Last Updated: 01/05/19 | January 5th, 2019
Is it possible to travel around Bermuda on a budget?
When I was 12, my father took my sister and me to Bermuda to surprise my mom, who was there on a cruise with my grandmother. We spent four days sweltering in the heat, swimming at the beach, and eating at Henry VIII (where my dad swears I told a girl she had nice hooters. I still don’t believe him).
And now, older (and not that much wiser), I wondered: could the land of rich people, celebrities, bankers, and tax-avoiding corporations really be enjoyed on a budget? Bermuda isn’t known as a cheap destination. Being the frugal traveler I am, I didn’t want to spend much money, but what’s the absolute minimum one needs while there?
As it turns out, a lot.
Way more than the $50 a day I suggest.
After my four-day visit there, I can tell you that it’s nearly impossible to visit Bermuda on a budget. Realistically, you need at least $175 USD per day.
Why do you need so much money? There are two main reasons:
First, accommodation is stupidly expensive (there are no hostels on the island). The cheapest accommodation costs around 100 BMD for apartment rentals found via Airbnb, HomeAway, or Bermuda Rentals. If you book at least a month in advance, in the low season or know someone, you might be able to find a room for as little as 80 BMD a night. (I booked last-minute so ended up paying $125 per night.)
Secondly, transportation around the island is difficult. The bus system here, while cheap, is infrequent, and many routes stop around 7pm. If you aren’t staying in a central location, this can be problematic. Additionally, taxis are expensive: a short 10-minute ride can cost $20 BMD. All taxis are fitted with a meter, with prices starting at 6.45 BMD. Each subsequent mile will cost you 2.75 BMD (though there is a 25% surcharge on Sundays). And if you’re visiting far-off beaches and attractions or coming back late at night, you’ll definitely need a taxi. You’re guaranteed to take at least one taxi ride a day.
So is there any way to visit Bermuda cheaply?
There are, in fact, some ways to spend less money on Bermuda, but it will take a little more planning and creativity. Here’s what you need to do:
Book early – If you want cheap accommodation, you’ll need to book rooms at least a month in advance. Avoid hotels and resorts and instead stay at a bed and breakfast or home rental property. If you’re staying with a group, definitely rent a large apartment, as it’s far less per person than a hotel room.
Couchsurf – There are only 46 Couchsurfing hosts in Bermuda. Many of them have private rooms available, but if you want to succeed in reserving one, make sure you inquire really early in order to maximize your chances of success.
Rent a motorbike – Motorbikes are the most convenient and economical transportation on the island. Since buses are infrequent and taxis expensive, having a motorcycle will give you more freedom to travel at a lower cost. Motorbike rentals begin at around $50 a day but get cheaper the longer you rent them; four days will cost an average of $35 per day. Two popular rental companies are Elbow Beach Cycles and Oleander Cycles. Mopeds are easy to rent and you can expect to pay around 50 BMD per day.
Stay central – While Hamilton is not set on a beautiful, pink-sand beach, it’s the center for all the buses and ferries leaving the city. If you rent an apartment and aren’t careful, you can end up somewhere far from a bus stop (which means more taxis). Staying in or near Hamilton will ensure you’re near all the bus lines and can avoid spending too much money on taxis.
Skip the fancy food – There’s good food on Bermuda, but it’s expensive. Avoid all the big, fancy restaurants (OK, enjoy one nice meal) and go for smaller stalls and local restaurants where prices, though still high, are more economical. My two favorite places were Specialty Inn and North Rock Brewing Co. Additionally, the cafe at Cambridge Resorts is reasonably priced despite being at a resort. Most meals will cost $10–20 USD.
Cook – If you skipped the hotel and rented an apartment, you’ll have a kitchen. There’s an ever-growing local and organic foodie scene on the island. You can find a lot of cheap fruits, vegetables, and meats at markets and shops, which will help lower your costs dramatically.
Overall, if you find a Couchsurfing host, you can probably do Bermuda for around $70–80 USD per day. Otherwise, you’re looking at around $175 per day.
Despite the drain on my wallet, my trip to Bermuda was amazing. As you can tell from the photos, everything you’ve ever heard about Bermuda is true. This is truly an island paradise, with warm, clear water lapping pink-sand beaches.
