I love Bermuda! I've visited four times and I've never actually stayed on the island. When you live in the Northeast, the best (cheapest) way to get to the island is to cruise! This travel guide will be about visiting Bermuda from the cruise port, but it can be helpful for anyone staying on the island as well.
Why Bermuda?
In Bermuda, everyone is friendly, it's incredibly affordable and easy to use public transportation to get around the island, and everywhere you go is picturesque. The pink sand beaches and crystal-clear waters have to be seen in person!
If you're a cruiser, you can easily catch 5–7-day cruises from Boston or New York City on Norwegian Cruise Lines and Royal Carribean. I prefer NCL, but Royal Carribean has been great too!
What to see?
The beaches. That's first and foremost. They're some of the best beaches I've ever seen with the clearest water...the water is even clearer than my pool's water! If you're cruising (or even if you're not) the Royal Naval Dockyard cruise port has plenty of tours and excursions you can purchase. I've been on 10 cruises, and I've done plenty of paid excursions, but you can travel so easily on public transportation on Bermuda I didn't think a tour was worth it!
At the dockyard, there is a visitor center where you can purchase bus and ferry tokens or a multi-day pass. On this last 3-day trip I took in June 2024, I bought a pass to easily hop on the bus or ferry. You also can buy your tokens digitally! This page on gotobermuda.com will show you all the transportation options. A TIP: The Dockyard bus stop will limit how many passengers can get on a #7 bus Monday - Friday to make way for locals. Take the ferry to Hamilton, grab a bite and peruse around a little, then walk to the bus station to grab the bus to the beaches.
Horseshoe Bay Beach
Horseshoe Bay is arguably the most popular beach on the island. It's a bit touristy, but it's worth it if you enjoy/require amenities like restrooms, refreshments, and umbrellas and chairs. From the Dockyard, take the #7 bus to the stop "Across from Horseshoe Bay Beach". The bus driver will usually announce this stop because of its popularity, so don't worry too much about missing it! The bus stop is atop a decently steep hill with a wooden walkway.
The pink sand and gem-stone-colored water are an amazing sight! The beach is large with plenty of room in the water to spread out. There were some rip currents when we were there, but the lifeguard did an excellent job keeping people away from the more dangerous areas. The waves were waving, but not enough to cause any issues for a moderate swimmer.
Jobson's Cove
Jobson's Cove was exactly what I search for while on a trip! This beach was much more secluded than Horseshoe Bay but does lack amenities. Personally, that tradeoff is totally worth it to me! There is a larger beach we stopped at first at the end of the short walk from the bus stop (#7 bus from the Dockyard, stop "Next to Camp Road") which we stopped at first. If you're facing the water, walk right to find the cove. The cove's water is calm and clear, perfect for wading. We swam a bit further out past the rocks (pictured third) to find a path to a tiny pool. This was the best view of the trip IMO.
Where to eat?
When cruising, you technically don't have to worry about where your next meal is coming from...the food is all-you-can-eat! Being obsessed with great coffee and pastries though, I had to seek out some brunch while on the island.
l'Artisan Boulangerie
Our breakfast at l'Artisan Boulangerie was a perfect start to our beach day! Grab a coffee and a pastry and eat outside at a small table to watch the hustle and bustle of the city of Hamilton. It's directly next to the ferry stop to the left and not too far from the Hamilton bus station, so love that. The pastries and lattes were delectable, so get a pastry for breakfast and get yourself a beach pastry for later!
The Dockyard Cafe
The Dockyard Cafe is a new spot at the Royal Naval Dockyard, and it's super easy to pop over to when you're cruising. It's such a perfect spot for breakfast or lunch, with a gorgeous little patio separated from the rest of the world by a wall of hibiscus plants. It's nice and shaded, but they do only have outdoor seating FYI. The food was delicious, the coffee was spot-on, and the service was some of the friendliest I've ever encountered. You HAVE to try it out while in Bermuda, whether you're cruising or not!
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