Bermuda - Info & Facts

Suggested Length of Stay

Bermuda makes for a short break vacation when travelling to USA. Bermuda can be visited within 3-5 days however longer is always recommended.

Modes of transport

Walking

Walking as a means of transportation may be a challenge depending upon your location. Hamilton has side Footpaths that are easy to navigate. However, walking can be dangerous if you are staying at other locations, such as a guesthouse in a residential area. There are no footpaths in many locations, so walking means on the narrow road with buzzing cars and mopeds. Roads are narrow and often butt up against a stone wall, with barely enough room for two cars. Do not assume it is an easy walk to a bus or ferry stop, store, or beach.

Cycle/Moped Rentals

Until the arrival of the US military during the Second World War, cars were entirely banned from these islands. Even now, hire cars (rental cars) are banned and only residents are permitted to own cars – limit one per household! Motorised bicycles or mopeds are available for hire, and are heavily used by locals and visitors alike. Depending on where you are staying, a moped may be your best way to get around (if you plan to use alternative transportation (bus or ferry), carefully investigate how far you are from the nearest stop). If you wish to use mopeds, rentals are very common, regulated and priced competitively, but beware: “Road Rash” is a very common affliction affecting many. Furthermore, the roads are very tight one-lane roads, many without sidewalks (making walking dangerous) and many with many ‘odd’ intersections such as roundabouts (traffic circles), and ‘triangular’

Health Precautions

Health risks in Bermuda are similar to those in Australia.

Food and Drink

Two relatively unique Bermudian dishes are salted codfish, boiled with potatoes, the traditional Sunday breakfast, and Hoppin’ John, a simple dish of boiled rice and black-eyed peas. Shark hash was made, fish cakes were traditional on Fridays, hot cross buns at Easter, and cassava or farine pies at Christmas. With the high-end tourist market, great effort has been expended by hotel and restaurant chefs in developing an ostensibly ‘traditional Bermudian cuisine’, although this has usually meant adapting other cuisines, from West Indian to Californian, in line with the expectations of visiting clientèle. Most pubs serve a typical British Pub fare, although the number of these establishments has diminished as premises are lost to development, or establishments are redeveloped to target the tourist market. While lobster and other kinds of seafood are often featured on the menu, virtually everything is imported from the US or Canada. If you want local fish, ask or look for “local” as opposed to “fresh.”

Money

Bermuda’s currency is the Bermudian dollar. The currency is directly tied to US currency, so one US dollar always equals one Bermudan dollar; therefore US dollars are accepted everywhere in Bermuda at equal value. Bermuda offers ATMs in several tourist locations, including the airport, St. George, Somerset, and Hamilton. Most banks have ATMs as well. Some ATMs dispense US dollars; this will be clearly marked on a sign on or above the machine. Otherwise, it will dispense Bermuda dollars.

Time Zone

Time zone in Bermuda (GMT-3)

Visas

Australian passport holders do not require a visa for entry into Bermuda.

Australian Embassy & Consulate contacts in Bermuda

Please contact the Australian High Commission in Ottawa, Canada for assistance, for more immediate advice please get in touch with the Canadian Consulate

Bermuda Embassy contacts in Australia

Bermuda currently has no mission in Australia

Electricity

For Bermuda, there are two associated plug types, types A and B. Plug type A is the plug that has two flat parallel pins and plug type B is the plug that has two flat parallel pins and a grounding pin. Bermuda operates on a 120V supply voltage and 60Hz.

Getting there (stopovers)

Various US-based airlines fly between Australian east coast cities and Bermuda via a US port.

Tipping

A service charge of 10% (or an equivalent per-diem amount), which covers everything from baggage handling to maid service, is added to your hotel bill, though people often still tip a few extra dollars.