Bermuda
Visas & entry
For U.S., Canadian, British and most EU passport holders, Bermuda is generally straightforward for short stays: carry a valid passport and proof of onward or return travel. Visa-controlled nationals may need a valid multiple-entry U.S., UK or Canadian visa/travel authorization, generally valid for at least 45 days beyond departure; verify current Bermuda Government rules and complete the digital Bermuda Arrival Card when required. A U.S. passport card is not valid for air travel.
Getting in
- L.F. Wade International Airport, St. George’s Parish: Bermuda’s only airport and the normal gateway for independent travelers, with direct service from U.S. East Coast cities, Canada and London. It is on the East End, so St. George’s is close, but Hamilton or the South Shore are better bases for most first visits.
- Royal Naval Dockyard, Ireland Island: The main cruise-ship gateway. It is useful for the National Museum and West End, but it is not central: Hamilton, the South Shore and St. George’s require ferry, bus, taxi or excursion transport.
Getting around
There are no domestic flights and no operating railway; the former line is now the Railway Trail. Buses and ferries are the sensible low-cost network, but routes largely funnel through Hamilton and cross-island trips take longer than the map suggests. Taxis are the practical answer for airport transfers, luggage and late evenings; visitors use rental scooters or small electric minicars rather than conventional rental cars, but narrow roads make them a poor choice for nervous drivers.
Money
The Bermudian dollar (BMD) is pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar, which is widely accepted; think in U.S.-dollar terms. Cards are normal at hotels, restaurants and larger businesses, but carry some cash for small purchases and transport. Check bills closely for included service charges before adding a tip.
Daily budget · BMD, pegged 1:1 to USD; in practice, budget in U.S.-dollar terms.
- Value
- BMD 200–325 per day
- Mid-range
- BMD 450–700 per day
- High-end
- BMD 1,000–1,800+ per day
- Bands exclude international flights and assume two people sharing a room. Bermuda has very little genuine budget accommodation, so the value tier means guesthouses, apartments or off-season room shares—not backpacker prices.
- Accommodation is the decisive cost: compare the final rate, not the headline rate, and check taxes, resort fees and service charges. Peak-summer, school-holiday and festive-week luxury rates can send high-end spending well above BMD 1,800 per person daily.
- A realistic mid-range trip covers a good hotel or apartment share, one proper restaurant meal daily, buses and ferries with some taxis, and a cave, museum or boat activity. Expect restaurant dining, taxis, imported groceries and vehicle rental to cost more than visitors anticipate.
- Keep costs down by basing in Hamilton or on a bus/ferry route, using public transport for cross-island days, packing beach lunches, and treating paid boat trips and taxi-heavy beach hopping as occasional splurges rather than daily transport.
- Recent traveler data put food spending near BMD 112 per person daily and double rooms near BMD 288 on average, but hotel-market pricing now varies sharply by season; live hotel quotes are more useful than historical averages.
Eating well
- Reserve dinner Thursday through Saturday year-round; reservations are essential in summer, on public-holiday weekends and for small high-end dining rooms.
- Have beach lunch early or late to avoid the cruise-excursion rush.
- Sunday is the time for codfish breakfast; Good Friday is for fish cakes with hot-cross buns.
- Order spiny lobster when it is local and in season, September through March; outside that window, it is not necessarily Bermuda’s best seafood choice.
- Markets work for picnic supplies, not bargain hunting: imported groceries are expensive.
Book before you land
Crystal and Fantasy Caves timed tours in peak periods · Small-group dive, snorkel and reef-boat excursions in summer and holiday weeks · Cup Match cricket tickets and major sailing-event spectator packages, if attending
- Do not base an entire trip at Dockyard unless you are cruising or specifically want the West End: on ship days it is Bermuda’s busiest and most purpose-built tourist zone.
- Hamilton is the transport interchange. A bus trip between the East End and West End can be much slower than a taxi or electric minicar journey, especially when connections are involved.
- Use taxis for hotel-transfer days; buses plus luggage are an unnecessary ordeal on a short trip.
- Horseshoe Bay is best early or late. Walk the South Shore coastal path toward Warwick Long Bay and the smaller coves rather than treating it as the only beach.
- Summer, Bermuda Day, Carnival, Cup Match and Christmas/New Year materially tighten hotel, restaurant and excursion availability. In hurricane season (June–November), keep boat days flexible.
