Dockyard - St George - Doable in one day?

[gehrandt]

We've never been to Bermuda before (4 of us) - I'm suppose to schedule our day. I've come up with the following but not sure that it can all be done in one day.

 

Take ferry from Dockyard to St. George (hopefully 9:15am) - wander around St. George making sure to see St. Peter's, unfinished church, Somers gardens and (possibily depending on how far it is) St. Catherine Fort. Maybe walk to Tobacco Bay to dip our toes in the sand (In Oct I'm sure it is too cold for us to swim as we like bathtub water & we aren't all that much into beaches).

 

Return to Dockyards by ferry shortly afternoon. Wander around the Dockyards.

 

Collapse onboard ship before sailing away.

 

Any suggestions appreciated.

[SailBadtheSinner]

Assuming your visit is on a weekday and the ferry from the Dockyards to St George has not been cut as a cost saving means, then I see no problem with your itinerary. The ferry does not run on weekends.

 

From the 2009 schedule, the ferry departs SG at 11, 12, 1, 3 & 4 and the trip takes 40 minutes. The CP departs Bermuda at 5PM; I would plan to be on the 3PM ferry which will get you back with plenty of time to spare.

 

Will you be lunching in SG? I would lunch at the White Horse Tavern which is right on the town square which would put you about a 2 minute walk to the ferry.

 

As an alternative (or for a backup plan), you could take the bus. They do run more frequently than the ferry. Of course this would involve taking the ferry from Hamilton to the Dockyards.

 

Enjoy Bermuda; I'm sure that you'll find that being there for one day is never enough.

 

 

SBtS

[gehrandt]

Thank you so much for the info. Do you know how long it takes the bus for the SG to Dockyards run?

[SailBadtheSinner]

A bus operating on routes #10 or #11 takes approx 50 minutes for the trip from SG to Hamilton. A bus operating on route #3 takes approx 58 minutes for the same trip. A bus operating on route #1 takes approx 60 minutes for the same trip. Any bus you take to Hamilton will require a ferry ride to the Dockyards. Figure about a 25 minute ferry ride from Hamilton to the Dockyards as long as the ferry goes direct to the Dockyards and does not make other stops enroute. I would suggest buying a one day transportation pass. Here is the link to the bus/ferry schedules: http://www.rccbermuda.bm/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=252&mode=2&in_hi_userid=2&cached=true

From the dropdown box titled Find More in the middle left of the screen, any route schedule can be selected.

 

The ferry terminal is about a 5-10 minute walk from the bus terminal but it is mostly downhill.

 

 

SBtS

[fridaythe13th]

We've never been to Bermuda before (4 of us) - I'm suppose to schedule our day. I've come up with the following but not sure that it can all be done in one day.

 

Take ferry from Dockyard to St. George (hopefully 9:15am) - wander around St. George making sure to see St. Peter's, unfinished church, Somers gardens and (possibily depending on how far it is) St. Catherine Fort. Maybe walk to Tobacco Bay to dip our toes in the sand (In Oct I'm sure it is too cold for us to swim as we like bathtub water & we aren't all that much into beaches).

 

Return to Dockyards by ferry shortly afternoon. Wander around the Dockyards.

 

Collapse onboard ship before sailing away.

 

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

When you arrive in St Georges you may want to ask if they are still doing the "dunking of the wench" by the Town Crier. It is a Historical Re-Enactment at noontime on Monday's in King’s Square.

[Mom.to.2]

Assuming your visit is on a weekday and the ferry from the Dockyards to St George has not been cut as a cost saving means, then I see no problem with your itinerary. The ferry does not run on weekends.

 

 

Oh Noooo! Are you sure the orange ferry line between Dockyard and St. George doesn't run on the weekends? There goes my plan. :mad: I was really hoping to get to St. George with my family but that is too long of a bus ride (on top of a ferry to Hamilton) to drag my kids on. Bummer.

[Sargent_Schultz]

You can rent a taxi for about $40/hr.

[Mom.to.2]

You can rent a taxi for about $40/hr.

