The Shopping Scene

Branching Out -- You'll often find branches of City of Hamilton's stores at major resorts. The prices -- even when there's a sale -- are the same as those charged by the parent stores in the City of Hamilton. Although the selection is more limited, resort boutiques remain open on Sunday, when most stores in the City of Hamilton are shuttered.

Last-Minute Purchases -- The international airport in Bermuda offers duty-free shops for those last-minute purchases. One shop is in the international departures lounge, and the other lies near the U.S. departures lounge. U.S. citizens clear customs before flying back to the States. For that specialty purchase, you should still shop around the island, but now you can buy routine duty-free items such as perfume, cigarettes, and liquor just prior to boarding the plane. That sure beats the old, now-antiquated system of buying duty-free liquor and cigarettes a day or so in advance and having them delivered to the airport.

City of Hamilton

The widest range of shopping choices is in the City of Hamilton. Most shops are on Front Street, but you should explore the back streets as well, especially if you're an adventurous shopper.

The Emporium on Front Street, a restored building constructed around an atrium, houses a number of shops, including jewelry stores. Windsor Place on Queen Street is another Bermuda-style shopping mall.

Between 7 and 10pm every Wednesday night, Hamilton Harbour Nights are staged along Front Street in Bermuda's capital. Late-night shopping becomes a festival, with street performers, horse-and-carriage rides, a variety of live entertainment, and arts and crafts exhibitions. There's a food court and even children's activities.

Department Stores -- Generations of Bermuda-bound visitors made Trimingham's and Smith's, both of them headquartered along Front Street, their first stops for shopping. In 2005 and 2006, respectively, these venerable department stores closed their doors. Although nothing will replace the loss of these emporiums in the hearts of many locals, you can find some of the same type of merchandise sold at Marks & Spencer, A.S. Cooper & Sons, and to a lesser degree, Gibbons.

Books -- A great source for books -- especially about Bermuda -- is the Bermuda Book Store (Baxters) on Queen Street in Hamilton (tel. 441/295-3698).

Counterculture Shopping -- If Bermuda is a bit prim for your tastes, we have a couple of unusual stores to suggest: Try dropping in at Twice Told Tales, 34 Parliament St. (tel. 441/296-1995), in the City of Hamilton, where kindred spirits gather to check out the store's inventories of used books. There happens to be a Wi-Fi connection for anyone who brought a laptop. Although refreshments aren't sold within this used bookshop, no one will mind if you haul in a cup of takeaway coffee from the nearby coffeeshop, the Rock Island Coffeeshop, 48 Reid St. (tel. 441/296-5241).

Here's a chance to meet the locals: Rock On, 67 Front St. (tel. 441/295-3468), in the City of Hamilton, provides a full range of herb teas, nutritional supplements, and books and magazines devoted to health issues.

Tobacco -- Many Americans come to Bermuda to enjoy Cuban cigars, which can't be brought back into the United States but must be smoked while abroad.

Liquor & Liqueurs -- You are allowed to take what U.S. Customs calls a "reasonable amount" of liquor from Bermuda to the United States. There is a duty-free allowance, but you merely pay overage to U.S. Customs at the airport. Even with the duty, prices are often lower than those in the States.

In former days, there was a strictly defined term, "In-bond" (tax free) liquor which could not be legally consumed on the island. (It could only be exported.) Today, the huge majority of duty-free alcohol purchased in Bermuda is sold at the airport, and must be physically defined as part of your carry-on luggage. If you're buying liquor with the intention of consuming it aboard your cruise ship, specify that to the shop attendant at the time of purchase. Most of them won't charge the local sales tax, under the proviso that they'll arrange to have it transported directly to your ship.

Historic St. George

The "second city" of St. George also has many shops, stores, and boutiques, including branches of the City of Hamilton's famous Front Street stores. King's Square, the center of St. George, is home to many shops. The other major centers are Somers Wharf and Water Street.

In recent years, this historic port has emerged as a big-time shopping competitor to the City of Hamilton. It's easier to walk around St. George than the City of Hamilton, and St. George is more architecturally interesting than the City of Hamilton; so more and more customers are choosing to do their shopping here. Of course, St. George doesn't have as vast an array of merchandise as the City of Hamilton, so the serious shopper might want to explore both cities.

Sandys Parish

Don't overlook the shopping possibilities of the West End. Somerset Village in Sandys Parish has many shops (though quite a few are branches of the City of Hamilton stores). At the Royal Naval Dockyard area on Ireland Island, you can visit the Craft Market, Island Pottery, and the Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard, where you'll see local artisans at work.

Comparison Shopping at Somers Wharf

The best place to begin shopping is at the Somers Wharf & Branch Stores along Water Street (bus no. 7), a coterie of shops that includes all the big names from the City of Hamilton such as A. S. Coopers, the English Sports Shop, and the Crown Colony Shop. Of course, the parent branches in the City of Hamilton tend to be better stocked, but Somers Wharf makes shopping a pleasure because all the island's "name" shops are clustered together, making comparison shopping much easier.