Bumming Around Bermuda: Walking from St. George to Tobacco Bay
I have a few favorite walks. The Skyline Trail on Cape Breton, through Audubon Park in New Orleans, crossing the Thames on the Millennium Bridge in London, and even along the gravel path following the Little Lehigh River five miles from my house in Pennsylvania. But my absolute favorite walk in all of the world has to be the walk from the ferry dock in St. George, Bermuda, to Tobacco Bay Beach.
I’m not sure why I love this walk so much. It may have something to do with the fact that the first time I did it, I was totally alone on a perfect, beautiful day on Bermuda with the sunrise that reminded me of the Phi Phi Sunrise Tour. It could also have something to do with the fact that the idea of it appeals to me; even though it is a fairly short walk (maybe a little over a mile), you are technically walking from a body of water on one side–St. George’s Bay–to a different body of water on the other–the Atlantic Ocean. This makes me feel like I’m walking across an entire island which, I guess, really is what I’m doing–walking across St. George’s Island (Bermuda is actually not one large island, but rather many, many small islands all connected by bridges and causeways. Don’t believe me? Look below.)
Because I love this walk so very much, I want to encourage as many other people to do it as I possibly can. So hey, people out there researching trips to Bermuda–you can walk from St. George town to Tobacco Bay Beach. Do it! Here’s how:
When you get off the ferry, follow the masses of people walking to the left; there’s really no other direction you can go. when you get to the main town square, turn right. See where I’m pointing?
Follow the masses in this direction, then look up the hill to your right towards the Unfinished Church.
Turn right there. Then make your way up toward the unfinished church. You can see it from town by simply looking up hill–trust me, there aren’t enough streets in St. George to get really lost. Here’s what you are looking for.
Not the white building–the smaller-because-of-perspective gray building in the distance.
Sick of my finger in every shot? Yeah, I am too. That will be the last photo like that, I promise. Anyway–you are making your way towards the unfinished church. If you are going uphill, you are going the right way. If you are stickler for exact directions, here they are:
- From the town square, turn right on King Street (it’s the only right you can make)
- Make an almost immediate left onto Bridge Street.
- You will pass a park on your right; this is Sommer’s Gardens. Feel free to stop here briefly and enjoy the sunshine through the trees.
- You will pass the ruins of an old building on your left. It looks like this:
After passing Sommer’s Gardens on your right, this will be on your left. You are going the right way!
- Continue up the steep hill towards the unfinished church. Pause to explore the unfinished church. It’s pretty cool. See?
Be safe on this part of the walk!
At the end of the scary part pictured above, you’ll want to stay straight and take the two-sided, tree-shaded lane directly in front of you. Do not follow the main road to the right. Saunter down the shady lane. This is where the walk gets beautiful; the shady lane eventually opens up to what I can only describe as a rolling meadow. It’s lovely, I promise.
Saunter down the shady lane. And don’t worry if you don’t have anyone’s hand to hold. I didn’t either. It was just as romantic all by myself.
Follow this road straight ahead. A smaller, almost park-like road branches off to the right. DO NOT TAKE THIS ROAD–unless, of course, you want to visit Fort St. Catherine. To get to the beach, stay straight on the road until you see this:
Make a right at the pretty pink plant and follow the path down to the beach.
That’s Tobacco Bay. You’ll turn right to avoid falling off a cliff into the sea, and you’ll see the beach on your left. You can now enjoy the reward at the end of your gorgeous walk–an even more gorgeous beach. I highly recommend renting a snorkel and fins for an hour and enjoying the view beneath the waves. I’ve paid for Bermuda snorkel excursions and I have to say, I enjoyed snorkeling at Tobacco Bay far more.
Me, happy to be at Tobacco Bay–bad hair and all.
How easy is it to make this walk? The first time I did it, I had no idea where I was going, if I’d actually end up at Tobacco Bay, or how far it was from the ferry dock. I did not have a post like this to show me the way, and I still made it there in maybe twenty minutes. And I sailed all the way back to Bermuda just to take this walk again. If you are considering it, do it. I promise, it’s worth it.