But what makes Bermuda truly paradise are the locals. The Bermudians were always helpful, friendly, and welcoming. Everywhere I went people were talkative and sincere. The woman in charge of our rented room was very hospitable and fed us dinner and breakfast while her family described life in Bermuda (apparently, it’s not just for the newly rich or nearly dead anymore!). We met a nice guy at the bus stop who randomly ended up giving us a ride into Hamilton, and then there was the waiter who kept telling us to have a “Bermudaful day.” (Plus countless other little things that made me fall in love with Bermuda.)
So visit Bermuda and know that while it won’t be cheap to visit, it will be beautiful, relaxing, and fun!
Book Your Trip to Bermuda: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight to Bermuda by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines. Start with Momondo.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel in Bermuda with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates. You can also try Airbnb.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never ever go on a trip without it. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. You should too.
Need Some Gear?
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use!
Want More Information on Bermuda?
Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on Bermuda for even more planning tips!
Maria
A lot of island seem to be this way. But there have to be some around Bermuda which might be off the beaten track and cheaper – but then again getting there could be expensive. I think your tips definitely applies to a lot of similar places.
Michelle
Wow so pretty! We’ve never been to Bermuda but would like to soon.
Matt
You can fly there for free and there are a bunch of hotels – Fairmont has two on the island, which is co branded with Chase.
Fly using BA Avios on AA from JFK
Natalie
I went to Bermuda in on a budget in November 2011. Traveling in the off season certainly helped, as well as renting a moped. We chose to stay in Southhampton to save money on transportation and be near the beach which was our priority. Beach is also certainly cheaper than the drinks we would have purchased in Hamilton! My post on the trip is in the URL.
Lauren Meshkin
These are great tips. However, Bermuda looks absolutely gorgeous and I wouldn’t mind splurging a bit on it! I shouldn’t be reading this at work. That water looks too tempting right now.
Happy travels! 🙂
Nick Kochetta
Would it be feasableto rent a pedal bike rather than a moped in Bermuda?
I don’t know just how vast Bermuda is as I’ve never had the opportunity to visit, but perhaps a pedal bike would save a few bucks, get you some valuable exercise and help you slow down to see and enjoy more of the island. Maybe I’m way off base…
Opinions?
Dawn Randall
My friend, Carole, and I were just talking about making a trip to Bermuda the week after Christmas, Matt! Thanks for the info and inspiration!
Anita Mac
May be more than $50 per day…but a little piece of paradise is totally worth it! Have not been to Bermuda but am a huge fan of the sand and beach scene in the Caribbean!
Brooklyn
I hear you on this, I live in NY myself and have been following deals for Bermuda since last summer. It is so expensive and nevermind the winter months, if I am going to spend money I want the water and the nights to be at least mid 70’s. The weather I watched this past year was very rainy and low 60’s throughout the fall, winter, and autumn. I hope to go there in July or August and risk my chance of a hurricane than freeze and pay a lot.
Jonny Blair
The Caribbean is a part of the world I haven’t yet touched properly. I’m pretty much saving it for a time when I have a bit more money and can island and country hop on a different type of budget than my current one. It’s nice to have an honest post from the budget travel expert that gives an admission that some places just arent that cheap such as Bermuda. I’d imagine other parts of the Caribbean as well as countries like Bhutan and North Korea are also hard on $50 US a day, as I’ll find out on one of my next trips. Matt – it would be nice for you to do a post called “Places you can’t do on the $50 a day but I sure as hell tried!” definitely room for it! Safe travels, Jonny
NomadicMatt
Hmmmm that’s actually an awesome post idea. Consider it on the list to be written!
Lise Griffiths
So beautiful, the beaches look stunning. I loved Aruba for that reason. Bermuda does sound expensive but I think that’s part of the appeal. The exclusiveness of it if you like – it makes you feel special and it is great for a treat!
Julio Moreno
Fantastic pictures as always Matt,
My ultimate question is:
Since bermuda is on the other side of the planet for me. Is it worth traveling across the earth for, or should I instead wait until I find myself closer (like you).
I live in Korea, so Thailand is a modest plane ride away.
NomadicMatt
I’d wait until you were in the area to go.
