Saint George (Bermuda)

The Town of Saint George, habitually called by locals St. George's, in St. George's Parish is the second town and former capital of Bermuda.

Understand
St. George's is described as the oldest, continually inhabited English settlement in the new world. In 1609, Admiral Sir George Somers named the town not after himself but in honor of the Patron Saint of England, St. George; it served as the capital of Bermuda until eclipsed by Hamilton in 1815. Because of a shift of business and government to Hamilton, St. George's did not have its streets and buildings demolished and rebuilt as in Hamilton, and therefore looks very much like it did 250 years ago. In fact, because of its many heritage buildings, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site during the 1990s.

Bermudian convention, where a toponym contains the name of a person, is to render the person's name in the possessive form. The place is rarely treated as equivalent to the person. For instance, Bermudians will always say St. George's and St. David's are the largest islands in St. George's Parish, and never St. George and St. David are the largest islands in St. George Parish. As many maps and other printed materials featuring Bermuda are produced abroad, it is extremely common to find maps, books and other material using the non-possessive forms, but visitors to Bermuda should be aware that using the non-possessive forms when speaking to Bermudians is likely to cause as much awkwardness as saying "Bermudan" (although Bermudians, who pride themselves on politeness, are unlikely to respond rudely).

St. George's Parish stands at the northeasternmost part of the island chain, containing a small part of the main island around Tucker's Town and the Tucker's Town Peninsula, as well as the big islands of St. George's and St. David's (where the airport is), and many smaller islands, notably Coney, Paget, Nonsuch, Castle, and Smith's Islands.

By road
Saint George's is accessible directly from Hamilton by bus, and from the rest of the islands by changing buses in Hamilton, or by use of taxis.

It is possible to walk across the Causeway from the airport to Grotto Bay Resort (or other destinations southwest), but there is limited shoulder on the Causeway and it may be a dangerous choice to save money from a +$10 taxi ride. Some airport workers actually walk across the Causeway daily, so it's not crazy to do so when traffic isn't busy.

By ferry

 * Orange route - to St George's from Sandys Parish (Royal Naval Dockyards)
 * Orange route - to St George's from Sandys Parish (Royal Naval Dockyards)

Get around
All locations in and around Saint George's are easily walkable. Explore on foot.

See
Due to its status as a World Heritage Site, there are many fine old, colonial streets and buildings to immerse yourself in; streets and alleys with fanciful names such as 'Featherbed Alley', 'Old Maid's Lane' or 'Needle and Thread Alley'. However, upon arrival in the town, the best thing to do is head for the original main square of St. George's,. Here you can see the Town Hall, the Visitor's Service Bureau, and Ordnance Island across the small bridge directly to your south. During the tourist season (May-September), actors in period dress provide colour to the community, acting as town criers or sentencing men or women to the stockades, pillories or the dunking chair.

The Visitor's Service bureau supplies maps and brochures about the town and provides an excellent walking tour of the old town.



The town boasts some notable museums and attractions:

The parish also offers:



Do
Take a guided tour or rent a moped and tour on your own.



Go next

 * Hamilton Parish is to the southwest.