We did this walk, and it was pretty easy. However, the day we were in St Georges it was unbelievably hot. Even though it’s such a short walk I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, so I recommend bringing water with you too (since part of it is uphill, as you mentioned). Tobacco Bay was also ridiculously crowded that day, due to the fact that almost all of the other beaches were closed because of the tropical storm/hurricane approaching. I can’t wait to go back to Bermuda someday to enjoy all of this a bit more!
Hi Tracy! I did almost the EXACT same walk (Solo) on my first cruise to Bermuda last September 🙂 I took the bus from the Royal Dockyard instead and then the ferry back (LOVE taking 2 different routes and modes of transportation)! I walked a little in St Georges before heading up the street to the unfinished church and on to Tobacco Bay and Fort St Catherine from there. It WAS a great walk indeed! I had perfect weather and all day to stop, take pictures and just enjoy the scenery around me. You got some great pictures also! Some of my favorites are from along the roadside as I walked past homes, farms and beaches. I think it is BY FAR the best way to see this beautiful island. So many sights I would have missed if I was on a bus tour or in a taxi whizzing by 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Yay! See–THIS is why I love having a blog! I get to hear other peoples’ stories. I’m SO GLAD you enjoyed this walk, too! I’ve done it twice now. Of course the first time was the best–discovering it, as I was.
Thank you for this posting. Is there a fee to be at the beach other than rental of gear? Are there facilities (restrooms/food) near by?
There is no fee to be on the beach, no. And gear rental isn’t bad; I think something like $10 for a snorkel for an hour (and you can’t really snorkel for more than an hour, so don’t waste your money on a day-long rental). There’s one building on the beach that does everything–gear rentals, food, drinks. And there’s a small (kinda gross) restroom and changing area attached (but whatever, it’s better than nothing. And better than a portable toilet, where changing just would not be an option!)
Tracey- thanks for the amazing information and pictures. I’m taking my husband on his first cruise this coming September…to Bermuda. We’ll definitely be taking this trip. I’m wondering if you had actually BEEN there in September, or if you didn’t write this blog post until then. I’m trying to find people who’ve been there at the beginning of September. I can read averages all day long online….but would really like to hear from people who’ve been there that time of year. Thanks again for the great information! I showed him the first picture of Tobacco Bay on your page and he said, “OH hell yeah!” hahahaaa It’s months away, but I can see he’s super excited already!
Glad this was helpful!
To answer your weather question: this post was posted in September after a trip taken in July. Please read this in the caps I am using: I DO NOT RECOMMEND GOING TO BERMUDA IN JULY. I have never been so hot. I did this walk twice–the first time a year before the second week in OCTOBER. Bermuda is LOVELY in the beginning of October. I assume it is also nice in September. I’d go there any time of year, but July is not idea. It was melt-your-face-off hot. Painful to be there hot. There’s no AC anywhere. And everyone who lives there is used to it–but I wasn’t. Would I go back in July? Sure. If it was my only option. Bermuda is paradise. But I’d prefer to go in May, September, or October. And yes, I swam in October. The locals thought it was too cold, but I thought it was fabulous (as did everyone else on the ship). Oh and it is WAY less crowded in the off season. Really a totally different experience. I could write a whole post on it, with photos! You are making a good choice.
We are going in September as well! On NCL Breakaway on Sept 14th! This blog is a GREAT source of information for a 1st time visitor!
Glad this was helpful! I LOVE Bermuda, and I love sailing from NYC. I was on the Breakaway (only for a weekend when she first sailed) and it was WONDERFUL! Don’t miss the Blues Club. And get a reservation for the Ice Bar as soon as you can. I’m still bummed I missed it!
Enjoy, and feel free to post here with any questions. I”m happy to help.
Awesome going sept 20th! will def do this! thanks!
Fabulous! Enjoy! I’m super jealous. I, uh, may have been pricing sailings back to Bermuda for this month. Because it is a great time of year to be there. Perfect weather, super uncrowded.
I just got back, and we actually stayed in St. George’s. Perfect directions! And yes, Tobacco Bay was one of my favorites of all of the beaches. We took a ton of video there for youtube! Thanks for sharing!
So glad you made it there and enjoyed Tobacco Bay!