Bermuda
| General Information
General Info, Travel Info, & FAQs are provided to assist with your vacation.
ATMs Not all ATMs in the Caribbean operate like those in your home country. Some may only accept a four digit PIN number, so if yours is longer you may want to change it before your trip. Ensure you keep your travel money in your primary chequing account as some ATMs default to this account and will not allow you to choose another. Withdrawal fees are generally much higher outside your home country.
The main banks are The Bank of Bermuda (tel 441/299-5959), The Bank of N T Butterfield & Son (tel 441/295-1111) and Capital G Bank (tel 441/296- 6969).
Bank of Bermuda ATMs accept MasterCard, Visa and any bank card on the Cirrus and Plus networks and dispense Bermuda dollars. The ATM in the US departure lounge at the airport dispenses US dollars. They have 40 ATMs island wide, including those at their branches: 6 Front St, 64 Church St, 30 Par-La-Ville Rd and 26 Reid St, all in Hamilton; the Bermuda International Airport and 4 King's Sq, both in St George's; and 31 Mangrove Bay Rd, Somerset.
Additional ATMs are located in Hamilton at the general post office (56 Church St), People's Pharmacy (62 Victoria St), Washington Mall (Reid St), Bermuda Ferry Terminal (Front St), Supermart (Front St), Masters Limited (Dundonald St) and Esso City Tigermart. In Warwick they are located at Lindo's Family Food, White and Sons and Warwick Shell. Throughout the rest of the island ATMs are located at Dockyard Terrace, a number of Esso gas stations, King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (Paget), Bermuda College (library), Rural Hill Plaza, Lindo's Devonshire, Harrington Hundreds Grocery and the Wyndham Bermuda Resort and Spa in Southampton.
Butterfield ATMs accept MasterCard, Visa and any bank card on the Cirrus and Plus networks and dispense Bermuda dollars. They have more than 30 locations island wide, including those at their branches (65 Front St, Hamilton; 11 Bermudiana Rd and 90 Pitt's Bay Rd, both in Pembroke; 45 Mangrove Bay Rd, Sandys; and 1 King's Sq, St George's), the airport and Dockyard.
Capital G ATMs accept MasterCard and any bank cards on the Cirrus network and dispense Bermuda dollars. They are located at their branch (19 Reid St), Gibbons Company (21 Reid St and 28 Church St) and Gateway Systems/Digicel (10 Queen St).
BANKING HOURS Bank of Bermuda: Mon-Fri 9am-4:30pm (airport branch 10am-4:30pm)
Bank of N T Butterfield & Son: Mon-Thurs 9am-3:30pm Fri 9am-4:30pm Sat 10am-3pm (St George's and Sandys branches only)
Capital G: Mon-Fri 8:30am-5:30pm Sat 8:30am-4pm
CHURCHES/RELIGIONS Predominantly Protestant, including African Methodist Episcopal, Anglican, Baptist, Brethren, Evangelical, Jehovah's Witness, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian and Seventh-day Adventist. Roman Catholic, Judaism, Mormon and non-denominational also represented.
CURRENCY AND CREDIT CARDS The local currency is the Bermuda dollar (BD$), which is on par with the US dollar. Both are accepted interchangeably at shops, restaurants and hotels. The Bermuda dollar (BD$ or BM$) is divided into 100 cents. Paper money runs in denominations of BD$2, BD$5, BD$10, BD$20, BD$50 and BD$100 bills, and coins in 1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ and BD$1 pieces.
American Express, MasterCard, Visa and traveller's cheques are accepted almost everywhere. Personal cheques drawn on US banks can be used at many hotels, gas stations, liquor stores, restaurants and shops, and can be cashed at some hotels or banks. The Bermuda Financial Network (tel 292-1799), located at 133 Front St, will cash US cheques for a small fee.
To ensure hassle-free purchases during your trip, you may want to contact your credit card company and let them know you will be travelling abroad.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS American Express: lost or stolen card, 336/393-1111 (call collect); lost or stolen cheques or cheque cards, 800/221-7282 Discover Card: 801/902-3100 MasterCard: 800/307-7309 Visa: 410/902-8022 (call collect)
DEPARTURE TAX Air: Every person travelling by air, except those in transit or under two years old, must pay BD$25, which is included in the cost of your ticket. Sea: Every person travelling by ship, except children under two years old, must pay BD$60, which is collected in advance by the shipping line.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS A valid passport is preferred. Canadians can also use, instead of a passport, official photo identification and an original or certified copy of a birth certificate with raised seal (notarized is not acceptable), permanent resident card or certificate of citizenship. UK citizens must also provide proof of citizenship and personal identification, such as government-issued photo identification. A driver's license is not acceptable as proof of citizenship. Married women travelling under their married name but whose identification is under their maiden name should also carry their marriage certificate or a certified copy. All visitors must also have an onward or return ticket.