- On the South Shore and outside Hamilton, do not assume easy or safe walking after dark: roads are narrow, exposed and often lack pedestrian infrastructure.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this country.
Season by season
December–February
Days are mild at roughly 18–22°C / 65–71°F, with cooler water, windier spells and occasional fronts; this is the quietest hotel period outside Christmas and New Year.
golfRailway Trail walksmuseums and historyrestaurant-focused stays
It is not dependable beach-swimming weather, and some watersports operators, beach facilities and seasonal restaurants reduce hours.
March–May
Air and water warm steadily, flowers are out, and April–May combine beach-capable weather with good walking, cycling, sailing and spring whale watching.
first visitswalking and cyclingsailingbeach-and-culture trips
School holidays, Bermuda Day and major sailing weeks raise rates and tighten availability; March water can still feel cool.
June–August
This is hot, humid peak beach season, with July highs around 29°C / 84°F, warm water and the strongest conditions for swimming, snorkeling and boat days.
beachessnorkeling and divingfamiliesboat trips
Hotels, restaurants and buses are busiest and priciest, Dockyard is crowded on cruise-ship days, and hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November.
September–November
September remains fully summery with excellent warm-water diving and snorkeling; October is beach-capable but quieter, while November turns milder and better value for active sightseeing.
diving and snorkelingspiny lobster seasonshoulder-season beach tripsactive travel
September and October have Bermuda’s highest storm risk, with serious systems capable of interrupting flights, ferries and attractions; November is not reliably hot beach weather.
Events worth planning around
Good Friday kite flying and fish-cake tradition · Good Friday, usually March or April · Island-wide, especially public beaches and open spaces
A distinctive public-holiday day rather than a reason to avoid Bermuda, but confirm restaurant, attraction and transport hours; fish cakes on hot-cross buns are the local order.
Bermuda Day · Last Friday in May · Hamilton and island-wide
Parades, races and the symbolic start of beach season make this a lively long weekend; book rooms, restaurants and transport early.
Bermuda Carnival · Usually June · Hamilton and island-wide
Carnival events increase demand for rooms, dining and taxis, particularly around Hamilton; reserve early if traveling during the festival.
Cup Match · Usually late July or early August; dates vary annually · Somerset and St. George’s, with island-wide beach celebrations
Bermuda’s major two-day cricket public holiday brings packed beaches, parties and very tight accommodation and restaurant availability; book far ahead or avoid it for a quiet trip.
Christmas and New Year · Late December to early January · Island-wide
Despite winter’s otherwise quieter hotel market, festive dates command high rates and need advance booking.
What to eat
Bermuda’s food is maritime and creole-British-Portuguese: local fish, salt cod, onions, hot pepper sauce, rum and cassava rather than sharply distinct regional cuisines. Eat fish sandwiches and chowder deliberately, schedule a Sunday codfish breakfast, and use Hamilton for range while seeking simpler local cooking in the West End.
Bermuda fish chowder, a rich tomato-leaning seafood soup finished with Outerbridge’s sherry pepper sauce and black rumFish sandwich: fried wahoo, snapper, rockfish or grouper on raisin bread or whole-wheat toast; order it “with the works” for cheese, coleslaw, onions, lettuce, tomato and hot sauceSunday codfish breakfast: salted cod with potatoes, onions, banana, egg and avocado, often with tomato or butter-onion sauceBermuda fish cakes: salt-cod-and-potato fritters; traditionally eaten on hot-cross buns at Good FridayLocal spiny lobster, best from September through MarchBermuda onion and cassava pie or traditional cassava bakingRum Swizzle, the sweet shared rum drinkDark ’n Stormy, dark rum with ginger beer
Hamilton: The island’s broadest choice of Bermudian, Portuguese, Caribbean and international food · Serious fish-sandwich lunches · Dinner beyond resort dining
St. George’s and the East End: Historic-pub atmosphere · Casual fish lunches, fish sandwiches and chowder after sightseeing · Better for daytime eating than late-night choice
South Shore: Fish lunches after the beach · Resort and destination dinners, best reserved ahead
Sandys and Somerset: Unflashy roadside and waterside cooking · Pies, rotis, jerk, fried fish and home-style takeout rather than forced fine dining
Researched Oct 14, 2026