Leaving St. G's by bus

[Lthouselady]

Our ship is docking in St. Georges and we are going to Dolphinquest in Dockyard one day. What is the best way to get there and back? There are 8 of us, and I was hoping to take the ferry, but, according to the ferry schedule online, the last ferry leaves Dockyard at 2:45 going to St. Georges. I don't think that will give us enough time in Dockyard. So,,,,

Should I buy the 15pack of bus tickets and that will cover us both ways except for 1 fare we'll have to pay? How long does it take by bus from Dockyard to St Georges? How about if we all want to go to one of the South Shore beaches? It doesn't seem like the three day passes will be worth it since we expect to travel by bus only twice, once to Dockyard and once, possibly, to the South shore beaches or to the Swizzle Inn. How long does it take from St. Georges to the South Shore Beaches by bus? I believe the cruiselines have shuttles that run to the beaches around St. Georges so we shouldn't need the regular bus then (mom can't walk more than 100 feet or so)

I would appreciate any words of wisdom anyone may have. :confused:

[bermudashorts]

The ferry is the ideal way to go if possible.

Is it possible to do the ferry one way and then the bus back?

 

We once did the buses from Dockyard to St Georges.

It takes an hour from Dockyard which then goes to Hamilton and then it is another another hour to St Georges.

Too much time on the bus for my liking. And we ended up taking the speed ferry back (in 1/2 hour to Dockyard).

Im sure others can help you with the bus info as we haven't done it since.

 

If there were 6 of you Id suggest taking a cab and split the costs to say swizzle inn (and maybe horseshoe bay). Thats usually what we do. I don't know if they have larger ones that can hold 8.

 

If your mom is going in the water, I suggest Tabacco bay. Its not deep and is very calm. Bring the sunscreen as it can get real hot there.

[Swizzle v2.0]

Rather than use the Dockyard-St. Georges ferry you can take the bus from St. Georges to Hamilton then take a ferry to Dockyard as there are more Hamilton-Dockyard sailings. Bus to Hamilton is 45 min to an hour, the ferry will take 20 minutes or so.

 

If you buy the pack of tickets be sure you buy 14-zone, not 3-zone, and ask the bus driver for a transfer when you get on (not when leaving the bus). You should also be able to buy individual bus tokens for that "16th ticket" wherever you purchase the tickets, but if not just ask the tourist information center where you can get them.

 

BTW, chances are you will have to pay cash for bus tickets, many places that sell them don't accept credit cards (why I have no idea -everywhere else in Bermuda seems to have entered the 21st century)

 

For the South Shore beaches you'd have to go to Hamilton then take the #7 bus. Alternatively you could go to John Smith's Bay, which isn't as grand as Horseshoe Bay but the sand is the same, just by taking the #1 bus from St. Georges.

[Lthouselady]

Thank you both SO much!

Swizzle, I know they sell both the 3 zone and the 14 zone tickets, each ticket is good for one way St. Georges to Dockyard, right? What is a 'transfer' that I should ask the driver for? How many zones is it from St Georges to Hamilton? I would take either bus 10 or 11 from St. Georges to Hamilton, right? It sounds like a bus all the way from St G's to Dockyard would take about 2 hours!!! :eek:

[Travel'n Man]

When you get to ST Georges go to the visitors center and they will set you up with what you need they are very helpful. The visitor center is right in front of the ship. The ride from ST Geo. to south shore beaches is a long ride, about 50 minutes to Hamilton and another 20 minutes to the south shore beaches on bus #7. Plan on about an hour and a half each way. The busses get crowded at rush hour and you may have a little wait in Hamilton to get back to ST. Georges. It really isn't too bad, it sounds worse than it is. They do have 2 nice beaches in ST. Georges. A short cab ride for those not physically fit,Fort ST. Catherine and Tobacco Bay are very nice. :)

[Swizzle v2.0]

Thank you both SO much!

Swizzle, I know they sell both the 3 zone and the 14 zone tickets, each ticket is good for one way St. Georges to Dockyard, right? What is a 'transfer' that I should ask the driver for? How many zones is it from St Georges to Hamilton? I would take either bus 10 or 11 from St. Georges to Hamilton, right? It sounds like a bus all the way from St G's to Dockyard would take about 2 hours!!! :eek:

Sorry Lthouselady, I didn't see your post until now.

 

Each ticket is good for one way. St.Georges to Hamilton is 7 zones, Hamilton to Dockyard is also 7 zones. There is little reason for a tourist to ever get a 3-zone book of tickets.

 

You need to ask the bus driver for a transfer because you have to change buses/ferries in Hamilton, otherwise the second ferry/bus driver will have no way of knowing that you've already paid with a 14-zone ticket - so you'd have to use another ticket. The transfer is a slip of paper with a time noted on it (usually a couple of hours after you received the transfer). You have to use the transfer by this time.

 

This is why getting day-passes is so much easier for tourists - you don't have to worry about zones and transfers as the pass is good for all buses and ferries for all zones. If you want to use bus tickets get the 14-zone if you need to.

 

Almost any bus leaving from St. Georges goes to Hamilton (one exception is the #6) but the 10/11 runs more frequently than the others.

 

Yes St. Georges-Dockyard by bus will take at least 2 hours, maybe more. Taking the Hamilton-Dockyard ferry is much faster than taking the bus.

[Lthouselady]

I appreciate all your help. I'm writing all this down. It sure is helpful to have a Bermudian to answer these questions for us. Thank you for giving so much of your time to helping us!!!! Can I buy you a drink when I get to Bermuda?