Children travelling with an adult other than a parent must also provide a letter from a parent authorizing the adult to accompany the child for the trip. Parents of adopted children, particularly those of a different nationality, should carry the proper documents.
Nationals of countries other than Canada, the UK and US may require a visa. Consult your nearest Bermuda consulate/embassy or call the Bermuda Department of Immigration at 441/295-5151.
Note: As of January 23, 2007, all persons travelling by air, and as of January 1, 2008, all person travelling by land or sea (including ferries) to the Caribbean, Central and South America, Mexico and Bermuda will require a valid passport or other documents as determined by the US Department of Homeland Security to enter and/or re-enter the United States in accordance with the US Government's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. For more information visit the US Government's Bureau of Consular Affairs website at www.travel.state.gov.
NEAREST FOREIGN REPRESENTATION British Government House: 292-3600 (Hamilton), 295-5151 (Dept of Immigration, Hamilton) Consulate of Canada: 212/596-1628 (New York, USA), 800/387-3124 (toll free to Ottawa) US Consulate General: 295-1342 (Devonshire) or 335-3828 (after-hours emergencies)
EXCHANGE RATES
As of July 4, 2007
US$
BD$/BMD
British pound sterling
2.01698
2.05291
Canadian dollar
0.94571
0.96255
European Union euro
1.36164
1.38589
Japanese yen
0.008171
0.008317
Swiss franc
0.82418
0.83887
US dollar
--
1.01781
HEALTH STANDARDS The fully equipped King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (tel 236-2345), located on Point Finger Rd in Paget near Hamilton, is the only hospital in Bermuda. Serious and/or complex cases may be transferred to the US. Your home medical program may not provide payment for medical services outside your home country. Obtaining adequate medical/travel insurance, including air ambulance coverage, and consulting a physician or travel medicine specialist six to eight weeks prior to your trip to determine health risks and necessary vaccinations is recommended.
People's Pharmacy (tel 292-7527), 62 Victoria St in Hamilton, is open Mon-Sat 8am-8:30pm and Sun 10am-6pm. Lindo's Pharmacy (tel 236-7732), 4 Watlington Rd in Devonshire is open Mon, Tue and Thurs 8am-7pm and Wed, Fri and Sat 8am-8pm. Robertson's Drug Store (tel 297-1828), 24 York St in St George's, is open Mon-Sat 8am-7:30pm and Sun 4pm-6pm. White's Pharmacy's, 22 Middle Rd in Warwick (tel 238-1050) and 26 Southside Rd in St David's (tel 297-3959) are open Mon-Sat 8am-9pm and Sun 1pm-5pm. Hours are subject to change.
For all emergencies dial 911.
ILLEGAL ITEMS Prohibited items include unlawful drugs; prescription drugs from countries other than Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Eire, France, Germany, Federal Republic of the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and United States; specified fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers; certain plant material; certain protected fish; certain meats; foreign lottery material; all indecent or obscene articles, including magazines, books, video tapes, films, laser discs or computer discs; certain controlled chemicals; two-stroke motorcycles; arms, ammunition and weapons of war of any description, including their components; certain offensive weapons; "The Minimanual of the Urban Guerilla," by Carlos Marighella, published by the New World Liberation Front, USA and "Improvised Munitions, Black Book," volumes one to three and all subsequent volumes of that publication, published by Desert Publication, El Dorado, USA; and soil.
Restricted items, which require a permit or license, include most plants, plant material, fruits and vegetables; Caribbean spiny lobster; certain meats; raw milk, pasteurized milk, ultra-pasteurized milk, ultra heat-treated milk and manufactured milk; historical articles relating to Bermuda; motor vehicles; firearms, their parts and ammunition, including flare guns, pepper sprays, spear guns, air guns/pistols rifles and electric stunning devices; four-stroke motorcycles with an engine capacity greater than 150cc; dangerous petroleum; anti-fouling paints containing the chemical compound organotin or tributyltin; explosive substances and fireworks; pesticides; used agricultural/construction equipment; and radio or radar apparatus.
For more information contact the Bermuda customs department at 441/295-4816.
LANGUAGE English
POSTAL SERVICES The General Post Office (tel 297-7893), located at 56 Church St in Hamilton, is open Mon-Fri 8am-5pm and Sat 8am-12 noon.
