Things to Do in Bermuda

Stalactite chandeliers, delicate crystal soda straws, and mirrored underground pools are only some of the remarkable features of Bermuda’s evocatively named Crystal and Fantasy Caves. The best part about these fairytale-esque attractions is how very real they are as one of Bermuda’s top natural attractions.

Crystal Cave and Fantasy Cave are indeed separate and distinct caves, but their neighboring entrances (linked by a landscaped pathway) and equally amazing geology means that they are most often visited together. Join a tour guide—included with your admission ticket—and descend down a series of wooden walkways, staircases, and bridges to explore the underground wonderland. Floodlights highlight the caves’ most spectacular attractions, including a fossilized tree root, while your guide tells the story of their historic discovery and formation. Make the most of your time in the area by combining a tour of Crystal and Fantasy Caves with other nearby attractions such as the beach at Horseshoe Bay, a Hamilton city tour, or a visit to the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo.

The Crystal and Fantasy Caves are in Hamilton Parish, north of Harrington Sound in the lagoon-filled north of Bermuda. They are roughly equidistant between the cities of Hamilton and St. George’s, and only a 3-minute drive from Grotto Bay. While most guided tours provide round-trip transportation from Kings Wharf, if you have your own car, you’ll find parking in an on-site lot. You can also take bus number 1, 3, 10, or 11.

Crystal and Fantasy Caves are open daily (except holidays) from 9am to 5pm, with guided tours leaving every 20 minutes until 4:30pm. The area tends to be quiet in the morning, with crowds arriving in the afternoons.

Legend has it that two boys discovered Crystal Cave when they lost a ball during a cricket game in 1907—in searching for their ball, they crawled right into the cave entrance!

Palm Groves Garden is a privately owned garden in Bermuda. Luckily for travelers to Bermuda, the Gibbons family that owns the garden open it up to visitors. Palm Groves Garden stands out due to its meticulously manicured grounds and lovely lily pond.

Within the grounds of Palm Groves Garden, you’ll find coconut trees, palm trees and more foliage that all add up together to create an exotic tropical escape from the hustle and bustle of Bermuda’s cities. The lily pond is a fun aspect of the garden for visitors to see as it has plants within it in the shape of Bermuda as seen on a map. Both children and adults will also enjoy checking out the limestone huts on the property and visiting the aviary, which is home to a number of parrots.

Located on St George’s Harbour along a narrow bay of land in Bermuda’s St George’s Parish, Tucker’s Town has an enviable spot of being almost completely surrounded by water. This makes it one of the most sought after places to live in Bermuda and as a result, it has an exclusive and upscale ambiance, despite having a tumultuous history as it took several centuries for Tucker’s Town to be settled due to it not being very secluded from weather and waves.

Today, there are many famous names and millionaires who have vacation homes in Tucker’s Town. Visitors will enjoy visiting the area to see the stately Caribbean mansions and to play a round of golf. The Mid Ocean golf course located in Tucker’s Town is a premier golf course in the Caribbean – some consider it to be one of the most challenging courses in the world—that was originally designed by Charles B. Macdonald and has holes with spectacular ocean views. 

As the capital of Bermuda, Hamilton is both a main financial center in the Caribbean and an alluring spot for tourists thanks to its pastel-colored buildings and exciting nightlife.

Front Street is a good place to start your day in Hamilton. It is a popular street in Hamilton thanks to a plethora of shops and department stores plus restaurants and art galleries. Shopping is an especially huge draw here since most of what you’ll buy on Front Street is duty free.

Hamilton is also home to many historic churches and buildings and a walking tour of the city can best help you discover the sights and stories of Hamilton. Other popular things to do in Hamilton include seeing the Bacardi headquarters, marveling at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, touring Fort Hamilton or participating in Harbour Night if you’re lucky enough to be there on a night it’s occurring. Harbour Night is a street festival that takes place on Front Street on Wednesday evenings during the summer. The festival brings in a variety of food and craft vendors and has live music and entertainment. 

Spittal Pond Nature Reserve is the largest nature reserve in Bermuda and an important one. It covers 59 acres and over 500 species of birds, including waterfowl, make Spittal Pond Nature Reserve their home at some point during the year. Though January is the best time to visit for avid bird watchers, the winter and spring months find many different types of species spending time in the reserve.

Spittal Pond Nature Reserve has a series of trails which visitors can walk along to soak in the scenery of the nature reserve and from which to do bird watching. Within Spittal Pond Nature Reserve is a wetland which is home to mangrove forests and grassland. It is part of the Ramsar Committee, which is an organization dedicated to protecting, conserving and sustaining the world’s wetlands. 

Dating back to the 1860s, Fort Scaur is a historic piece of fortification that was built to protect the island and dockyard from attacks by America during a time of unrest between Great Britain and the United States. Fort Scaur is built high atop a hill in Somerset, which at one point was ideal for giving the guards a clear vantage point of approaching enemy ships, and today is a draw for visitors who can use Fort Scaur as a scenic lookout point to get some great photos of Bermuda. From Fort Scaur, there are excellent views of Ely’s Harbour and Great Sound. Fort Scaur was used during World War I and World War II, stationing both British and American troops. Those who love the history of maritime proceedings and war will enjoy touring the fort and learning what each section was for. Those more inclined to visit Fort Scaur due to its surrounding beauty will enjoy walking around the 22 acres of gardens surrounding the fort.

