Many hotels and resorts are located adjacent to the beaches or in the capital city of Hamilton
Bermuda is a unique place - a series of islands divided into nine parishes or "tribes" which are named after the great gentlemen “adventurers”. This is important to recognize since virtually every attraction, restaurant and hotel is located by its parish name. Bermuda is also unique in that visitors cannot rent cars. You get around on the bus and ferry system or you can rent a small motorcycle or a tiny two seat electric car. The parishes are listed below.
St George's Parish includes the town of St. George. St. George's Parish is named after the founder of the Bermuda colony, Admiral Sir George Somers. The Shakespeare play "The Tempest" is based on the adventures of Sir George Somers.
St. George was the second English town established in the New World (after Jamestown, Virginia). Historic St. George Town, the first capital of Bermuda is now a National Heritage site.
St. George's also includes the island of St. David's. St. David's Island, and Cooper's Island, and Longbird Island became a single, contiguous landmass during the Second World War construction of what is now L.F. Wade International Airport. If you fly into Bermuda you will arrive on St. David's Island in St. George's Parish.
Hamilton Parish which does NOT include the city of Hamilton and does include Tuckers town which isn't really a town.
Hamilton Parrish is just south of St George and is on the north side of Harrington Sound. In 1623, adventurer Captain John Smith, famous in American, Bermudian and British history, encountered many spooky caves in this Parish. It has deep water limestone caves, with subterranean passages. Altogether, there are 10 accessible caves in Bermuda that have sea water pools with a maximum depth of 80 feet given tidal variations. Most are in this Parish.
If you want to go to Flatts Village and the BAMZ (Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo) you come to Smiths.
Smiths Parish is between Pembroke Parish (Hamilton - the current capital city of Bermuda) and St. George's Parish (the first settlement and old capital). Some of the railway walking trail is in Smiths Parish. Smiths Parish has sea frontage on the South and North shores and southern side of the inland lake of Harrington Sound. Verdmont, the original home of the customs inspector for Bermuda is in Smiths Parish on Collector's Hill. Also in Smiths Parish is Spittal Pond Nature Reserve.
Pembroke Parish includes the capital city of Hamilton. Pembroke Parish is centrally located on Main Island. It has North Shore and Hamilton Harbor sea frontage. The City of Hamilton, a port city, has been the capital and administrative, commercial, entertainment and shopping center of Bermuda since 1815. In addition to the capital city of Hamilton, Black Watch Pass, Fort Hamilton and Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI) are in Pembroke Parish.
Devonshire Parish has the Arboretum. Devonshire Parish is on Main Island. North, Middle and South Roads transit this parish. Parts of Devonshire Marsh are sightseeing attractions for naturalists.
Warwick Parish is best known for its pink sand beaches. Warwick Parish was named after one of Bermuda's Elizabethan patrons, Robert Rich, second Earl of Warwick (1587-1658). This association with the central English county and town of Warwick is overlooked by visitors unless they are from Warwickshire in England or Warwick in Rhode Island, USA. Because the Earl of Warwick never visited, early settlers had their own pet name for the Tribe. They called it Heron Bay because it then had significance to shipping and many herons congregated there. The northern side of the Parish was more important than the south because the early settlers didn't swim.
This parish has Gibb's Lighthouse. In addition to Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, a lot of the south shore beaches are in Southampton Parish.
Sandys Parish includes Somerset Village and the Royal Navy Dockyard (aka Kings Wharf) which is on Ireland Island. Sandys Parish is at the other end of Bermuda from St. George's Island. This is where visitors that come by cruise ship usually arrive. In addition to the beaches, the National Museum of Bermuda, there is the Clocktower shopping mall, the Cooperage which houses the Bermuda Craft Market, and Fort St. Catherine.
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@greatgrandmaR has visited over 60 countries over her many years of travel. She has visited Bermuda many times over the years - read more about her Bermudan adventures in her Eight Times to Bermuda 1963-2019 blog
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