is enough time to also go to St. George's/Tobacco beach? I don't want to be rushed in spending time at the beaches and coves, but would also like to see more of Bermuda? Do you have any other suggestions on what we should do with only one full day on the island?
Do you think St. George's/ Tobacco bay and south shore beaches are too much to do in one day or do you suggest something else? What times do the orange route ferry run to and from Dockyard/St. George's. If you do suggest doing both, would you suggest doing St. George's first and then the beaches or the other way around. I originally wanted to go to Horseshoe beach first upon getting to the island before it gets really crowded, but it may be ok to end up there. Is there a bus route to and from Warwick Long Bay and St. George's? Thanks again for your suggestions.
Lisa Volk (May 2022)
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Combining St. George/Tobacco Bay Beach with the South Shore Beaches can make the day a little hectic. I suggest you do the South Shore Beaches starting with Horseshoe in the first half of the day. From Warwick Long Bay, you can take bus #7 to get back to Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. From there continue on bus #7 to the dockyard.
Try to have a quick lunch somewhere. There is a nice restaurant (Tamarind) at the base of the Lighthouse serving Indian cuisine... it has great water views. There are plenty of dining options within the dockyard as well.
I have discussed several options for the second half... choose the one(s) you like, but you need to do some good time management.
There are many attractions within the dockyard itself... you can go through Kings Wharf & Dockyard to know what to expect in the Dockyard, and if interested, select a few that you can do in an hour or two (note that there is a free train trolley that starts near the cruise berths and moves around the dockyard complex passing by the important attractions... it makes a full circle and returns, you can hop on and off). It runs in short intervals.
You can then catch the Blue route ferry to Hamilton and spend the evening there. A good place to enjoy a cocktail is on the balcony of Pickled Onion which overlooks Front Street (the main street in Hamilton) and the harbor beyond.
While in Hamilton, an option is to take the Train Trolley Tour to get a quick glimpse of Hamilton City (it includes audio narration of the landmarks you pass by). Go through train trolley tour for details.
Optionally, on reaching Hamilton, you can take bus #1 or 3 to the famous & popular attraction Crystal & Fantasy Caves (takes 25-30 minutes each way), and then return to Hamilton.
If you are not keen on visiting Hamilton, you can do a boat tour or a sunset sailing tour in the second half to see Bermuda from the water. Most such boat tours depart from the dockyard. Visit Sightseeing Cruises to get details of such tours.
From Warwick Long Bay, there is no direct bus to St. George, you need to take a transfer at Hamilton (bus #7 to Hamilton Bus Terminal and then transfer to bus #10 or 11 to St. George)... the entire one-way journey can take around one hour 20 minutes plus the waiting time to get a bus... this may lead to a suboptimal plan. You can get a link to the ferry schedule on this Ferry Service page.
Best,
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) May 2022
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Thank you so much for all the great information. We are going to take our time at south shore beaches, spend as much time as we want, and then decide what to do next when we arrive back to the Dockyard when we see what time it is. If we get back before 3pm, we could take the 3pm ferry to St. Georges and walk around for a couple of hours and take the 6pm ferry back. If not, we could just spend time in the Dockyard or take the ferry to Hamilton and back. One thing I would like to do is see the sunset at a beautiful beach. I also would like to have a drink and maybe a light meal somewhere with a beautiful water view. Do you have any suggestions on what beach we could get back to easily to watch the sunset and what restaurant/bar we could get to easily that isn't too expensive to have a drink/meal. It can be at sunset, or doesn't need to be. I just want to have a drink overlooking the water and also see the sunset from a really beautiful beach. I love to take photographs.
Thanks,
Lisa Volk (May 2022)
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You can walk down from your cruise berth to the bar of Fun Golf (a mini golf course located within the dockyard itself)... the bar here is known as 'Caddy Shack Bar & Grill'. Have a drink and watch the sunset over western waters... one of the best places to watch the sunset. Drinks are quite reasonably priced here compared to Bermuda standards ($8 for a Rum Swizzle and $7 for a beer). You will get snacks like burgers, wraps, sandwiches, salads and fries.
