Visit Charming & Quaint St. George, Bermuda

Last Updated on February 19, 2024 by Travelationship

St. George’s Island is located in the East of Bermuda, just North of the airport. This is the place to go if you want the original Bermuda. The town of St. George is listed as a UNESCO Heritage Site. Per UNESCO, “The historic town of St George with its related fortifications is an outstanding example of a continuously occupied, fortified, colonial town dating from the early 17th century and the oldest English town in the New World.”

Getting There: We were running late and had to take a taxi. From the Southampton (almost the west side of the island) area, it cost us just under $50 one way. I highly recommend taking the bus into St. George; it is much cheaper, about $10 each one way. If you are traveling from Southampton (depending on the day and time), plan for a 45-60-minute bus commute; check the bus schedule to be sure.

Exploring Charming St George

We started our day in St. George at King’s Square, which houses the Town Hall and is adjacent to the very tiny Ordinance Island. Free daily tours covering the history and primary locations in town start at 10:30 am in front of the flag pole. I found the tour to be very informative. The local guide covers general history and random stories and walks you through all the main areas of the town. He/She also recommends further places to visit, eat, and shop. The tour is about 90 minutes and takes you right back to King’s Square just in time to visit Town Hall and meet the mayor.

At 11:45 am, the mayor greets visitors and provides a brief speech regarding the mayoral history and politics of the island. Directly correlated to the mayor’s speech is the Town Gossip performance. Although I appreciated meeting and shaking hands with the mayor, I found the Town Gossip show to be a bit cheesy. That said, I saw that most observers enjoyed the show. The families seemed to enjoy the dunkings especially. The show is around 30 minutes long and is located at the bridge’s end, connecting Ordinance Island with St. George’s Island. The bridge is small, so don’t worry, you can’t miss it.

[Matt – The dunking is also your chance for audience participation; they pick 4-6 people from the crowd at the mayor’s speech to help dunk the gossip.]

The Exploration Continues

We did not stay for the entire show; instead, we started to walk the small town, and we were so glad we did. The area is covered in many lovely and charming nooks and crannies. The buildings are colorful and unique. Walking around was so peaceful and relaxing; I highly recommend wandering until you feel lost and then keep wandering.

A few of our favorite locations were the Unfinished Church, St. Peter’s Church, The Old Rectory, and walking along Water Street.

The Unfinished Church is just as it sounds. A church that was never finished. What makes this site so beautiful is walking around the entire church and noticing how nature has grown in and around the grounds. When we were there, the inside of the church was closed but was supposed to be re-opening any day. Even without being able to walk inside, it was still a beautiful site with plenty to see from the outside.

St. Peter’s Church was probably my favorite part of St. George. The front steps leading to the church are large and inviting. If you don’t like the steps, you can walk the streets up and around to the back of the church. The cemetery was enchanting, especially the fallen tree outside to the right of the back door. While walking around the cemetery, the weather turned cloudy, and the wind picked up. It added an almost mystical edge to the experience – so fun. As you walk the grounds, don’t miss the dedicated slave area.

Matthew’s Two Cents

I have to echo Heather on this one; the combination of the old church and graveyard really made for an interesting location.  There was much history to glean from wandering around inside and out. Someone from the church was on hand to provide answers to questions, which is always a nice touch.  Also, an interesting tidbit regarding the tree in the cemetery that has since fallen over: it was once used as the bell tower as it was the tallest thing around.

The Old Rectory was beautiful. It was closed when we visited, but we could walk through the entrance area and look through the front door windows. It has some goofy hours. If this is why you are going to St. George, check the website for current hours. Why see it? It is an example of an early-day private residence, the architecture and the gardens.

Lunch Time

Water Street is the main tourist street with lots of shops and restaurants. Our tour guide recommended two restaurants, the White Horse Pub and Wahoo’s. We picked Wahoo’s for two reasons. 1) they are famous for their fish chowder 2) I am trying to step out of my comfort zone and try more local foods I wouldn’t necessarily try otherwise. I am recently starting to like fish, but only fish that don’t smell or taste like fish. Yes, I know, I am one of “those” people.

The fish chowder was nothing of what I was expecting. It was a deep reddish maroon color. The fish pieces were small but plenty. It was served with the recommendation of adding a few drops of rum and as much as your palate can handle the local Outerbridge Sherry Pepper Sauce. I am not big on spicy, but I am getting better. I added about three dashes of the sauce and one gulp of the rum. The chowder was good, very different than anything I had ever tried. I am unsure if I would order it again, but I recommend trying it. Completely contradictory, I know. I have weird taste buds, but I can understand how many people would like the chowder. It is full of flavor and has no fishy smell or taste, and it was great for me.

Travel Basics

Money Matters:

The Bermuda dollar and the US dollar are in sync or 1:1, and I did not encounter anyone who would not take US currency, although I did not try coins.  Their paper money is quite colorful and beautiful to look at, although I was told US banks will not give you a favorable exchange rate, so I recommend spending it all before returning.  ATM withdrawals will incur a Foreign Transaction Fee and Credit Card purchases unless you use the highly recommended “Investor Checking Account” with Schwab. The account has no foreign conversion/transaction fees, refunds all ATM charges, and has a Visa debit card with chip and pin.

Photo Tips:

St George is open and spacious, so you can feel good about using whatever camera you have available. The one thing I can note is that at no time did I feel the need for excessive zoom or a telephoto lens.

Recommendable: YES! This is where Bermuda started. The town is charming, and there is plenty to do. The town itself is quite walkable. Take time to explore the areas outside of the central city. Gorgeous views are all over this little island.

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