Which beach - Elbow beach or Tobacco Bay?

Trying to decide where to spend our last day in Bermuda.

Taking NCL Dawn in a few weeks which has a "free" ferry to St Georges where Tobacco Bay is.

But I also saw some pics of Elbow Beach online which looks so pretty too. Is Elbow beach easy to get to from the Dockyard? Which bus would you take?

Any advice is appreciated!

To Elbow Beach, the #7 bus from the dockyard takes approximately 45 minutes or you could take a taxi. If you take the bus try to sit on the right side going to the beach and the left side going back to the ship- ocean and cliff views! The public part of Elbow Beach has no real facilities, no rentals of chairs or umbrellas and no snack bar. There are porta potties available. Or you could pay $100 per person (I think) for a day pass at Elbow Beach resort.

You would take the #7 bus from Dockyard to Elbow Beach. It would be about a 45 minute trip.

Alternatively you could take the ferry to Hamilton followed by the #7 bus, or a taxi from Dockyard to Elbow Beach...or a good option might be the ferry from Dockyard to Hamilton followed by a taxi from Hamilton to Elbow Beach. The last option might be the best compromise of time and cost.

Thanks for the detailed replies!

What do you think of Tobacco Bay? is it worth going to for a half day?

Are you planning to go to Horseshoe Bay also?

Arf

e you planning to go to Horseshoe Bay also?

Yes on the first day!

Elbow Beach and Horseshoe Bay are both South Shore beaches and both will have the "famous pink sand" so maybe Tobacco Bay and a visit to St Georges would be something different. Since the ferry is free, it would be cheaper too. If you took the earliest ferry to St Georges you would possibly have enough time to see St George and take the minibus to Tobacco Bay. You would have to be sure to not miss the ferry back to the dockyard. I've never been to Tobacco Bay so maybe someone else will post which beach they think is better for your visit.

Trying to decide where to spend our last day in Bermuda.

 

Taking NCL Dawn in a few weeks which has a "free" ferry to St Georges where Tobacco Bay is.

 

But I also saw some pics of Elbow Beach online which looks so pretty too. Is Elbow beach easy to get to from the Dockyard? Which bus would you take?

Not mentioned in your post but are you going to Tobacco Bay because you want to do some off the beach snorkeling? TB is the most popular beach for snorkeling. If not for snorkeling, I would go to EB, WLB, or HSB.

Keep in mind that the NCL ferry only does one round trip to St George's on Tuesday.

SBtS

Elbow beach hands down. I think it's Bermudas nicest beach. personally we take the bus there, then when we're ready to go, we take the bus onward to Hamilton which is a very short ride, and hop on the next ferry to dockyard. We just find that to be more pleasant than another long bus back to dockyard.

And about tobacco bay... I used to love it years ago. Pretty little area with good snorkeling. Unfortunately, between the people running concession there making a total mess of things (can't even see the sand because every inch is covered by a sea of lounge chairs, can't enjoy a peaceful beach day because of the blasting music, can't enjoy the view of the water because of big ugly inflatable bounce toys) . On top of that, with two ferries full of people going there (due to NCL adding their own last year) the place is so overcrowded now it is completely disgusting. Last week when we passed by on our way to St Catherine's, the once beautiful turquoise water was cloudy and yellowish due to the masses of people crowded into that little cove. So sad.

Elbow beach hands down. I think it's Bermudas nicest beach. personally we take the bus there, then when we're ready to go, we take the bus onward to Hamilton which is a very short ride, and hop on the next ferry to dockyard. We just find that to be more pleasant than another long bus back to dockyard.

 

And about tobacco bay... I used to love it years ago. Pretty little area with good snorkeling. Unfortunately, between the people running concession there making a total mess of things (can't even see the sand because every inch is covered by a sea of lounge chairs, can't enjoy a peaceful beach day because of the blasting music, can't enjoy the view of the water because of big ugly inflatable bounce toys) . On top of that, with two ferries full of people going there (due to NCL adding their own last year) the place is so overcrowded now it is completely disgusting. Last week when we passed by on our way to St Catherine's, the once beautiful turquoise water was cloudy and yellowish due to the masses of people crowded into that little cove. So sad.

Thx for your reply....good info. Does the bus run frequently between Elbow Beach and Hamilton?

Elbow beach hands down. I think it's Bermudas nicest beach. personally we take the bus there, then when we're ready to go, we take the bus onward to Hamilton which is a very short ride, and hop on the next ferry to dockyard. We just find that to be more pleasant than another long bus back to dockyard.

 

And about tobacco bay... I used to love it years ago. Pretty little area with good snorkeling. Unfortunately, between the people running concession there making a total mess of things (can't even see the sand because every inch is covered by a sea of lounge chairs, can't enjoy a peaceful beach day because of the blasting music, can't enjoy the view of the water because of big ugly inflatable bounce toys) . On top of that, with two ferries full of people going there (due to NCL adding their own last year) the place is so overcrowded now it is completely disgusting. Last week when we passed by on our way to St Catherine's, the once beautiful turquoise water was cloudy and yellowish due to the masses of people crowded into that little cove. So sad.

Between Elbow and Tobacco I think Elbow is nicer but I don’t think Elbow is Bermuda’s nicest beach but that is matter of personal opinion. My question was did you have a day pass at one of the resorts, just sit on a towel on the sand or was there someone renting chairs for the public area of the beach? In past years there was sometimes someone renting chairs on the public part and sometimes years not.

