island.
From Bali to Bermuda — compare islands by vibe, season, language and cost.
Bermuda
Not Caribbean at all — it lies about 1,000 kilometres off North Carolina in the North Atlantic.
Bermuda gets filed with the Caribbean and sits nowhere near it: roughly 1,000 kilometres east of North Carolina, far enough north that winters are cool and the sea is warmed by the Gulf Stream rather than the tropics. The settlement was an accident — the Sea Venture, bound for Jamestown, wrecked on the reefs in 1609, and the survivors' account is widely thought to have fed Shakespeare's The Tempest.
There is too little fresh groundwater to live on, so every roof is a water supply: the stepped white limestone roofs channel rain into a tank under the house, and catchment is written into building law. The sand on the south shore takes its pink from the shells of a red single-celled organism that lives on the reef and washes ashore when it dies.
Quick facts
Currency
BMD
Bermudian dollar
Language
English
Power
—
Driving
Left
UK-style
Airport
BDA
L.F. Wade International
Emergency
—
Police · Fire
When to go
Monthly breakdown
Storm risk: ModerateJan
Rain
Feb
Rain
Mar
—
Apr
—
May
Best
Jun
Best
Jul
Best
Aug
Best
Sep
Best
Oct
Best
Nov
Rain
Dec
Rain
Major events
Bermuda Day
The unofficial start of summer, with a half marathon derby, majorette troupes and the first day locals traditionally swim in the sea.
Bermuda Carnival
Heroes Weekend, a Caribbean-style carnival with a road parade in costume, added to the calendar in 2015 and now the island's biggest party.
Cup Match
A two-day cricket match between Somerset and St George's that shuts the island. The two public holidays around it are Emancipation Day and Mary Prince Day.
Hidden gems
Blue Hole Park
Also called Tom Moore's Jungle, a mangrove and cave-collapse landscape in Hamilton Parish with grottoes you can swim in and cliff jumps into the blue hole itself. Free and unstaffed.
The Railway Trail
Eighteen miles of the old Bermuda Railway bed, which ran only from 1931 to 1948 before the island switched to cars. It is now a car-free walking and cycling route along the north shore.
Cooper's Island Nature Reserve
A NASA tracking station until 2001, opened to the public afterwards. Turtle Bay and Clearwater are the least crowded beaches on the island and the observation tower looks out over the reef line.
Local food
Fish chowder
A dark chowder of rockfish and tomato, finished at the table with black rum and sherry peppers; both bottles sit on the table for you to add.
Codfish and potatoes
Salt cod soaked overnight then boiled with potato, egg, avocado and banana and served with a tomato or onion sauce. Sunday breakfast, not dinner.
Rum swizzle
dietary_tags.veganBlack rum, falernum and fruit juice swizzled with a stick until frothy; the island claims it and the Swizzle Inn dates to 1932.
Safety tips
Transport
Visitors cannot rent cars. Getting around means buses, ferries, taxis, or a rented scooter, and scooter accidents are the most common serious injury to tourists here.
Water-Safety
Portuguese man o' war drift in on southerly winds, usually in spring, and their sting is serious. Beaches post warnings; the tentacles stay active on the sand.
General
Everything is imported and Bermuda is consistently among the most expensive places in the world for groceries and dining. Budget roughly double what a Caribbean island would cost.
Sustainability
Eco rating
Reef: ProtectedRainwater catchment written into building law
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