Nonresidents are not allowed to drive cars in Bermuda, so you will be limited to a bicycle, a bus, a ferry, a taxi, a private driver or — my choice — a motor scooter, despite a stern U.S. State Department warning. Scooters can be dangerous in Bermuda, where the 22 mph speed limit is ignored by native drivers and where traffic runs on the left.
I admit, driving on the left took an hour or so of acclimation. And driving a scooter took practice, because unlike a motorcycle, which feels a lot more like an extension of the body, a scooter is more like sitting in a chair that can go 50 mph. My suggestion: If you have any doubt about your abilities, don’t rent a scooter. But if you practice on a scooter before heading for Bermuda, I think left-side driving is easily overcome.
A scooter gave my wife and me total freedom. We drove all of Bermuda’s 23-mile length, able to stop where whim demanded. Plus, my wife had to hug me the whole time she was riding on the back. A word of caution: Be ready to stop for crosswalk pedestrians, and don’t drink alcohol before scootering.
As for the other modes of transport, cabs and private drivers can get expensive (cabs $6.40 for the first mile, $2 for each after that), but the public bus was comfy, cheap and very clean. Bus hours on the island’s south side are limited to daytime, so staying in St. George, Hamilton or Somerset Village offers more bus options. I wouldn’t dream of riding a bike — or walking — between towns in Bermuda, with all the walled blind corners and narrow roads.