Bermuda might be one of the least friendly budget backpacking destinations, but that doesn’t mean you should immediately cross it off the list. Backpacking Bermuda on a budget is possible, but let me warn you that it probably won’t be cheap.
I spent three weeks in Bermuda and was very fortunate to have a friend living there to show me around. Although I had a place to stay, I still had a budget backpacker mindset. Here’s my best advice for those of you who want to travel to Bermuda on a budget.
Getting to Bermuda
Since Bermuda is located all by itself in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, flying to Bermuda is the fastest and cheapest way to get to Bermuda. Another option would be to take a cruise to Bermuda, but that will be more expensive than flying to Bermuda for obvious reasons.
Flying to Bermuda
Only a handful of airports have direct flights to Bermuda. The majority of these airports are located near the east coast of North America with the exception of London Gatwick in England. If you are not located in one of these regions, you won’t be able to fly direct to Bermuda. Here is a list of airports with non stop flights to Bermuda at the time of publishing this blog post.
| City | State | Airport | Airport Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | Florida | Miami International Airport | MIA |
| Atlanta | Georgia | Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport | ATL |
| Charlotte | North Carolina | Charlotte Douglas International Airport | CLT |
| Washington, DC | District of Columbia, US | Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | DCA |
| Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | Philadelphia International Airport | PHL |
| Toronto | Ontario, Canada | Toronto Pearson International Airport | YYZ |
| Queens | New York | John F. Kennedy International Airport | JFK |
| Newark | New Jersey | Newark Liberty International Airport | EWR |
| Boston | Massachusetts | Boston Logan International Airport | BOS |
| London | Gatwick, UK | London Gatwick Airport | LGW |
I paid $120.40 for my one way DCA nonstop flight to Bermuda from Washington, DC in August 2018 which was a hell of a deal. Coming home, I found a hidden city fare and paid just $252.67 to fly to Richmond, Virginia via Philadelphia to visit my sister. If you are not familiar with hidden city fares, check out the first part of this vlog episode which discusses how I found this Bermuda hidden city fare.
Overall, because of my geographic location, flying nonstop to Bermuda was not too expensive. This will obviously vary greatly depending where you are located.
Bermuda Food Prices
The cost of food in Bermuda is expensive. Period. The main reason for this is because just about everything is imported. Since Bermuda exists all by itself in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, it cannot piggyback off of a nearby island or continent for imports. A special trip to Bermuda is necessary for imports, and that drives up the price of pretty much everything.
Bermuda Grocery Prices
A topic that greatly interested me is Bermuda grocery prices. In fact, I went so far as creating a video about Bermuda grocery store prices while I was there.
Although Bermuda grocery store prices are more expensive than you’re used to, grocery shopping in Bermuda is going to be much cheaper than eating out at restaurants.
Bermuda Restaurant Prices
Eating out at a restaurant in Bermuda is not cheap. To save money, limit the amount of times that you eat out. Here are a few examples of costly restaurant bills that I incurred on Bermuda.
- White Horse Pub & Restaurant in St. George’s: three pints of beer for $30.25
- Wahoo’s Bistro & Patio in St. George’s: fishcake and fries for $18.40
- Bowls and Burritos in Hamilton: burrito bowl for $16.99
- Jasmine Lounge in Southampton: dinner for two with drinks for $102.96
- Cafe Boulevard in St. David’s: sushi for $22.75
As you can see, restaurants in Bermuda are expensive.
It’s worth pointing out that the only foreign fast food franchise on the island of Bermuda is a KFC in Hamilton. As a result, cheap eating options in Bermuda are hard to come by, if not impossible.
Where to Stay in Bermuda
A Bermuda hostel would be the ideal budget backpacker’s lodging, but since Bermuda hostels do not exist, the next best thing is Airbnb.
I was shocked when I found Bermuda Airbnb rentals for as low as $35 per night. Granted, this was during off-season. But we’re talking about budget backpacking in Bermuda, so a major consideration when traveling to Bermuda is the time of year that you go. Lodging will certainly be cheaper during the off-season.
I was super fortunate to have a friend living in Bermuda. He had a place for me to stay, so I didn’t have lodging expenses when I visited Bermuda. If I would’ve had to book my own lodging, I definitely would have used Airbnb rather than paying for an expensive Bermuda hotel.
Getting Around Bermuda
The number one way to get around Bermuda is by scooter. Renting a scooter in Bermuda will be more expensive than Bermuda public transportation, but you will have greater flexibility as to where and when you want to move around the island.
It all depends on what you plan to do in Bermuda. If you have a short stay and want to see a lot, definitely get a scooter. If you are going to be in Bermuda for more than a month and have time to kill, a monthly bus pass will be your cheapest option.
I ended up renting a scooter from Oleander Cycles. The cost of my 16 day scooter rental was $374 which works out to be around $23 per day. I spent less than $30 on gas.
You’ll probably be surprised to know that it takes over an hour to drive the 25 miles from one end of Bermuda to the other. I made this trip by scooter, and I will never forget the stunning natural and manmade beauty that I saw while navigating the endless windy roads of the island.
Does Bermuda Have Uber?
No. Bermuda does not have Uber or Lyft at this time.
Bermuda does have taxis. As with anything else in Bermuda, taxis are going to be expensive. My only experience with a Bermuda taxi was going from the Bermuda Airport to the White Horse Pub in St. George’s. This 10 minute, 3 mile ride set me back $18.
Free Things to Do in Bermuda
Other than sitting on the beach all day or spending your money on expensive tourist attractions, there are plenty of free things to do in Bermuda.
- Free Saturday wine tastings at Gosling’s, Discovery Wines, and Two Rock Wines
- Free rum cake at The Bermuda Rum Cake Company
- Hike the 18 mile long Bermuda Railway Trail
- Hike from Horseshoe Bay Beach to Elbow Beach
- Visit the Unfinished Church of Bermuda
- Friday night bonfire at Tobacco Bay Beach
- Go cliff jumping at Admiralty Point
- See a pink sand beach (that’s not really pink IMHO)
Is Bermuda Worth Visiting?
My answer to this question is always going to be yes, of course! Backpacking Bermuda is certainly going to be more expensive than a trip to India, but if your budget permits it, I definitely recommend visiting Bermuda.
Still think backpacking Bermuda is too expensive? Perhaps you’ll find that backpacking Hawaii is more in line with you budget. I’d love to know what your experience is with island backpacking. Let me know in the comments below.
