The Royal Naval Dockyard

The Royal Naval Dockyard, occupying the western tip of Bermuda, is one of the island's most impressive historic sites, a vast and mighty complex built by the British Royal Navy in the nineteenth century, largely by convict and enslaved labour, as a key strategic naval base guarding the Atlantic, earning it the name the Gibraltar of the West. Its massive stone fortifications, ramparts and grand Georgian buildings survive superbly, and the imposing former Keep now houses the excellent National Museum of Bermuda, telling the island's rich maritime story. Today the dockyard is also a lively hub of shops, restaurants, craft and the island's main cruise port.

What you actually see

• The National Museum of Bermuda - the maritime history in the old Keep.
• The stone fortifications - the mighty ramparts and defences.
• The Georgian buildings - the grand old naval architecture.
• The shops and dockyard - the lively craft, dining and cruise hub.

When to go

April to October, the warm season, for the most pleasant weather; the dockyard is busiest when cruise ships are in port, as it is the island's main cruise hub, so quieter days offer a more relaxed visit. It is reached scenically by ferry from Hamilton, a pleasant trip across the Great Sound, as well as by road and bus.

Honest expectations

The dockyard is partly a restored heritage site and partly a commercial cruise-and-shopping hub, so it can be busy and touristy on ship days, and its history, like all such colonial fortifications, includes the convict and enslaved labour that built it, worth acknowledging. As a mighty and superbly preserved former imperial naval fortress with an excellent maritime museum, grand Georgian architecture and a scenic ferry approach, though, the Royal Naval Dockyard is a genuine and impressive historic highlight.

Nearby

The town of Hamilton, the beaches and the west-end coves are within reach.