There are also picnic tables, ideal for taking a rest or enjoying a packed lunch. 

The Bermuda Railway Trail is a series of trails for walkers and cyclists that follows along the path of the short-lived Bermuda Railway, which was finished being built in 1931 and ceased operation by 1948 due to it falling into massive disrepair. The Bermuda Railway Trail differs in terms of difficulty level and has sections ideal for beginner or advanced cyclists and hikers. The Bermuda Railway Trail stretches from one end of Bermuda to the other and covers 18 miles. For those wanting to experience the trail by bike, you don’t need to worry about how to pack a bicycle on a plane as there are many bike rental shops in Bermuda.

Parts of the trail are paved while other sections are still dirt. Regardless of the floor of the trail, the Bermuda Railway Trail is surrounded by the beauty of Bermuda and leads you along the coast, through inland forests and past historical sites like lighthouses and old forts. Nature reserves such as the 59-acre Spittal Pond Nature Reserve are also located along the Bermuda Railway Trail and make for a great diversion from cycling or as an added spot to hike through. 

Perched on Bermuda’s Ireland Island, these old stone buildings were once an important Atlantic stronghold for the British Royal Navy. Today the dockyard is a port of call for cruise ships, as well as a popular tourist destination for shopping, dining, and entertainment. 

Learn about Bermuda’s history at the National Museum of Bermuda, located in the heart of a former navy fortress. Stroll through the 19th-century dockyard and shop at the Clocktower Mall, the Dockyard Glassworks, or the craft market—then head to Snorkel Park Beach to rent a kayak, pedal boat, or Jet Ski.

Most Bermuda island tours include a stop at the Royal Navy Dockyard, whether you opt to leave from Hamilton or St. George’s. Sightseeing can be done on foot, in a traditional tour vehicle, or via Segway. As the dockyard area is adjacent to the cruise port, many excursions originate from the Island Tour Centre there. 

The Royal Naval Dockyard is located in Sandy's Parish on the westernmost point of Bermuda. The outpost can be reached via regularly departing ferries from Hamilton and by bus, taxi, car, or rented moped.

Bermuda is busiest from May through October. Those wishing to avoid the major crowds (especially from cruise ships) would do well to visit in March or April, when the weather is just starting to warm up. 

Following the American Revolution, the British lost all of their strategic ports on the US mainland and instead turned to their "Gibraltar of the West:” the Royal Naval Dockyard. The dockyard remained a strategic base in the Atlantic for England and an active shipyard through WWI and WWII, until it stopped serving the Royal Navy in 1951.

Ships dock on Ordinance Island, a few steps from shore in the middle of St George's Harbour, which is linked to the mainland by a bridge. St George's main hub is King’s Square, minutes from where you’ll dock, and you can pick up maps and walking-tour details from the visitor center here.

One Day in Bermuda
Beaches are Bermuda’s main draw, and the white sands of Achilles Bay are less than a mile from the cruise dock. Also near St George's is Tobacco Bay for a day of snorkeling and sunbathing.

Of course, British colonial architecture is Bermuda’s other claim to fame, and there’s plenty to explore if you’re interested in history. St George's is set around a lovely harbor, with whitewashed St Peter’s Church, Georgian-era houses, period street lighting, intriguing alleyways, a National Trust museum, and colonial reminders like the replica ducking stool in King's Square. Hamilton is 15 miles (24 km) away, connected to St George's by bus and ferry services. From there, you can jump on another ferry to explore the Royal Naval Dockyard.

Port Information
Cruise liners sailing to Bermuda include Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Holland America, and Princess. English is spoken and the local currency is the Bermuda dollar. US dollars are also accepted, but leave your British cash at home. St George's does offer ATMs and banks.

St George’s is a city in Bermuda that is a UNESCO World Heritage site thanks to its colonial buildings that have changed very little in the past 100 years. St George’s was the part of Bermuda originally discovered by Britain after a ship sailing for Jamestown, Virginia was caught in a storm and washed ashore onto what is now St George’s in 1609. The ship eventually continued to the island but not before leaving behind a few members of the crew to stake claim to the island.

The main charm of St George’s comes from ambling through the streets of the old town and feeling like you’ve been transported back to another era. St George’s also has some top sites to see, including St Peter’s Church, the oldest Anglican church in the Western Hemisphere; Fort St Catherine, which at one time helped defend Bermuda from intruders and today houses a history museum; King’s Square, which still has stocks, pillory and a whipping post that was used to punish criminals hundreds of years ago; and Town Hall, a must-see for those interested in the law and government.

Daniel’s Head Park is situated on some of the most gorgeous coastline in Bermuda. Located on the southeastern coast of the island, Daniel’s Head Park covers 17 acres. Making up part of this land are two glorious beaches that are a big part of the draw of Daniel’s Head Park. The water framing the beaches is shallow in most parts, making it an ideal place for families to go swimming. Snorkelers will also love donning some goggles and seeing what lies underneath the surface of the sea. Thanks to clear, calm water, you can usually see the underwater sea life well.

Tropical fish isn’t all you can see in this area snorkeling; you can take a boat from the Daniel’s Head coast to the snorkeling hot spot of the shipwreck MVS Vixen, which still has part of its hull sticking out of the water making it very easy to snorkel around. Daniel’s Head Park has other water activities, too, including kayaking and stand up paddle boarding. There is also a restaurant, picnic tables and bathrooms located in Daniel’s Head Park.