Additional branches are located at 11 Queen St (tel 292-9052), Hamilton; Bailey's Bay (tel 293-3511), Crawl (tel 293-1400), Devonshire (tel 236-0281), Flatts (tel 292-0741), Harrington Sound (tel 293-0500), Mangrove Bay (tel 234-0423), Paget (tel 236-7429), St David's (tel 297-0847), St George's (tel 297-1610), Somerset Bridge (tel 234-0220), Southampton (tel 238-0253) and Warwick (tel 236-4071). Branches are open Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm. (Note: Bailey's Bay, Harrington Sound, Somerset Bridge and St David's post offices are closed 11:30am-1pm.)
Airmail to North America can take one to two weeks and to the UK, two to three weeks. Courier service is also available.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS Jan 1 New Year's Day Mar/Apr (varies) Good Friday May 24 Bermuda Day June (second Mon) Queen's Birthday July/Aug (varies) Emancipation Day (Cup Match) July/Aug (varies) Somers Day (Cup Match) Sept (first Mon) Labour Day Nov 11 Remembrance Day Dec 25 Christmas Day Dec 26 Boxing Day
Note: When a designated holiday falls on a Sun, the public holiday is observed on the Mon.
SHOPPING HOURS Shops in Hamilton are generally open Mon-Fri 8/9am-5/6pm (some are open until 9pm) and Sat 8/9/10am-5pm. Those at the Royal Naval Dockyard are generally open daily in the summer 9/9:30/10am-5/5:30/6pm and in winter 10am-5pm. Hours may vary on Sun and public holidays. Some malls, such as The Clocktower Shopping Mall at Dockyard, stay open later. Some shops in hotel malls and larger grocery stores open for a few hours on Sun.
TAXES There is no sales tax. Hotels add a 7.25% hotel occupancy tax to all room rates.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS The phone system on Bermuda is modern and cellular and Internet services are available.
The country code is 441. Local phone numbers have seven digits. For local directory enquiries dial 411 and to reach the international operator dial 00. For calls to the US and Canada dial 1 + area code + local number. For calls to other countries dial 011 + country code + area code + local number.
The Bermuda Telephone Company/BTC (tel 295-1001) provides local telecommunication services and Cable & Wireless (C&W) provides international services. Public phones accept coins and many accept major credit cards, such as American Express, Bell, Diners Club, Discover, Eurocard, JCB, MasterCard and Visa. Local calls cost 50¢.
C&W (tel 497-7000), Logic Communications (tel 296-9600), North Rock Communications (tel 540-2700) and TeleBermuda International/TBI (tel 296-9000) all sell prepaid calling cards, which can be used with any Bermuda Touch-Tone or mobile phone. They are available at their respective customer service centres and at numerous shops, food stores, pharmacies, gas stations, post offices and other vendors around the island. Logic Communications' calling cards are dual purpose and allow you to also access the Internet at their Internet café, Logic on Burnaby, or at participating hotspots.
Logic on Burnaby (tel 294-8888), located at 10-12 Burnaby St in Hamilton, has private pay phone booths (complimentary local calling) and high-speed Internet access. They also sell calling cards and various products. It is open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm and Sat 9am-5pm.
The TBI Customer Centre (tel 296-9000), located at the corner of Reid and Queen sts in Hamilton, has pay phones and high-speed Internet access. They also sell calling cards and various products. It is open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.
For more information see the section in FAQs: Can I use my calling card from here?
Cellular One (tel 700-7000), Digicel (tel 500-5611) and M3Wireless (tel 333-3000) provide roaming and prepaid services. Check with your service provider to see if they have a roaming agreement with one of these companies.
Internet Lane (tel 296-9972) rents mobile phones (and digital cameras) from their location at 22 Reid St in Hamilton. They also have an Internet café and offer a full range of business services. Bermuda Cell Rentals (tel 232-2355) also rents mobile phones, and will deliver to anywhere on the island, including the airport.
TEMPERATURES Temperatures average 70°F Dec through Mar and range from 75°F to 85°F May through mid-Oct. There is no rainy season, but summer months tend to be drier.
For the 24-hour weather forecast and outlook call 977. For current weather conditions call 077-1. For the 24-hour marine forecast and outlook call 977-2.
TIME ZONE Bermuda is on Atlantic Standard Time, which is four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). During the summer the time is the same as on the east coast of North America and during the winter, the time is one hour ahead. Daylight savings time is observed from Mar to Nov.
For the current time and temperature (in Hamilton) call 909.
Disclaimer: Information is provided as a service to visitors and is updated regularly. All
information should be verified prior to travel.
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