Best way to aquarium and zoo from crystal caves

[Lreeves316]

Hi all! We’re sailing to Bermuda June 4 and staying over for 2 nights. We know we’re going to take the ferry over to Hamilton and then probably a minivan to Horseshoe Bay the first day. I’d like to visit the Crystal caves, swizzle inn and aquarium the second day. Is there a bus from Crystal caves to aquarium? Do you know bus # if there is one? I know bus 1,10, and 11 go to the caves from Hamilton. Thanks for any help. 

[princeton123211]

3 minutes ago, Lreeves316 said:

I’d like to visit the Crystal caves, swizzle inn and aquarium the second day. Is there a bus from Crystal caves to aquarium? Do you know bus # if there is one? I know bus 1,10, and 11 go to the caves from Hamilton. Thanks for any help. 

Its only about a 10 minute drive-- it might be a lot faster just taking a quick taxi from Swizzle Inn or the Caves. I'm sure someone else would know about the bus-- not my area of expertise. 

 

Also not stated by you but assuming you were planning on taking the ferry from Dockyard to St George's to start this day? That would be the fastest and most economical way to get to that side of the island. 

[njhorseman]

24 minutes ago, Lreeves316 said:

Hi all! We’re sailing to Bermuda June 4 and staying over for 2 nights. We know we’re going to take the ferry over to Hamilton and then probably a minivan to Horseshoe Bay the first day. I’d like to visit the Crystal caves, swizzle inn and aquarium the second day. Is there a bus from Crystal caves to aquarium? Do you know bus # if there is one? I know bus 1,10, and 11 go to the caves from Hamilton. Thanks for any help. 

If you want to take the bus the #10 or 11 will get you from the Swizzle Inn or the Caves to BAMZ. It's about a 10 minute ride .

[Charles4515]

51 minutes ago, Lreeves316 said:

Hi all! We’re sailing to Bermuda June 4 and staying over for 2 nights. We know we’re going to take the ferry over to Hamilton and then probably a minivan to Horseshoe Bay the first day. I’d like to visit the Crystal caves, swizzle inn and aquarium the second day. Is there a bus from Crystal caves to aquarium? Do you know bus # if there is one? I know bus 1,10, and 11 go to the caves from Hamilton. Thanks for any help. 

Not sure if you are clear about the minivans to Horseshoe. They run from the Dockyard not from Hamilton.

 

The 1,3,10 and 11 buses are the bus routes to get to the caves either from Hamilton or from St. George’s. The 10 and 11 are the routes that go by the Aquarium from either Hamilton or St. George’s. There is a crossroads by the Swizzle Inn where all four routes, the 1,3 10 and 11 routes intersect. The caves are a short distance. From the caves back to the crossroads you can catch any of the four routes including the 10 or 11 which go by the Aquarium.

 

Added: You will have to take a ferry to either Hamilton or St. George first. Then catch a bus. 

Edited April 15, 2023 by Charles4515

[Lreeves316]

 

1 hour ago, princeton123211 said:

Its only about a 10 minute drive-- it might be a lot faster just taking a quick taxi from Swizzle Inn or the Caves. I'm sure someone else would know about the bus-- not my area of expertise. 

 

Also not stated by you but assuming you were planning on taking the ferry from Dockyard to St George's to start this day? That would be the fastest and most economical way to get to that side of the island. 

Ok that’s good to know. I read somewhere either Hamilton or St. George to get to the caves. But if it’s quicker I’ll definitely go the St. George route. Thank you so much!

[Lreeves316]

49 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

1 hour ago, Lreeves316 said:

 

If you want to take the bus the #10 or 11 will get you from the Swizzle Inn or the Caves to BAMZ. It's about a 10 minute ride .

Thank you so much! At least now I know I could pick up the bus at Swizzle Inn. I guess just have to decide either bus or taxi. 

[Lreeves316]

41 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Not sure if you are clear about the minivans to Horseshoe. They run from the Dockyard not from Hamilton.

 

The 1,3,10 and 11 buses are the bus routes to get to the caves either from Hamilton or from St. George’s. The 10 and 11 are the routes that go by the Aquarium from either Hamilton or St. George’s. There is a crossroads by the Swizzle Inn where all four routes, the 1,3 10 and 11 routes intersect. The caves are a short distance. From the caves back to the crossroads you can catch any of the four routes including the 10 or 11 which go by the Aquarium.