 

Do you know how long a taxi ride would take between Dockyard and Tobacco Bay? It would be a Sat or Sunday so I'm hoping traffic wouldn't be an issue.

[njhorseman]

Do you know how long a taxi ride would take between Dockyard and Tobacco Bay? It would be a Sat or Sunday so I'm hoping traffic wouldn't be an issue.

 

Dockyard and the St. George's area are about as far apart by road as you can get in Bermuda. I have to say it's going to take the better part of an hour even in light traffic. The roads in Bermuda are narrow and twisting.

 

By the way, the $40 per hour rate quoted in the previous post is for hiring a taxi for a tour. Otherwise the charge is on the meter, and rates are not inexpensive.

[Mom.to.2]

Okay. Sounds like I should give up my St. George/Tobacco Bay dream this trip. :( I'm not thrilled with an hour taxi ride anyway due to lack of children's car seats.

 

If I do Horshoe Bay (forgive my spelling) instead, how long is the express bus from Dockyard and does that run on weekends? I've never been but a lot of people on CC seem to rave about it.

[DeltaOne]

By the way, the $40 per hour rate quoted in the previous post is for hiring a taxi for a tour. Otherwise the charge is on the meter, and rates are not inexpensive.

 

Correct. Our taxi fare from the airport to our rental in the Warwick parish was $40.

[bermuda triangle]

We've never been to Bermuda before (4 of us) - I'm suppose to schedule our day. I've come up with the following but not sure that it can all be done in one day.

 

Take ferry from Dockyard to St. George (hopefully 9:15am) - wander around St. George making sure to see St. Peter's, unfinished church, Somers gardens and (possibily depending on how far it is) St. Catherine Fort. Maybe walk to Tobacco Bay to dip our toes in the sand (In Oct I'm sure it is too cold for us to swim as we like bathtub water & we aren't all that much into beaches).

 

Return to Dockyards by ferry shortly afternoon. Wander around the Dockyards.

 

Collapse onboard ship before sailing away.

 

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

 

I just wanted to give you the ferry and bus schedule links. When you get off the ship there are ticket offices (or tokens) for the ferry and bus. You can also pick up pocket schedules there.

 

http://www.seaexpress.bm/portal/server.pt ferries

http://www.gov.bm/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=252&mode=2&in_hi_userid=2&cached=true buses

 

Hope this helps!

[njhorseman]

Okay. Sounds like I should give up my St. George/Tobacco Bay dream this trip. :( I'm not thrilled with an hour taxi ride anyway due to lack of children's car seats.

 

If I do Horshoe Bay (forgive my spelling) instead, how long is the express bus from Dockyard and does that run on weekends? I've never been but a lot of people on CC seem to rave about it.

 

I can't say what the express bus schedule is, but I think it takes about 15 or 20 minutes from Dockyard to Horseshoe Bay. Even if you take the local bus it's a half hour or less. I may be off by a few minutes...it could be a few minutes less. I really don't pay close attention to the time when riding the bus.

[iheartbda]

Dockyard and the St. George's area are about as far apart by road as you can get in Bermuda. I have to say it's going to take the better part of an hour even in light traffic. The roads in Bermuda are narrow and twisting.

 

By the way, the $40 per hour rate quoted in the previous post is for hiring a taxi for a tour. Otherwise the charge is on the meter, and rates are not inexpensive.

Just tell the taxi driver you want a tour from Dockyard to St. George with no stops in between and also tell him to put the pedal to the metal.:D:p

[Sargent_Schultz]

I think taxi tours have a 3 hour minimum but it was a bargain compared to the cruise ship tours.

 

When you arrive you can inspect the lines for the various options a decide.

 

There is at least one ATM in the vicinity.

[smeyer418]

Do you know how long a taxi ride would take between Dockyard and Tobacco Bay? It would be a Sat or Sunday so I'm hoping traffic wouldn't be an issue.

 

The cost would approach $100.00, if not more its 20 miles and that is what it will cost. Also on Sunday it will be 25% more as there is a Sunday surcharge, and the cabbie may not want to take you either. It will take between an hour and an hour and a half. The bus will take you to St George in slightly under 2 hours.

