Suggested Itineraries

You may be eager to start exploring right away, especially if your time is short. Below is a suggested itinerary for the first 5 days. A week's visit will let you break up your sightseeing trips with time on the beach, boating, or engaging in some of the island's other outdoor pursuits, such as golf or scuba diving. Hitting the beach is the first priority for most visitors -- but you don't need us to tell you how to schedule your time in the sun!

If You Have 1 Day

If you have only 1 day for sightseeing, we suggest you spend it in the historic former capital of St. George, a maze of narrow streets with quaint names: Featherbed Alley, Duke of York Street, Petticoat Lane, Old Maid's Lane, and Duke of Kent Street. You can spend a day exploring British-style pubs, seafood restaurants, shops (several major City of Hamilton stores have branches here), old forts, museums, and churches. You can even see stocks, a ducking stool, and a pillory, all used generations ago to humiliate wrongdoers.

And what would a day in Bermuda be without time spent on the beach? Elbow Beach and Warwick Long Bay are among the most appealing spots. The no. 7 bus will take you there from St. George.

If You Have 2 Days

Spend Day 1 as indicated above. Devote Day 2 to sightseeing and shopping in the City of Hamilton. If you're staying in Paget or Warwick, a ferry from either parish will take you right into the city. For many visitors, the City of Hamilton's shops are its most compelling attraction. Try to time your visit to avoid the arrival of cruise ships; on those days, the stores and restaurants in the city can really get crowded. You can obtain a schedule of cruise-ship arrivals and departures from the tourist office.

If you took our advice and went to the beach yesterday, try a different one today. After all, Bermuda isn't just about sightseeing and shopping -- it's about those marvelous pink sands too.

If You Have 3 Days

Spend Days 1 and 2 as outlined above. On Day 3, take the ferry from the City of Hamilton across Great Sound to Somerset. Carry your bicycle on the boat -- you'll need it later. You'll disembark at the western end of Somerset Island in Sandys Parish, where you'll find the smallest drawbridge in the world. It's easy to spend an hour walking around Somerset Village. Then head west on foot or on bicycle until you reach Somerset Long Bay Beach, along the northern rim of the island.

Sandys Parish has several places for lunch. The Somerset Country Squire Tavern, a typical village inn near the Watford Bridge ferry stop at the western end of the island, is one of the best.

After lunch, hop on your bicycle and cross Watford Bridge to Ireland Island, home of the Royal Naval Dockyard and the Maritime Museum. On your way back to Somerset Bridge and the ferry back to the City of Hamilton, you might take the turnoff to Fort Scaur; from Scaur Hill, you'll have a commanding view of Ely's Harbour and Great Sound. If you don't want to go through Somerset again, the ferry at Watford Bridge will also take you back to the City of Hamilton.

If You Have 4 or 5 Days

Spend Days 1 through 3 as outlined above. Make Day 4 a beach day. Head for Horseshoe Bay Beach, in Southampton Parish, in the morning. Spend most of your time there, exploring hidden coves in all directions. Have lunch right on the beach at a concession stand. In the afternoon, visit Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. After a rest at your hotel, sample some Bermudian nightlife.

On Day 5, conclude your stay with an excursion to Flatts Village, which lies in the eastern sector of Smith's Parish. Explore the Bermuda Aquarium, Natural History Museum & Zoo; and consider an undersea walk.

Have lunch at the Inlet Restaurant, in the Palmetto Hotel, then visit Elbow Beach. After relaxing over afternoon tea at one of the hotels, arrange to see an evening show -- if it's scheduled, make it gombey dancing, which has its roots in Africa and which remains a strong cultural symbol in Bermuda.