 

Added: You will have to take a ferry to either Hamilton or St. George first. Then catch a bus. 

Thanks for this information about the minivan being at the dockyard. Someone here said it would be quicker with the ferry to St. George then bus to Crystal caves. Maybe we’ll go that way. 

[princeton123211]

3 hours ago, Lreeves316 said:

Ok that’s good to know. I read somewhere either Hamilton or St. George to get to the caves. But if it’s quicker I’ll definitely go the St. George route. Thank you so much!

To the caves and the Swizzle Inn, definitely the ferry to St Georges will be the fastest, easiest, and least expensive. 

 

3 hours ago, Lreeves316 said:

Thanks for this information about the minivan being at the dockyard. Someone here said it would be quicker with the ferry to St. George then bus to Crystal caves. Maybe we’ll go that way. 

The reason I'm putting both of these in one response is we might be getting wires crossed. To Horseshoe Bay from the Dockyard, the easiest way to get there is by shared minivan.

 

Horseshoe Bay is closer to the Dockyard and is nowhere near St Georges/caves/Swizzle (it can be near to Hamilton, but taking a ferry to Hamiton to backtrack to Horseshoe doesn't make much sense). Just take a look at the map and you'll see what I mean.

 

Horseshoe Bay and St Georges/Swizzle/caves should be done on separate days as there would be too much travel time in between them to really enjoy everything they have to offer. 

[latebloomer56]

On 4/15/2023 at 12:08 AM, Lreeves316 said:

Thanks for this information about the minivan being at the dockyard. Someone here said it would be quicker with the ferry to St. George then bus to Crystal caves. Maybe we’ll go that way. 

We were planning on the ferry to Hamilton but if St. George is closer think that will work as well.

Does anybody know how easy the NCL ferry leaves? We will be there next week on the Pearl.

[princeton123211]

1 hour ago, latebloomer56 said:

We were planning on the ferry to Hamilton but if St. George is closer think that will work as well.

Does anybody know how easy the NCL ferry leaves? We will be there next week on the Pearl.

If you are going to the caves then yes, taking the free NCL Ferry to St Georges is by far your fastest and best option for that. The NCL ferry runs regularly from the Dockyard where your ship is docked and the schedule will be posted. 

 

Going to Hamilton will in a sense only get you halfway there-- ride time from St Georges to the caves is about 10 minutes where its more like 20-25 minutes from Hamilton. 

[latebloomer56]

9 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

If you are going to the caves then yes, taking the free NCL Ferry to St Georges is by far your fastest and best option for that. The NCL ferry runs regularly from the Dockyard where your ship is docked and the schedule will be posted. 

 

Going to Hamilton will in a sense only get you halfway there-- ride time from St Georges to the caves is about 10 minutes where its more like 20-25 minutes from Hamilton. 

Right have done Hamilton to caves and zoo it takes a while. Want to get an early start to the caves next Monday.

Thanks

[Charles4515]

52 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

If you are going to the caves then yes, taking the free NCL Ferry to St Georges is by far your fastest and best option for that. The NCL ferry runs regularly from the Dockyard where your ship is docked and the schedule will be posted. 

 

Going to Hamilton will in a sense only get you halfway there-- ride time from St Georges to the caves is about 10 minutes where it’s more like 20-25 minutes from Hamilton. 

It takes 20 or 30 minutes to get by ferry to Hamilton. It takes 45 minutes to get to St. George’s by ferry. The math does not seem to be that going to St. George’s is faster. The NCL ferry would be free so that is a pro but it is possible that the Hamilton ferry schedule will be more convenient. The Hamilton ferry might run earlier than the NCL ferry. I prefer going to St, George because I would take a taxi from there but going to Hamilton would not make much difference. 

Edited April 17, 2023 by Charles4515

[njhorseman]

56 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

It takes 20 or 30 minutes to get by ferry to Hamilton. It takes 45 minutes to get to St. George’s by ferry. The math does not seem to be that going to St. George’s is faster. The NCL ferry would be free so that is a pro but it is possible that the Hamilton ferry schedule will be more convenient. The Hamilton ferry might run earlier than the NCL ferry. I prefer going to St, George because I would take a taxi from there but going to Hamilton would not make much difference. 