But if a beach is a must, then walk down to Snorkel Park Beach (next to Fun Golf)... there is a small beach as well as a bar & grill there. The sunset view from Snorkel Park Beach is also excellent. Another great place to watch the sunset nearby is the Black Bay Beach & Park which is about 1 mile away from the southern gate of Dockyard (bus #7 or 8). There are no facilities here (there used to be a concession stand but don't think it's still there now)... there are three small coves here and the beaches are full of sea-glasses.
For more ideas on sunset beaches and venues, you can go through How to watch sunset in Bermuda.
PS. If you like to enjoy the local vibe and have a meal at a restaurant which is a locals' favorite and has a nice water view, then take bus #7 or 8 and go down to Woody's (about 2 miles from the dockyard). Take a table at the outside patio for the views. The prices are quite reasonable and the food is good. You can go through Woody's Bar & Restaurant to know more about the restaurant and what you can expect.
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) May 2022
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Thank you for those ideas. I was thinking about West Whale Bay park to watch the sunset and see the fort, but it seems like getting there would be a hassle and I am pretty sure once we get back to the dockyard after being out and about all day, my husband may not want to wander out again. Thank you for the options closer by to see a sunset. I really wanted to take photographs of the beach with rock outcroppings/cliffs with the sunset, but I can't do everything I want to do in one day without dying of exhaustion, lol. I was thinking of Woody's for dinner. Or Bone Fish or Anchor in the Dockyard if we don't want to catch the bus again. But Woody's sounds great. I really want to have a good fish sandwich.
Oh, one other question. We will be taking the bus to Horeshoe Bay and then walking to Warwick long bay first thing in the morning when we get off the ship. When we are done with those beaches, we are going to catch the bus to Gibbs Lighthouse. After that I would like to maybe go to Coconuts and have a drink/appetizer/fish chowder and then go to Church Bay to go snorkeling. Are they within easy walking distance of each other or should we/could we catch the bus to each place. What would be our best option? Does this sound like a good plan, or too much? I could skip Coconuts if need be.
Thanks for all your advice. I will update you on how things went.
Thank you,
Lisa Volk (May 2022)
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You can walk if you want... Gibbs Hill Lighthouse to The Reefs Resort (Coconuts) will be around a 12-minute walk, and from there to Church Bay will be around a 10-minute walk. The only issue might be the scorching sun... it can be very hot during the summer daytime... so do carry an umbrella or wear a hat/cap.
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) May 2022
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We are cruising on 7/11. We were thinking of using the bus/ferry pass. We dock at Kings Warf. Would it be a good idea to take the ferry to start at St George then work our way to Hamilton by bus? Also want to see Horseshoe bay and maybe a couple more beaches. What do you suggest as the best approach? Thanks so much.
Tammi (June 2022)
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Hello, take bus #10 or 11 from St. George to Hamilton... these are the fastest routes and go by the north shore and you can get a good view. From Hamilton, you can take bus #7 and visit several South Shore beaches. You can get off at Warwick Long Bay Beach, from there take the South Shore trail to the west (1.25 miles walk, to the right as you face the sea) and visit several beautiful coves & beaches such as Jobson's Cove, Stonehole Bay, Chaplin Bay, etc. The trail eventually leads to Horseshoe Bay. From there, you can walk up to the main road, and take bus #7 to Dockyard (Kings Wharf Port area).
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) June 2022
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So it's ok to start with the ferry to st George? You have been most helpful. Thank you
Tammi (June 2022)
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Yes, it's okay to start with the ferry to St. George, however, check out the ferry schedule and ensure that the Orange ferry operates on that day from Dockyard to St. George and has a morning run. The ferry runs only a few days a week and is mostly aligned with the regularly contracted cruises to Bermuda. Otherwise, you might need to skip St. George and start with a ferry to Hamilton. A bus ride all the way to St. George with a transfer at Hamilton will take over 2 hours. You can find the ferry schedule here.
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) June 2022
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2) Check out Bermuda in 2 Days to know how to work out a great itinerary in 2 days or even less.
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By Raj Bhattacharya