Bermuda West End: Royal Naval Dockyard, Pink Sand Beaches, and a British Territory Mid-Atlantic

The Royal Naval Dockyard itself, now converted into the island's primary tourist precinct, has the Bermuda Craft Market, the Bermuda Arts Centre (featuring local artists' work in the former naval facility), the Clock Tower Mall, and a cluster of restaurants in what were once the naval commissioners' residences. The Commissioner's House, built in 1823 and the oldest cast-iron framed house in the western hemisphere, has been restored as the National Museum of Bermuda. The museum covers the island's maritime history, its fortification history through multiple centuries, and the Bermudian experience of slavery and emancipation. The building's rooftop terrace gives the widest available view over the dockyard and the Great Sound.

The ferry from the dockyard to Hamilton, Bermuda's small capital, crosses the Great Sound in about 20 minutes and arrives in the center of the city. Hamilton has a few blocks of stores and restaurants concentrated near Front Street and the ferry terminal; the main draw is the Bermuda Perfumery (which makes fragrances from local flowers) and the food at the restaurant strip along Front Street. The ferry schedule back to the dockyard is worth consulting before heading to Hamilton; the last afternoon ferry determines when you need to depart.

Horseshoe Bay Beach, on the south shore about 11 kilometers from the dockyard, is the most photographed beach in Bermuda: pink sand (the color comes from fragments of red foraminifera shells mixed into the white coral sand), turquoise water, and limestone formations at both ends of the beach. The bus and ferry service from the dockyard runs approximately every 15 minutes during peak season; taxis and mopeds are alternatives. Elbow Beach and Jobson's Cove are nearby alternatives with less foot traffic. The water temperature is warm enough for swimming from May through November.

The Crystal Caves, 22 kilometers from the dockyard in Hamilton Parish on the island's eastern end, are a pair of limestone cave systems flooded by sea water to a depth of about 15 meters — clear enough to see the formations on the cave floor from the boardwalk above. The larger cave (Crystal Cave) has stalactites reaching the water surface and is toured on boardwalks that extend over the flooded chamber. The discovery story (two boys following a lost cricket ball in 1907) is documented in the visitor center. The caves require transport from the dockyard; most visitors combine them with a visit to the nearby village of St. George's, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Bermuda's original capital.

Bermuda's food is the product of its position and its history: British pub food, American influence, Portuguese community cooking (Bermuda has a significant Portuguese population descended from Azorean laborers brought in the 19th century), and West Indian flavors all coexist. The fish sandwich — a Bermudian staple, grilled or fried wahoo or snapper on a raisin-bread bun with tartar sauce and coleslaw — is the most locally specific meal available near the dockyard.