Best Way To See The Island

[Relax Cruiser]

Thinking of doing a city tour, what is the best way to do it?

 

Want to do it on Day 3, and ship leaves at 5:30pm- is it best to take a tour offered by the Cruise (5 hour tour, $99 per person) or I have read on here about Taxi Tours or taking a bus and doing it ourselves.

 

If Taxi, who's the best? We both like a lot of History so someone who can explain the island's History well would be ideal.

 

How much would a Taxi Tour cost and would it be cheaper than Cruise Tour/bus?

 

Many thanks.

[flowers44]

If you are going to wait until Day 3 to tour the island, I would absolutely do a ship excursion. If you do it on your own and get caught on a slow bus or miss a ferry, you may not make it back to the ship on time. If you purchase the transportation pass, you can pretty much get to anywhere you want to go and do a DIY excursion during the three days you're there. The Maritime Museum right at the Dockyard is a wonderful place to find history of Bermuda and it is a self guided tour with lots of signs to read about the Bermuda Military History. Fort St. Catherine is just outside of St. George, again you can self guide that very easily. The Unfinished Church in St. George is interesting and so is a visit to St. Peter's Church, also in St. George. There a several building you can into and do self guided tours all around the island. There are also walking tours of St. George, where a local guide takes you around the town and tells you about the different things. All of these things I would do on the first two days and save the Maritime Museum at the Dockyard for Day 3.

[russianmom]

You can book private tour such as Byways Tours, Ashley Harris or Colin Jennings or you can just walk off the ship and hire a blue flag taxi.

Not sure on current rates- it used to be $40/hr 1-4 people… (3hr min)

Then you can tell the driver what you are interested in and for how long and they will take you wherever...

Edited April 15, 2015 by russianmom

[njhorseman]

You shouldn't be going on a "city tour"...you should be touring the entire country of Bermuda, or at least its highlights. There's only one city in Bermuda, Hamilton, and on a tour that should be the place of least interest to you with a minimum amount of time spent, because it's primarily the business and government center of Bermuda, with only a few places that tourists might find interesting or attractive.

 

The current rate for 1- 4 passengers on a taxi tour is $50 per hour with a three hour minimum.

 

Some names of tour operators were mentioned in a previous post. Just be clear, one of them, Colin Jennings, is blue flag taxi driver...the others are private tour operators that set their own rates and do not have to follow the $50 per hour charge set for taxis.

There's along thread on this board that mentions the names of a number of blue flag taxi operators. Since it's been going for years I'd suggest you read it starting at the back and only read the previous year or two of posts. Older information may no longer be valid.

 

I disagree with the poster who recommended that you the ship's tour if you're going on the last day. Your ship doesn't leave until late afternoon so you have plenty of time if you book with one of the tour operators mentioned, or a blue flag taxi driver. A four or five hour tour that starts in the morning will get you back to the ship with time to spare even if there are traffic problems. It's far different than if you were doing something on your own using the buses or ferries. If that were the case you would have to plan your day very carefully, leaving a couple of hours margin for problems with the bus or ferry service.

[lbylore]

Is there any other way to tour the island that cost less then $150.00? What about the ferry can that get you around reasonable? Trying to see as much as possible on a small budget. Thanks

[flowers44]

The ferries only run to certain locations, like the Dockyard, St. George, Hamilton, etc. You only see the island from the water and really can't see much from the ferry except the shoreline and the multi-colored houses. It is a pretty ride but you really need to get on land to see the island. We actually enjoy riding the buses. They travel fast and the roads are narrow and curvy but it is an experience to ride one of the Bermuda buses. The locals will answer most any question you ask. They are very proud of their island. The ferries are covered with the transportation pass. You can use both the buses and ferries on that pass. If you purchase a two day pass, you have to use it on two consecutive days, not day one and day three. I will look back and make sure what the prices are for the passes this year and post them in another post.

 

In my other post, I said not to do a DIY tour on your last day there because you might miss getting back to the ship on time. You could do the taxi tour on that day and they would get you back in plenty of time. Just don't want you to be in St. George and miss the last ferry that goes back to the Dockyard before the ship leaves.

[flowers44]

Got the prices for 2015.

 

Transportation passes are

One day $19

two day $31

Three day $44

Children under 12, I believe, are half price.

 

Cash fair for one person is $5 but it has to be in coins. The bus machines don't accept dollar bills. So it gets pretty heavy carrying enough quarters to make $5 a person one way.