Kiki
Great article, I love how you break it down. And it’s absolutely true. A friend of mine who travels the world for work told me that in her company, Bermuda has the highest per diem allowance (anywhere!) for food expenses, which I thought was pretty telling.
Andrew Davison
So when is someone going to step up and build a hostel there? 🙂
I you say there are cheap flights from NYC clearly there would be some demand from backpackers… get more of us visiting and I’m sure other living costs will start to come down as well.
NomadicMatt
My guess is that there are no hostels there for a reason. The people probably don’t want them there.
Kathy
Remember Bermuda is not warm all year round. It has similar temps to North/South Carolina. Bermuda during Thanksgiving and Christmas would not be beach weather…..
Stuart Edwards
Some beautiful shots Matt. I’d love to head there one day, it’s always conjured up images of ‘lost paradise’ if you know what I mean!
I can’t believe motorbike hire is soo expensive. Bermuda almost sounds as pricey as Australia 🙂
NomadicMatt
While expensive, I think Australia has many more ways to travel on a budget. You can do Australia on far less than $175 a day!
Brittany
Bermuda is lovely. I spent my honeymoon there 10 years ago. 10 days and it cost a boat load. We stayed at Cambridge Resorts and had a fabulous time. The hotel found us a local driver who took us around the island for less than a taxi. Maybe people could find something like that through their hotel or beforehand online and do a lot of the further away beaches in one day and not need so many cabs each and every day. We loved the snorkeling and deep sea fishing here and of course, my husband wore his knee socks for dinner. There were more than a few (not cheap) restaurants that still had a dress code. The island is so lovely that you don’t have to do much to really enjoy its beauty. We want to take the kids there so now is the time for me to think about budgets and travel hacking our way there!
Colleen
Another money saving tip is to purchase your alcohol from your departing airport! You’ll save a lot by doing this. We rented W33 A & B, The Owners were Wonderful & Their Property is Amazing, A shirt walk to the bus, Mopeds are the way to go.
Tony
I go every year the last 2 years it has been with my 2 girls. One of my checked bags is a cooler. Packed with drinks, snacks and some food to cookout for at least 2 days. Being that my girls are little if we do eat out they share a meal most of time they don’t eat it anyway. ….lol. In the cooler you can freeze your bottled water so your food stays cold and now you have bottle water for your trip. You can take most anything just no fruits and vegetables. Once your cooler is empty you can pack all the stuff you bought to bring back…..lol
Tony Mazz
Hi Matt,
Been to Bermuda a few times and returning for the 6th time this June, I was hoping you could expand on your comments below regarding the location of the market? Where exactly is it and is it like a flea market (open air market). What day and time…etc. Thanks Tony
“There’s an ever-growing local and organic foodie scene on the island. You can find a lot of cheap fruits, vegetables, and meats at markets “
Tricia
Matt:
There are ways to do better. I go to Bermuda all the time. Rent a place, getting VRBO for 6 for $1400/week–coming in at under $35/night per person. I take food with me. Even though Bermuda customs regulations have changed and I will be charged duty on all food, think it is still worth it. We take steaks to share with the friendly locals who help us along the way. We take cold cuts. We eat breakfast in apartment. Have lunches out (not necessarily fancy, but good-Paraquet, Art Mel’s Spicy Dicy (fish sandwich easily feeds two) and others). Dinner in apartment–those cold cuts. Drinks–chat with locals and they will get you into the local private clubs, where locals hang and the dinks are cheaper (not cheap, but def cheaper). Beach. Sun. Sand. Scooters. Perfection.
miriam
Bermuda is my favorite place in the world. I was lucky to spend there 4 days every week during 3 months that i was working in a cruise line. Since then, I dream of coming back there. I would say that a cruise can be a cheap option however not long enough 🙂 Love your blog!
Regards from Ibiza
Miriam
Victori4ever
Love Bermuda. I would love to stay at least 6-7 days. I wonder if I could do it with flights including for under $2000 or less.
Miss Walker
We know have small rental cars in Bermuda AND contrary to a comment above quite a few locals do actually swim in the winter. It’s actually a tradition to do so during the Christmas holidays. The weather is still quite warm during the day in November/December.
Look up Twizy or Rugged Rentals for more info on rental cars.