The Best Beaches in Bermuda

Bermuda's South Shore is known for pink sand, and the island has more good beaches than a ship day can hold. This guide picks six, says what each is like and which tours give you time there, including the Bermuda day tours that spend two hours on the sand instead of ten minutes.

Which Bermuda beach should you pick?

Pick by what you want from your day. If you want the famous view, go to Horseshoe Bay. For a long walk on empty sand, Warwick Long Bay. For calm water, restrooms and a lifeguard, John Smith's Bay. For snorkeling from the shore, Tobacco Bay. For a quiet end of the island, Clearwater Beach. For a public beach near Hamilton, Elbow Beach.

Facilities come from the Bermuda Tourism Authority's own descriptions; where it names none, ask on the day. Tour times come from each tour's itinerary.

Horseshoe Bay

The Bermuda Tourism Authority calls Horseshoe Bay "our most famous beach", and its crescent of pink sand and clear blue water is the view most visitors come to see. It sits on the South Shore in Southampton, not far from Gibbs Hill Lighthouse.

Walk beyond the main beach and you find smaller, more secluded coves between the rock formations. Come at low tide and you get a quieter beach, with tide pools for you to explore. Several drives stop here for ten or fifteen minutes; the cave, Hamilton and beach day gives you two hours.

Warwick Long Bay

Warwick Long Bay is one of Bermuda's longest beaches: a half-mile stretch of pink sand backed by rugged cliffs and dunes. If you want room to yourself, this is where you walk.

Paths through the dunes of South Shore Park link it to smaller coves, including Jobson's Cove, a sheltered swimming hole with tide pools. The private car tour stops for ten minutes; to spend longer, come by bus or micro-car on a free day.

John Smith's Bay

Named after Captain John Smith of Jamestown, this pink-sand beach in Smith's Parish is where you will often find families enjoying the gentle waves, with a lifeguard watching the water. It has public restrooms and changing facilities, which makes it the easiest beach for a long stop.

The beach hop spends two hours here and gives each guest a chair with an umbrella. The pink buses and the Titan coaches stop for ten to fifteen minutes, long enough for a paddle and a photograph but not a swim. If your group includes young children or a grandparent who wants a seat in the shade, this is the beach to plan the day around: you have the restrooms, the changing rooms and the calm water in one place.

Tobacco Bay

At the east end, near St. George's, Tobacco Bay is a cove of dramatic rock formations and crystal-clear water. The Bermuda Tourism Authority calls it perfect for snorkeling, and it has a full-service bar and restaurant.

The cave, St. George's and beach day gives you two hours here after Crystal Cave and the old town. Chairs, umbrellas and snorkel gear cost about US$20 each on the beach, so bring cash or your own mask.

Clearwater Beach and Cooper's Island

Clearwater Beach lies at the far east end of the island, by Cooper's Island Nature Reserve. It is as far from the cruise pier as you can go, which is part of its appeal: if you get here, you have left the ship-day crowds behind.

The beach hop spends two hours at Clearwater Beach and half an hour at the reserve. The jungle, lunch and snorkel day ends with an hour's snorkel at Cooper's Island. Bring what you need: the beach hop supplies the chair and umbrella, but no snorkel gear, towel or lunch.

Elbow Beach

In Paget, close to Hamilton, Elbow Beach has stretches of pink sand and a generous public section. The Bermuda Tourism Authority suggests it for a quiet morning walk or an afternoon swim.

No tour stops here, so keep it for your free day or your hotel stay. You reach it by bus or taxi from Hamilton.

Which beaches are best for kids?

The calm, shallow ones with facilities. John Smith's Bay has gentle waves, a lifeguard and restrooms. Shelly Bay, in Hamilton Parish, is a shallow and calm beach that Bermudians like for its easy access. Jobson's Cove is sheltered, with tide pools to poke around in.

Keep your eye on your children in the water at any beach, bring your own shade, and remember that you cannot ride the bus home wet. Our post on Bermuda with children covers the tours by age.

Where can you snorkel from the sand?

Tobacco Bay is the best-known spot, with clear water among the rocks. Snorkel Park Beach Club, beside the Dockyard, is the closest to the ships. Cooper's Island is where the jungle day takes its guests into the water.

Shore snorkeling shows you the edge of the reef. For the reef line and the wrecks, you need a boat; the Bermuda snorkeling tours go out to them with the gear in the fare.

Which tours give you beach time?

An island drive gives you a beach as a photo stop: ten to fifteen minutes at Horseshoe Bay or John Smith's Bay. For a real beach day, choose a tour built around one.

• The beach hop, $150: two hours at John Smith's Bay, two at Clearwater Beach, half an hour at Cooper's Island, with a chair and umbrella.
• The cave, Hamilton and beach day, $150: two hours at Horseshoe Bay, plus Crystal Caves and Front Street.
• The cave, St. George's and beach day, $150: two hours at Tobacco Bay, plus Crystal Cave and the old town.

The catamarans sometimes stop at a small beach, but none promises one.

Are the beaches busy on ship days?

The ones on the drives can be. Horseshoe Bay and John Smith's Bay are where most island drives make their beach stop, so on a day with several ships in, expect coaches arriving through the late morning. The Bermuda Tourism Authority's own tip for Horseshoe Bay is to come at low tide, when it is quieter.

If you want sand to yourself, go where the coaches do not. Warwick Long Bay, a short way east of Horseshoe Bay, is long enough to spread out on, and the coves along the South Shore Park paths are smaller still. At the far east end, Clearwater Beach is about as far from the pier as the island goes. Elbow Beach, which no tour stops at, is another good bet on a busy day.

What should you bring to a Bermuda beach?

• Your own shade, unless your tour supplies it. The beach hop gives you a chair with an umbrella; on the Tobacco Bay day you pay about US$20 for each.
• A mask, if you want to snorkel from the sand and your tour does not include gear.
• A towel and a cover-up. You need both to ride home, and most tours leave the towel to you.
• Water, lunch and cash. Only Tobacco Bay, of the six, has a bar and restaurant the Bermuda Tourism Authority names.
• Reef-friendly habits. Do not stand on coral or gather living shells; the Department of Environment forbids taking them.

How do you get to a beach without a tour?

By bus, taxi, micro-car or scooter; visitors cannot rent a car. A one-day bus and ferry pass costs US$19. The pink sand is free: none of these beaches charges for entry.

A taxi is the easy way to the quieter beaches, such as Warwick Long Bay or Elbow Beach; agree the fare before you set off. Two rules matter on the way home. Buses, ferries and taxis refuse wet or sandy passengers, so change first. And bus drivers need exact change, US$3.50 or US$5 by distance. Our guide to seeing Bermuda without a tour has the fares in full.

Frequently asked questions

Tours with time on the sand

Bermudaful Island Beach Hop

Seven hours of beach time from the cruise pier: two hours at John Smith's Bay, two at a second beach at the east end, and half an hour at Cooper's Island. A chair with an umbrella is yours; bring a towel and lunch.

From $150 per person

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Crystal Cave, St. George and Tobacco Bay Beach

An hour in Crystal Cave with the entrance fee in the fare, an hour in St. George's and two hours on a beach at the east end, from the cruise pier. Snorkel gear, chairs and umbrellas cost extra there.

From $150 per person

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Bermuda Island Experience and Pink Sand Beaches

Five hours by coach for up to 22 from the cruise pier: Hamilton, the lighthouse grounds, a South Shore bay and 35 minutes in King's Square, St. George's. Restroom stops are built in; strollers are welcome.

From $69 per person

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