Looking for a private tour company while in Bermuda..

[pinkaboo]

Need help finding a private tour guide. We'll be in Bermuda Nov 1, 2005 and would like to tour with a private tour company. Doesn't necessarily have to be just my group, but would like to skip the bus and taxis. Looking for a tour company that has beach, shopping and sightseeing for a day's activities. Any suggestions? We haven't been very successful in finding any companies. I know there has to be a couple out there that assist the cruiseship passengers.

[Swizzle v2.0]

We haven't been very successful in finding any companies.

I know there has to be a couple out there that assist the cruiseship passengers.

If there are private tour companies in Bermuda I haven't heard of them so you might be out of luck. You should consider arranging ahead of time for a taxi tour. Taxi tours are a wonderful way to see the island and you can go anywhere you want on your own schedule. Others cruisers have tried it and I don't recall seeing a bad report. Once you finish your tour you can spend the rest of your time in Bermuda going back to the places you want to spend more time in.

 

You could also contact a tourism information centre, they might know if any private tour companies are on the island.

[pinkaboo]

Swizzle

Thanks for the info, I think I will inquire with the local taxi companies. To your knowledge, do they have a set itinerary for about 3 hrs or so. Or will they allow you to make your own itinerary? We only wanted to be on tour for no more than 3hrs. Basically looking to explore some of the island highlights, horseshoe bay and a little shopping. Can you make any reccommendations. We'd like to keep it short and simple? Thanks, you're a big help on this board...

[Swizzle v2.0]

Swizzle

Thanks for the info, I think I will inquire with the local taxi companies. To your knowledge, do they have a set itinerary for about 3 hrs or so. Or will they allow you to make your own itinerary? We only wanted to be on tour for no more than 3hrs. Basically looking to explore some of the island highlights, horseshoe bay and a little shopping. Can you make any reccommendations. We'd like to keep it short and simple? Thanks, you're a big help on this board...

As far as I know you can make your own itinerary but I'm sure it would be similar to where the taxi would take you. Look up taxis in the yellow pages, www.bermudayp.com, and mention that you only want a tour for three hours as some taxis have a minimum amount of time you need to book, usually 3 or 4 hours.

 

Some highlights for a tour:

1) South shore beaches, including Horseshoe. There are a lot of beaches near Horseshoe so you might want to look at Horseshoe, Jobson's Cove, Warwick Long Bay and Elbow.

2) Gibbs Hill lighthouse, quite close to Horseshoe, nice view

3) St. Georges is nice but is on the other side of the island so could take a while to get to, on the plus side you'll see most of the island on the trip there. St. Georges is a wonderful little town and worth seeing. There are also some nearby forts and beaches that the taxi can take you by.

 

Remember that Bermuda is only 20 square miles so you can cover a lot of the island in three hours.

 

I'd tour Hamilton on your own rather than take a cab, during a weekday traffic can be bad so you could probably walk through Hamilton faster. :p

[skyview851]

Pinkaboo,

Just returned from Bermuda & we took a taxi tour while in Hamilton. There were 6 of us, & we asked to visit the aquarium & zoo, south shore beaches, & botanical gardens. Our driver suggested that we skip the gardens, since there was not much blooming while we were there. We agreed & spent the next 3.5 hours on a wonderful tour. He took us to the aquarium & zoo, and we spent as much time as we wanted there. It was practically empty, so we had the place to ourselves. As we were leaving 4 buses pulled up. Perfect timing. We also drove along the North & South Shores, stopping to take pictures whenever we wanted. We also drove thru a rather expensive neighborhood, looking at where the celebrities live. Our driver was engaging & entertaining. It was a lovely tour, and he charged $150 for our group. I recommend trying this approach!