You're spot on.

Travel time to BAMZ from Dockyard is virtually identical whether you take the ferry to Hamilton first or St. George's first. The ferry schedules will be the deciding factor as to which option works best for any one person.

One other possible factor is whether you prefer the ferry ride to be longer or the bus ride to be longer. I prefer a longer ferry ride. Someone who's prone to seasickness might opt for the shorter ferry ride to Hamilton, particularly since the ride to Hamilton traverses more sheltered waters and can be smoother than the trip to St. George's in windy, choppy water conditions. Sometimes ferries to St. George's are cancelled due to weather/sea conditions while ferries to Hamilton still can make their run.

Edited April 17, 2023 by njhorseman

[latebloomer56]

2 hours ago, njhorseman said:

You're spot on.

Travel time to BAMZ from Dockyard is virtually identical whether you take the ferry to Hamilton first or St. George's first. The ferry schedules will be the deciding factor as to which option works best for any one person.

One other possible factor is whether you prefer the ferry ride to be longer or the bus ride to be longer. I prefer a longer ferry ride. Someone who's prone to seasickness might opt for the shorter ferry ride to Hamilton, particularly since the ride to Hamilton traverses more sheltered waters and can be smoother than the trip to St. George's in windy, choppy water conditions. Sometimes ferries to St. George's are cancelled due to weather/sea conditions while ferries to Hamilton still can make their run.

I like the ferry but will check with the boys.

We will be needing the two day bus passes and understand I can get these on Monday at the Dockyard. Is there a place for these in St. George as well? Will be taking the Hamilton ferry on Wed. to go to the fort in Hamilton anyway.

Thanks as always for your advice.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, latebloomer56 said:

I like the ferry but will check with the boys.

We will be needing the two day bus passes and understand I can get these on Monday at the Dockyard. Is there a place for these in St. George as well? Will be taking the Hamilton ferry on Wed. to go to the fort in Hamilton anyway.

Thanks as always for your advice.

There was a Visitors Information Center in St. George's where you could buy the passes, but not having been there recently I'm not sure whether that office still exists.

[Charles4515]

54 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

There was a Visitors Information Center in St. George's where you could buy the passes, but not having been there recently I'm not sure whether that office still exists.

It is located now on the north side of York St, near Queen St. 

Edited April 18, 2023 by Charles4515

[Lreeves316]

Thank you everyone for all this great information! We’ll probably try to get NCL ferry to St. George then either a cab or jump on the bus to Crystal Caves. 

[sebas030]

On 4/18/2023 at 1:45 AM, Lreeves316 said:

Thank you everyone for all this great information! We’ll probably try to get NCL ferry to St. George then either a cab or jump on the bus to Crystal Caves. 

It might have changed in the past years since I went to Bermuda, but the few times I went to St-Georges there were no taxis waiting in town. We had to wait for a taxi to come and drop passengers into town  and then grab their taxi to the caves.

 

Like I said, it might be different now...

 

Hamilton is full of taxis, I will take the ferry to Hamilton and then a cab ride to the caves myself on my next trip, unless the schedule for the ferry is way better for St-Georges and taxi availability is better.

[jmjmann76]

On 4/14/2023 at 10:41 PM, Lreeves316 said:

Hi all! We’re sailing to Bermuda June 4 and staying over for 2 nights. We know we’re going to take the ferry over to Hamilton and then probably a minivan to Horseshoe Bay the first day. I’d like to visit the Crystal caves, swizzle inn and aquarium the second day. Is there a bus from Crystal caves to aquarium? Do you know bus # if there is one? I know bus 1,10, and 11 go to the caves from Hamilton. Thanks for any help. 

Hello!  We had pretty much the same idea on our cruise last June.  On the first day, we boarded a minivan at the dockyard and headed to Horseshoe Bay.  It was easy to catch another minivan back once we were ready to leave.  The second day, we took the ferry to Hamilton and caught a bus to the caves.  After the caves, we ate lunch at Swizzle Inn and caught a passing bus to get to the aquarium.  

[latebloomer56]

We went last week and took the bus from St. George. Took NCL ferry walked up the hill stood at the pink pole bus 10 took us to the Aquarium and Zoo stop.