 

They sell books of tickets in Hamilton that have 15 tickets in each book. The price is $37.50 per book and several people can use the tickets out of each book. The tickets are good for both the bus and the ferry. If you got to Hamilton and purchase two books for a total of 30 tickets, the four of you could take 7 one-way rides on either the buses or a ferry but you have to get to Hamilton first. They have not sold these books at the Dockyard in the past.

 

So, if you paid cash fair of $5 each and got to Hamilton and bought two books of tickets, the total cost would be $20 to Hamilton and two books of tickets $75.00, it would be $95 for four people and you would have the 7 rides from the tickets and one ride from cash so that would be 8 rides or four round trips from the Dockyard and back. Does this make any sense to you? I hope it does. If not, ask again.

 

If you take the Ferry to St. George, you can walk to a lot of things from there that are free and just walking around, you can see and learn a lot about Bermuda.

[lbylore]

Thanks

Edited April 16, 2015 by lbylore

[taytaysmom1019]

Very helpful info[emoji1] Was thinking about doing the Byways tour but your posts have encouraged me to buy the bus passes and DIY. Thank you!

[flowers44]

Just plan out your days so you know what your are going to do and when. You don't want to spend your entire vacation waiting for the bus or ferry. We have used the pass on all of our 7 times in Bermuda. It is so easy. If you are not sure where you need to get off for an attraction, just greet the bus driver with "Good Morning" or "Good Afternoon" and politely tell the driver what you want to see and ask if he would let you know where to get off. They are more than happy to help you out. I got a Bermuda Travel book from the book store and planned my travels with the help of the maps and articles in the book. Worked really well.

[taytaysmom1019]

Excellent! Can you recommend a specific book?

[CELTICGIRLCRUISER]

Excellent! Can you recommend a specific book?

 

Mr Google is the best source for information IMO.

[DazyMae]

Got the prices for 2015.

 

Transportation passes are

One day $19

two day $31

Three day $44

Children under 12, I believe, are half price.

 

Cash fair for one person is $5 but it has to be in coins. The bus machines don't accept dollar bills. So it gets pretty heavy carrying enough quarters to make $5 a person one way.

 

They sell books of tickets in Hamilton that have 15 tickets in each book. The price is $37.50 per book and several people can use the tickets out of each book. The tickets are good for both the bus and the ferry. If you got to Hamilton and purchase two books for a total of 30 tickets, the four of you could take 7 one-way rides on either the buses or a ferry but you have to get to Hamilton first. They have not sold these books at the Dockyard in the past.

 

So, if you paid cash fair of $5 each and got to Hamilton and bought two books of tickets, the total cost would be $20 to Hamilton and two books of tickets $75.00, it would be $95 for four people and you would have the 7 rides from the tickets and one ride from cash so that would be 8 rides or four round trips from the Dockyard and back. Does this make any sense to you? I hope it does. If not, ask again.

 

If you take the Ferry to St. George, you can walk to a lot of things from there that are free and just walking around, you can see and learn a lot about Bermuda.

Are you referring to US dollars or Bermudian dollars or are they the same?

If we want to get the ferry/bus pass 2 or 3 day do we have to go to Hamilton to get it? If so, that too would have to be factored in w/the pass fees.

[njhorseman]

Are you referring to US dollars or Bermudian dollars or are they the same?

If we want to get the ferry/bus pass 2 or 3 day do we have to go to Hamilton to get it? If so, that too would have to be factored in w/the pass fees.

 

US currency is accepted in Bermuda and the Bermuda dollar is on par with the US dollar.

 

You can buy the passes at the Dockyard...no need to go into Hamilton to get them.

[marco]

The best way to "see" the island it the bus/ferry pass. We love to just ride the bus and look out the window, Bermuda is such a beautiful island. You can pretty much take a bus or ferry to within a couple of blocks of anything you might want to visit. IE: St George's, Hamilton, Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, Horseshoe Bay, Crystal Caves, the Botanical Gardens. Pick up a travel guide for Bermuda (either purchase or check out your library) A wealth of information of what to see/do and best ways to get there. We've cruised to Bermuda over 20 times over the past 30 or so years and keep going back. It is our favorite island! We're going again this June on the "Summit".

[biker@sea]

Go up the hill to the top of Hamilton .

Find the big church .

Go inside.

Find the little door to the tower down in the back .

 

Climb the spiral stairs to see All of the city and most of the island .:):)

 

Please leave a donation in the box on the way out . :D

Edited April 29, 2015 by biker@sea