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FAQs
What's a good 'Bermuda' drink?
What would be a recommendation for casual
dining on the water?
What is some traditional Bermuda food?
Could you recommend some little restaurants
for breakfast and lunch to stop along the roadside?
When does White Horse Pub & Restaurant
open?
Will it rain while I'm on vacation in
Bermuda? I really want to go to the beach.
Are there any clothing optional beaches or
resorts on the Island?
Are shops and tourist attractions open on
Sunday?
What are some fun things to do in the
off-season?
Are there any ships that dock in St
George?
What is getting around on the ferries
like?
How about public buses?
What are some nice Bermuda souvenirs?
Bermuda Public Holidays
What's a good 'Bermuda'
drink?
We love this question. In fact, we promise to research it at
every Friday happy hour, to make sure you always have the best
answer.
But seriously, don't visit Bermuda without trying a Rum Swizzle
or a Dark n Stormy. They're our 'national' drinks and, trust us,
they're tasty. Different bars put different spins on the drinks
(maybe it's best to try them all?) but the basic recipes are:
Rum Swizzle
• Rum
• Mix of fruit juices or punch
Dark n Stormy
• Black rum
• Ginger beer (also made locally)
See more in our Wine, Spirits & Tobacco
section.
What would be a
recommendation for casual dining on the water?
Since Bermuda's an island, it might be easier to list the places
that aren't on the water. We get this question a lot, so we made a
list of restaurants that have water views on the left column of our
Outdoor
Dining page.
They are all winners.
What is some traditional
Bermuda food?
Codfish and potatoes!!!!!
Sorry, we get really excited about that one! Codfish and
potatoes is one of Bermuda's best-known dishes - that combo of salt
cod, boiled potatoes, onions, tomato sauce (or onion sauce),
bananas and avocado makes Sunday mornings worthwhile. You can
customise the dish to your taste - just ask your server.
Following on that codfish theme, fishcakes are awesome. Eat them
around Easter with hot cross buns. Again, lots of chefs' recipes
vary slightly, but we defer to Dale Butler, the Fishcake King, for
this one. His recipe is top secret, but we know his cakes include
salt cod, potatoes and fresh thyme.
Could you recommend
some little restaurants for breakfast and lunch to stop along the
roadside?
There are some great cheap(er) restaurants in Bermuda, depending
on which area of the island you're staying in.
For example in the east end, there's Temptations on York Street,
the main street in St. George's.
Another place we love is Speciality
Inn in Smith's - they do delicious breakfasts, especially the
pancakes and omelettes.
If you're in the western end of the island, you could try Island
Cuisine on Middle Road or Paraquet
Restaurant on South Road.
Also, in Sandys, there's Traditions
on Middle Road - according to their menu they do everything from
pineapple waffles to stir fried noodles.
You can also check out our restaurants section for more ideas.
When does White Horse Pub
& Restaurant open?
White Horse is closed for the winter until March 21, 2012. When
you visit, be sure to try their Rum Swizzle. It's available in the
perfect size - a pitcher!
Their website is: http://www.whitehorsebermuda.com
Will it rain while
I'm on vacation in Bermuda? I really want to go to the
beach.
Unfortunately, we can't predict the weather. Bermuda's driest
months are the summer months though, between April and August.
If it does rain during your trip, don't let it get in the way of
your vacation fun. You can always try some of our indoor
attractions, like the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, the
National Museum of Bermuda, Crystal Caves or any of our smaller
museums and art galleries - you can learn a lot about Bermuda's
culture and history there. Find more under our Things to Do
section.
Are there any clothing
optional beaches or resorts on the Island?
Keep your clothes on.
Unfortunately, Bermuda doesn't have any clothing optional
beaches or resorts.
The best we can find for you is the clothing-optional terrace at
Cambridge
Beaches, where you can sunbathe naked to your heart's
content.
You just can't swim.
(And in case you're thinking of just going for it, know that
Bermuda's laws clearly state that anyone who appears improperly or
indecently dressed in public could face imprisonment or fine.
Disrobe at your own risk.)
Are shops and tourist
attractions open on Sunday?
You should find a few shops open in St. George's, and if you get
to the city of Hamilton there will also be only a few shops open.
Some shops open from 1-5 on Sundays.
In Dockyard, Sandys, the Clocktower Shopping Mall
will be open from 9am to 6pm during the summer season (April
through November) and from 10am to 5pm in the winter months.
