Hamilton

Cruise ships under 700 feet dock at downtown Hamilton Wharf 5/7. The cruise terminal has a Visitor's Information Center; collect a Visitor's Map when you leave the terminal.

If your ship is larger, it will berth at Heritage Wharf.

Ferries, buses and taxis run between the two throughout the day and evening, making Hamilton easy to reach. The Visitor Info Booth past the gift stand sells an unlimited bus & ferry Day Pass: $19 for 1 day or $31 for 2 days. It also provides printed ferry and bus schedules and a mini Bermuda guide.

A free trolley links the ship with the Dockyards at King's Wharf. Its several stops make hop on/hop off travel especially convenient for people with walking difficulties.

The Royal Naval Dockyard is a lively west-end cruise port and was once Britain's largest naval base outside the United Kingdom. This 75 acre site is easily walkable from ships at King's Wharf. It includes a snorkel park, shopping mall, craft market, Dolphin Quest and maritime museum, plus ferry and bus links to Hamilton, Somerset and St. Georges. Webcam.

A printable map to take along.

Find Heritage Wharf's port location on Google Maps.

Find Hamilton 5/6's port location on Google Maps.

• The Town of St. George is a scenic UNESCO World Heritage Site and the New World's oldest continually inhabited British settlement. Its narrow winding streets feature classic British Colonial architecture, fountains, gardens, squares, cobbled streets and plazas.
• At Pender Rd., Royal Naval Dockyard, allow 1/2 a day for Bermuda Maritime Museum and the Dockyard. Following the American Revolutionary War loss of naval bases, the British Royal Navy moved Atlantic Fleet headquarters here from 1812 to 1957. The Bermuda Government has redeveloped old limestone storage buildings, keep and fortress into a tourist attraction and shopping center. Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo opens daily 9AM-5PM, last admission 4PM. Its 140,000 gallon replica coral reef is central to one of Bermuda's main attractions, with over three hundred birds, reptiles and mammals and…
• Hamilton docking is particularly lively on Wednesday nights in peak season, when Front Street becomes a huge street fair and party area called "Harbour Nights" through the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.

As you leave the cruise terminal, local operators offer a variety of Bermuda tours, while a line of horse-drawn carriages waits to take visitors on a Hamilton tour. It is a good way to become familiar with Hamilton when first arriving.

For in-depth Hamilton sightseeing, focus on Fort Hamilton, Bermuda Historical Society Museum and Bermuda National Gallery; all are easy to reach on foot.

Across from the Visitors Information center is the often-photographed “Birdcage,” formerly the place to see a Bermuda shorts–clad police officer directing traffic from a birdcage-like pedestal.

An excellent, frequent bus network connects every part of the islands with Hamilton and is used by locals and visitors alike. Bus stops use painted pink and blue poles: pink means buses to Hamilton, blue means from Hamilton.

Passenger ferries run through Hamilton harbor and the Great Sound, providing a good route to Somerset and the Dockyard. A bus or ferry ride costs $4.-; request a transfer if another line is needed.

An adult one-day pass costs $19 and permits unlimited bus and ferry travel. The official bus/ferry ticket kiosk at the terminal sells day passes and tickets.

Taxis also make island travel easy. Find them at Front St. taxi stands in Hamilton, major hotels or by phone. Every taxi has a meter, charging $8 for the first mile and $3 per subsequent mile, or $50 per hour.

Pink-sand beaches are probably Bermuda's chief attraction. The island has public and private beaches, and one of its finest is closest to Hamilton: Elbow Beach, about two-miles away, is a mile-long stretch of crystalline soft sand and calm turquoise water.

Climb Gibb's Hill Lighthouse for magnificent 360-degree views across Southampton Parish and the West End.

The island has more golf courses per square mile than anywhere else in the world.

Hamilton has a good selection of shops, especially along Front Street, and the area is easy to cover on foot.

Restaurants near cruise docks in places such as St. George's can cost up to three times as much as comparable restaurants in places such as Somerset Village.

Bermuda uses the Bermudian dollar, equal in value to US$. US dollars are accepted everywhere; make sure any change is returned in US$.

English is the principal spoken language.