TRAVEL
TIPS
| Driving |
TBA |
| Currency |
(BMD) Bermudian Dollar |
| Electrical |
120 Volts |
| Telephones |
Country Code 1-441 |
Time:
GMT - 4 (GMT - 3 from first Sunday in April to last Sunday in
October).
Electricity:
110 volts AC, 60Hz. American (flat) two-pin plugs are standard.
Telephone:
IDD is available. Country code: 1 441. Outgoing international
code: 011. The internal telephone system is operated by the Bermuda
Telephone Company. Bermuda numbers dialled from within Bermuda
should be prefixed with the last two digits of the country code
(29 or 23) but there are no conventional area codes.
Climate: Semi-tropical, with no wet season. The
Gulf Stream which flows between Bermuda and the North American
continent keeps the climate temperate. A change of seasons comes
during mid-November to mid-December and from late March through
to April. Either spring or summer weather may occur and visitors
should be prepared for both. Showers may be heavy at times but
occur mainly at night. Summer temperatures prevail from May to
mid-November with the warmest weather in July, August and September
– this period is occasionally followed by high winds.
Required
clothing: Lightweight cottons and linens. Light waterproofs
or umbrellas are advisable and warmer clothes for cooler months.
Food
& Drink: Hotel cooking is usually international with
some Bermudian specialities such as Bermuda lobster (in season,
September to mid-April), mussel pie, conch stew, fish chowder
laced with sherry, peppers, rum and shark. Other seafoods include
rockfish, red snapper and yellowtail. Peculiar to Bermuda is the
Bermuda onion; other fine home-grown products include pawpaw and
strawberries in January and February, and a variety of local citrus
fruit. Traditional Sunday breakfast is codfish and bananas while
desserts include sweet potato pudding, bay grape jelly and a syllabub
of guava jelly, cream and sherry. There is a vast variety of restaurants,
cafes, bars and taverns to suit all pockets. Service will vary
although generally table service can be expected.
Local drinks and cocktails have Caribbean rum as a base, and have
colourful names such as Dark and Stormy and the famous Rum Swizzle.
British, European and US beer is available. It is normal in bars
to pay for each drink and to tip the barman. In restaurants, drinks
are added to the bill.
Shopping:
The best buys are imported merchandise such as French perfumes,
English bone china, Swiss watches, Danish silver, American costume
jewellery, German cameras, Scottish tweeds, and various spirits
and liqueurs. Bermuda-made articles include handicrafts, pottery,
cedar ware, fashions, records and paintings by local artists.
Antique shops may have the odd good bargain and shops in the countryside
offer many souvenirs. Bathing suits, sports clothes and straw
hats are other good buys. There is no sales tax or VAT. Shopping
hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1700, with some closing early on Thursday.
Shops at the Royal Naval Dockyard are open on Sun 1000-1700.
Tipping:
When not included in the bill, 15 per cent generally for most
services. Hotels and guest-houses add a set amount per person
in lieu of tips to the bill.
Currency:
Bermuda Dollar (Bda$) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations
of Bda$100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 2. Coins are in denominations of
Bda$1, and 25, 10, 5 and 1 cents.
Currency
exchange: US Dollars are generally accepted at parity.
It is illegal to exchange money other than at authorised banks
or bureaux de change.
Credit
& debit cards: MasterCard, American Express and Diners
Club are accepted at most large hotels, shops and restaurants.
Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant
acceptability and other services which may be available.
Travellers
cheques: US Dollar cheques are widely accepted. There
is no bureau de change at the airport. To avoid additional exchange
rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques
in US Dollars.