Tobacco is where to go for some snorkeling. I never stay the whole day. Snorkel for an hour or so then I move on.

Thx for your reply....good info. Does the bus run frequently between Elbow Beach and Hamilton?

The bus runs every 15 minutes, weekdays. Only bus is the route #7.

SBtS

Elbow has excellent snorkeling at a reef close to shore. Only suggested for good swimmers with your own gear. No facilities, but there was a porta potty 3 years ago. We went in Aug. and there were only a handful of people there vs. 100s at HB.

Is there still a minibus /shuttle that goes from St George town to Tobacco Bay or the fort?

My question was did you have a day pass at one of the resorts, just sit on a towel

No day pass or anything. We come prepared by bringing our own chairs - those fold-up type chairs you often see at tailgates. Easy to carry over your shoulder and we've got something to sit on anyplace we end up.

Is there still a minibus /shuttle that goes from St George town to Tobacco Bay or the fort?

The tourism authority says there are minibuses but some reports from recent visitors say they are hard to come by. The distance from the ferry terminal to Tobacco Bay is about a mile and the distance from Tobacco Bay to the fort is a half mile. I usually walk. When you walk you get to walk by the Unfinished Church. But in August with the heat and humidity you might not want to walk. When I wanted a ride I took a taxi. The distance is so short that the taxi was inexpensive. With two of us in the taxi it was about the same fare as any shared ride shuttles available because the distances are short. One time we took a taxi with two others we met on the ship, one person could not walk. My share of the taxi fare from the ship docked at Penno’s Wharf was $1.65. (That was under lower fares than in effect now) Basically when you get to St.George's you are in a relatively compact area. If you don’t want to walk, minibus or taxi, take whatever you see first. St. George’s is a place you can wing it when you get there.

The tourism authority says there are minibuses but some reports from recent visitors say they are hard to come by. The distance from the ferry terminal to Tobacco Bay is about a mile and the distance from Tobacco Bay to the fort is a half mile. I usually walk. When you walk you get to walk by the Unfinished Church. But in August with the heat and humidity you might not want to walk. When I wanted a ride I took a taxi. The distance is so short that the taxi was inexpensive. With two of us in the taxi it was about the same fare as any shared ride shuttles available because the distances are short. One time we took a taxi with two others we met on the ship, one person could not walk. My share of the taxi fare from the ship docked at Penno’s Wharf was $1.65. (That was under lower fares than in effect now) Basically when you get to St.George's you are in a relatively compact area. If you don’t want to walk, minibus or taxi, take whatever you see first. St. George’s is a place you can wing it when you get there.

Ok good to know! We are a group of 5 so hopefully we can get a van taxi to take us to Tobacco Bay!

Ok good to know! We are a group of 5 so hopefully we can get a van taxi to take us to Tobacco Bay!

Most of the taxis can take 5. If there is not a taxi available at the ferry dock in St. George’s there is a taxi stand in the town square a few blocks from the ferry dock.

Where is the bus stop in St George? I have looked at my map and just can't find the bus icon-I know it is there and I'm just not seeing it.

Where is the bus stop in St George? I have looked at my map and just can't find the bus icon-I know it is there and I'm just not seeing it.

The outbound bus stop in St George's is on York St. Walk past St Peter's Church on your right and keep walking and pass about 6 buildings on your right (not 7) and the bus stop is there. Clear as mud?

SBtS

Where is the bus stop in St George? I have looked at my map and just can't find the bus icon-I know it is there and I'm just not seeing it.

It is on Duke of York Street. If you have the Bermuda Department of Tourism map you will see the bus stop on the St. George’s inset.

The outbound bus stop in St George's is on York St. Walk past St Peter's Church on your right and keep walking and pass about 6 buildings on your right (not 7) and the bus stop is there. Clear as mud?

 

 

 

SBtS

 

Not clear as mud or whatever if she is coming from the ferry dock.

Not clear as mud or whatever if she is coming from the ferry dock.

No matter where you are coming from, you have to find (Duke of) York St. Once on York St, locate St Peter's Church. Put the church on your right hand. Now walk with York St on your left and start counting buildings.

SBtS

No matter where you are coming from, you have to find (Duke of) York St. Once on York St, locate St Peter's Church. Put the church on your right hand. Now walk with York St on your left and start counting buildings.

 

 

 

SBtS

From the ferry you can get to the bus stop without going to the town square first, backtracking from there, and walking past or locating St. Peter’s. Some might want to check the town center first, while others might want to take the bus straight away from off the ferry. Depends on their plans.

Coming from the ferry dock, walking down Water Street keeping to the right, on the left side there are a couple of cross streets that lead to York or there are the stairs up to York from Water Street and to the the bus stop. I usually take the stairs.

If you do go to the town square first, then to York, or walk to the bus stop coming back from Tobacco Bay, then St. Peter’s would be on the right as you describe. But no need to count buildings. The bus stop is easy to spot, it is where the benches are on the narrow sidewalk and people are waiting for buses.

Getting the pocket map is a good idea because there are the several different routes. The Pocket map can be obtained in advance from the GotoBermuda web site, https://www.gotobermuda.com/ or picked up at the Visitor Information Centers. I carry that pocket map with me everywhere in Bermuda. It does show the bus stops. They probably have them at hotel blueridgemama is staying at.

Thanks guys. Great directions. I do have the map and are relying on it to find bus stops, ferry stops etc. I just couldn't find the bus icon on the St George map. I see it now thanks to your directions.