Usually local shops are open Monday through Saturday 9am to
5pm.
Your best move for Sunday is to look for a watersport outing, or
get to one of our many beaches, leaving the weekdays for your
shopping. Check Things to Do and find an
exciting excursion.
And remember to check our events calendar for more fun while
you're in Bermuda.
What are some fun things to
do in the off-season?
As far as we're concerned, Bermuda has no off-season! But if
you're talking about the winter months, there's plenty to do, both
inside and outside. Some brave souls even swim in December -
apparently it's only cold once you get out of the water.
Click through to our events calendar for all the latest
events, but to give you an idea of what you can do, every winter we
have the Bermuda International
Film Festival, the Bermuda
Festival, Bermuda Department of Tourism's free Feel the Love events and
so much more.
Are there any ships that
dock in St George?
Because the St. George's Town Cut is so narrow, there are very
few cruise ships that can fit through it, and none other than the
Veendam currently come to Bermuda (click here for the Bermuda Sun's story on the
issue).
That said, if you do get a ship that docks in Hamilton or
Dockyard, there are ferries that run to St George's in the morning
and afternoon (April to November). Buses, taxis or renting a
scooter are other options for exploring the east end of the
island.
What is getting
around on the ferries like?
In a word: beautiful.
Even if you're headed into to work, catching the ferry is like a
relaxing boat cruise, with gorgeous water views the entire way.
Ferries run daily between the Hamilton Ferry Terminal and the
Dockyard Wharf, with other stops at Lower Ferry, Hodson's Ferry,
Salt Kettle, Darrell's Wharf, Belmont Ferry, Rockaway, Cavello Bay
and Watford Bridge.
The St. George's ferry also runs between mid-April and November.
You can see the full schedule at: http://www.seaexpress.bm.
If that's not enough to convince you, the ferries have really
cool names like Corona, Venturilla and Warbaby Fox. There's a story
behind the names, but we'll let your friendly ferry crew give you
the full details.
How about public
buses?
Bermuda's buses are hard to miss - they're bright pink and blue
- and you catch them at equally colourful bus stops. The bus stops
are marked with poles - pink if you're headed into Hamilton and
blue if you're headed away from Hamilton.
The main terminal is located in the City of Hamilton, on
Washington Street between Victoria Street and Church Street.
Bus fares are divided up by zones; there are 14 zones total,
each zone is around two miles. If you pay cash, make sure you have
exact change.
It's $3 for up to three-zone journeys, and $4.50 for anything
longer. A cheaper way to do it, especially if you plan to catch the
bus a lot, is to buy tickets, tokens or passes. Tickets are
available in sets of 15, while passes are available for one, two,
three, four or seven days, or one month or three months. Tokens and
passes are good on the ferry too.
Click here for more transportation information.
What are some nice
Bermuda souvenirs?
Well. We're totally unbiased here, but Stephen
West's iArt paintings that we're selling through bermuda.com/Shop are
beyond fantastic. They're amazing Bermuda scenes created on an
iPad, and we're shipping worldwide.
We're also partial to The Original
Horton's Bermuda Black Rum Cakes. Linda Horton's rum-drenched
cakes come in chocolate or original flavour, and we can vouch for
their tastiness for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a midnight
snack.
Astwood Dickinson, Swiss Timing and E.R. Aubrey all sell
beautiful collections of unique Bermuda jewellery.
And don't forget, there's a duty free shop at the airport where
you can stock up on black rum, cigars and
tobacco. If you're into cigars, Chatham House on Front Street
in Hamilton has Punch, Romeo y Julieta, Montecristo, Cohiba and
more.
Bermuda Public
Holidays
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2012
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2013
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New Year's Day
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Sunday, January 1
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Tuesday, January 1
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Good Friday
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Friday, April 6
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Friday, March 29
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Bermuda Day
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Thursday, May 24
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Friday, May 24
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National Heroes' Day
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Monday, June 18
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Monday, June 17
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Emancipation Day (Cup Match)
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Thursday, August 2
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Thursday, August 1
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Somers' Day (Cup Match)
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Friday, August 3
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Friday, August 2
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Labour Day
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Monday, September 3
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Monday, September 2
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Remembrance Day
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Sunday, November 11
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Monday, November 11
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Christmas Day
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Tuesday, December 25
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Wednesday, December 25
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Boxing Day
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Wednesday, December 26
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Thursday, December 26
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