[Mom.to.2]

The cost would approach $100.00, if not more its 20 miles and that is what it will cost. Also on Sunday it will be 25% more as there is a Sunday surcharge, and the cabbie may not want to take you either. It will take between an hour and an hour and a half. The bus will take you to St George in slightly under 2 hours.

 

Thanks for putting the final nail in that coffin! ;)

[Luv Cruising Land or Sea]

Your itinerary can be accomplished in one day using the ferry but I recomend you get off the ship asap and get right to the ferry - lines can get long... I believe you can even purchase your ferry tickets on line in adavance so you don't have to wait in that line. St Georges is beautiful and fun to walk around and see the sites - make sure you check out the town hall - we had a nice chat with a wonderful man we thought was a cab driver and turned out he was the Mayor!

[iheartbda]

Your itinerary can be accomplished in one day using the ferry but I recomend you get off the ship asap and get right to the ferry - lines can get long... I believe you can even purchase your ferry tickets on line in adavance so you don't have to wait in that line. St Georges is beautiful and fun to walk around and see the sites - make sure you check out the town hall - we had a nice chat with a wonderful man we thought was a cab driver and turned out he was the Mayor!

 

No, I don't think this is correct.

[Milaandra]

St. George is beautiful. I think it`s worth it, but that`s an adult perspective. If the express ferry isn`t available, you can take the ferry to Hamilton and the bus from there. The bus lets you off right by Somer`s Garden (ask the bus driver). Beside it is a store where you can buy sandwiches so you can eat on the run later. From there you can walk up the hill to the unfinished church, then a bit further to the hill overlooking Tobacco Bay. Personally, I wouldn`t bother going all the way to the beach. The sand is quite coarse, there are stones underwater and Tobacco is more of a snorkel experience, IMHO. Then you can walk back to town, wander about (there are great museums) and then head back. If the ferry is running, take it to Hamilton and the bus from there to stop at Horseshoe which is the best foot paddling area and exquisitely beautiful. Then you can finish up in the Dockyard knowing you are close to the ship.

 

HOWEVER, if you have children small enough to need baby seats, they may not be able to handle the hills, which would mean a slight change. I would then go straight to St. George proper and get a cab to take you to the unfinished church, the hill above Tobacco and back to town.

 

If they are small, a better itinerary might be to take the bus to Horseshoe for a couple of hours, maybe snag a cab to Gibb`s Lighthouse for some views and souvenirs (again, big hill), and do the Dockyard for the rest of the day. Do you think they would like picking through the beach glass? That's close, too. That way you can get back on the ship for lunch, too, to give the kids a bit of a break from the sun and heat.

 

You could always do St. George another trip.

 

I wouldn't bother with any forts, but that may be because I live close to a couple. I just don't think it would be worth the extra time and they are a bit out of the way.

[Milaandra]

I forgot to add that there is a shuttle cab from Horseshoe back up the hill for $2. I'm not sure if they charge for kids.

 

Bermuda is beautiful, and frankly, even if you didn't do anything other than ride buses and ferries around, it's still a wonderful experience. (Those little bright pastel houses dotting the hills...the wonderfully polite and friendly locals...the gorgeous flora!) But you really should at least go to Horseshoe....turquoise waters lapping soft flesh-pink sands and fabulous volcanic rocks thrusting out of the water...I couldn't believe it was real!

[Maraprince]

We arrive at the Dockyard on Saturday, 5/29, for just the day. Having been to Bermuda on several occasions, we want to go around the island via taxi seeing the major sights in Hamilton and St. George as well or take the bus to St. George and spend our time there.

 

Princess offers a tour around the island at $64 per person. What would a taxi tour cost for 2 people to do something similar? Or would we better off taking the bus from the Dockyard to St. George?

 

Is there a recommended local tour company that we can book with?

 

Thanks.

 

MARAPRINCE

[DeltaOne]

The cabs with the blue flags will take you on a tour for $40 per hour. The ship tour might be a better deal for a party of two, but for a party of four or more it would be cheaper to take a taxi (mini-van) tour.

 

You might decide on the taxi tour anyway, since you would be free to set the itinerary any way you wish.