Need help planning our 1st Bermuda trip

[stefanny28]

Hi everyone;

 

We are a family of 3 who will in Bermuda for 3 days.

Here are what I have planned, can anyone look at this and tell me what is the cheapest and easiest way to go around :

 

Day 1: take the ferry from Dockyard to Hamilton, shop and visit then take the bus back to Dockyard.

Day 2: Go to one of the beach (have not decided which one yet)

Day 3: Stay close and visit Dockyard and maybe Snorkel Beach

 

I tried to follow the threads on bus/ferry but I guess I am a little bit confused. Here are my questions:

 

Are the bus pass good to use on the ferry too?

How much does it cost if we want to pay per trip? Do they accept cash or do we have to get tokens?

Should we get the 2 day bus pass or it is better to get the 15 tickets book?

Should we get the 3 zones tickets? I saw somewhere on this board that you can use 2 3-zones ticket to go from Hamilton to Dockyard, is it true?

How about using the 3-zones tickets for the ferry?

 

Any advice will be greatly appreciated. I guess it is still not very clear to me how bus/ferry tickets work....

 

Thanks

[SailBadtheSinner]

Day 1: take the ferry from Dockyard to Hamilton, shop and visit then take the bus back to Dockyard.

 

Not sure why you would take the bus back. More scenery but a 60 minute ride vs ferry, 20 minute ride.

 

Day 2: Go to one of the beach (have not decided which one yet)

 

The most popular beach with the tourists is Horseshoe Bay. Can get crowded with them. If it does, walk to the northeast end of the breach and follow paths that will take you to other less crowded beaches.

 

Day 3: Stay close and visit Dockyard and maybe Snorkel Park.

 

I agree except if you do SP, make sure you have visited a natural beach on day 2.

 

 

Questions:

 

Are the bus pass good to use on the ferry too? Transportation passes are good on both the bus & ferry

 

How much does it cost if we want to pay per trip? Do they accept cash or do we have to get tokens? Fares for most trips, bus or ferry, are $4.00 token; buses, cash only exact change $4.50 (Dollar bills are not accepted).

 

Should we get the 2 day bus pass or it is better to get the 15 tickets book? I prefer the Transportation Pass because it is more convenient and you can get more rides from it.

 

Should we get the 3 zones tickets? I saw somewhere on this board that you can use 2 3-zones ticket to go from Hamilton to Dockyard, is it true? If the distance you would be traveling by bus is 3 zones or less then you could use the 3 zone ticket; had not heard about using 2 3 zone tickets before, but my question is still why would bus back when the ferry is so much quicker. Most bus rides you will take will be longer than 3 zones

 

How about using the 3-zones tickets for the ferry? This question is causing me a problem. Here's why: at the PTB site, there is this statement under Fares .....Tickets for 3 and 14 Zones are sold in Booklets of 15, and are honoured on buses only ..... on the ferry schedule it is written ....Please ensure you have a token or ticket before boarding.... After further checking it appears that the ferry would accept a 14 zone ticket, not the 3 zone.

 

 

SBtS

[stefanny28]

Thanks for all your great advices.

 

Can you tell me how to get to Elbow Beach from the Dockyard or Hamilton? I contacted the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and they said we can rent the chairs and umbrellas from their Beach Club and use the public portion of the beach.

 

I was hoping that Elbow Beach will be less crowded than Horseshoe Beach.

 

And to answer your question about why we want to take the bus back from Hamilton is that we want to see a little bit of the island scenery, is there anything to see from the bus?

 

Thanks again

[stefanny28]

Just one more question concerning ferry and tickets...

 

So, if I understand it right, we can use bus tickets (the 14 zones one) to use the ferry from Dockyard to Hamilton and back. Is that right?

Do I need one ticket/person or 2 (we are still talking about the 14 zones tickets)?

 

Thanks

[SailBadtheSinner]

The one way adult ferry fare for the Hamilton - Dockyard route is one $4.00 token or one 14 zone ticket.

 

To get to Elbow Beach from Hamilton, you would take a route #7 bus outbound; To get to Elbow Beach from the Dockyard, you would take a route #7 bus inbound. EB should be less crowded than Horseshoe Bay.

 

I've only done the bus from the Dockyard to HSB and return and I honestly don't recall the scenery. It isn't like a tour bus with a guide pointing the interesting sights out and then slowing the bus down. The buses just zip right along.

 

 

SBtS