How many days do you really need in Bermuda

[EllieinNJ]

I've seen cruises with three days, two days and one day.  How many days do you really need?  We are not beach people so just interested in sightseeing and walking around.

[imacruiser99]

Going for the first time 9/1, but all the posts I read, there is plenty to do for 3 days and not all hanging out at the beach.  Bermuda is rich in history and take the time to check out the history of the island as well as cultural events.  If you really want to know a location, hop on local transportation.  A 2 day pass which is fairly inexpensive will provide unlimited rides on bus and ferry.  Use them to the fullest and when you see a local attraction which interests you get off the next stop and walk to the point you just passed.  This is my concept of really exploring a new location.  Have done it many locations and it can be a complete eye-opener.

[PelicanLvr]

At least 2 days to visit Hamilton and St. George.  

 

Maybe look for a ship that docks directly in Hamilton.  Some smaller ships still do that.  The big ships dock out at the dockyard.....not all that much out there and all of it was built for cruise ship passengers.  Hamilton is also much more centrally located to get to various sites.  The bus terminal is there also.

 

Do take the local ferry between Hamilton and the dockyard.  The local will make stops between Somerset Bridge and the dockyard....The ferry system is great and fun!

 

A third day if you like to take a beautiful sail or other water (non-beach) activity.

 

Hope that helps a bit.

 

 

 

 

[njhorseman]

24 minutes ago, PelicanLvr said:

Do take the local ferry between Hamilton and the dockyard.  The local will make stops between Somerset Bridge and the dockyard

They don't have ferries that run that routing any longer. There are two "local" routes from Hamilton, Green and Pink, neither of which go to Dockyard. The Blue Route runs between Hamilton and Dockyard without stopping elsewhere.

 

Here's the ferry schedule: http://www.marineandports.bm/Documents/Ferry/Summer Ferry Schedule 2019.pdf

[pacruise804]

On 6/12/2019 at 9:55 AM, EllieinNJ said:

I've seen cruises with three days, two days and one day.  How many days do you really need?  We are not beach people so just interested in sightseeing and walking around.

 

We just got back from a cruise with an overnight.  We docked at 9 am Monday and left around 4pm Tuesday.  I wish we had an extra day 😉 (but we are water people).

 

Even without the beach I would think at least 2 days would be preferred.  Traffic speed is around 25mph so it takes a while to get from the dockyard to Hamilton and especially to St. George.  We did a helmet dive that left from the dockyard and then had a few hours at Horseshoe Beach on the first day.  We had lunch and spent time in the water, but I would have liked more time to explore some of the rock formations.  The second day we stayed at the dockyard and explored Clocktower Mall plus some other small stores and watched a glass blowing demonstration.  We didn't feel we had time for Hamilton or St. George with our other activities.

 

While 2-3 days gives you more opportunities (and I've heard great things about the areas we missed), you could still have a very pleasant day just staying in the dockyard area.  If you are on a smaller ship that docks at St. George that would be a plus too.  I wouldn't eliminate a cruise as an option just because you only had one day.

[Charles4515]

2 hours ago, PelicanLvr said:

At least 2 days to visit Hamilton and St. George.  

 

Maybe look for a ship that docks directly in Hamilton.  Some smaller ships still do that.  The big ships dock out at the dockyard.....not all that much out there and all of it was built for cruise ship passengers.  Hamilton is also much more centrally located to get to various sites.  The bus terminal is there also.

 

Do take the local ferry between Hamilton and the dockyard.  The local will make stops between Somerset Bridge and the dockyard....The ferry system is great and fun!

 

A third day if you like to take a beautiful sail or other water (non-beach) activity.

 

Hope that helps a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

At least 2 days for sure. Sounds like you have not been to Bermuda for a while. The ferry between the Dockyard and Hamilton no longer makes local stops. That changed some years ago. It is now a direct 20 minute ferry ride. Things do change. The Dockyard has come a long way. There is more to do there now and it has become very organized to get from the Dockyard to the other sites. Also the Bermuda tourism people are out in force on the pier area to answer questions and direct cruise passengers. The Island Tour Centre for booking water activities and the like has been moved to the center of the pier area. 

Edited June 13, 2019 by Charles4515

[PelicanLvr]

3 hours ago, njhorseman said:

They don't have ferries that run that routing any longer. There are two "local" routes from Hamilton, Green and Pink, neither of which go to Dockyard. The Blue Route runs between Hamilton and Dockyard without stopping elsewhere.

 

Here's the ferry schedule: http://www.marineandports.bm/Documents/Ferry/Summer Ferry Schedule 2019.pdf

Yes, I guess things do change.  Too bad you can't get a local ferry for a "tour" of the little ferry stops along the way.  That's progress.  Thanks for updating me.

[cft8]

We did the overnight, arriving at 9am and leaving at 5pm the next day. Our first day we took the ferry to Hamilton, did a walking tour, and had tea. Our second day we had a lazy morning, took a taxi to Horseshoe Bay and spent about a couple of hours there walking and just enjoying the views, then grabbed a snack a the beach bar. We spent some time shopping in the Dockyard before we boarded. If I cruised there again, I'd look for an itinerary with 3 days. There are so many things we wanted to do that we did not have time for, including going to St. Georges, touring the Historical Museum at the Dockyard, and seeing Ft. Hamilton.

[njkruzer]

We're heading back in October.  I think it will be trip #6, 5 by cruise ship.  Dh is not a beach person so we find plenty other things to do.  Love the buses and ferries to get around. 

[Barb Nahoumi]

In my opinion, there is so much to do and see, that you do need the 3 days.  We have done many cruises between Boston and Bermuda, and always find something new or revisit something we haven't seen in a while.

 

On our last visit we hired a taxi driver at the dockyard to take us to places where locals go.  It was a wonderful tour.  His name was Arthur, and his website was Calypso Cowboy. (I think.)