The Town of St. George

On the eastern end of the island in St. George's parish, the Town of St. George is our first and oldest town. It served as our island's first capitol until 1815 when Hamilton took over.

• The oldest English-speaking colonial town still in existence, St. George's became a World Heritage site in 2000
• Known for its historic town square, harbour and quaint narrow streets (with equally quaint names such as Needle and Thread Alley, Old Maid's Lane and Petticoat Alley)
• Replica stocks and pillory in the square recall public punishments for thieves and the ducking stool for gossips
• It all evokes a history when churches and houses were made from hand-quarried stone and boats were crafted out of Bermuda cedar
• Today, you can visit our historic houses to relive the colonial lifestyle

The City of Hamilton

Incorporated in 1793, the City of Hamilton in Pembroke parish became the new seat of government in 1815. Today it hosts the courts, the Sessions House or House of Assembly and the Cabinet Building where the Senate meets.

• Hamilton's changing skyline shows a once sleepy town transformed into a bustling financial centre for international business, particularly for the insurance and reinsurance industries
• Multi-storey edifices now share the skyline with the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity's tower
• As always, Front Street, Queen Street and Reid Street retain their supremacy as the best places to browse our distinctive shops and specialties

Royal Naval Dockyard

Otherwise known as the "Gibraltar of the West," the Royal Naval Dockyard fortifications in Sandys Parish were built in 1809 to compensate for British ports lost in the American Revolution. Convicts transported from Britain and Bermudian slaves built the fortifications from local limestone.

Transformed into a tourist centre, Dockyard's 19th-century buildings now house many attractions, including:

• The Bermuda Maritime Museum
• Commissioner's House
• The Arts Centre at Dockyard
• The Bermuda Glass Blowing Studio
• The Craft Market
• Dolphin Quest, where you can swim with our marine mammals

Add in shops, restaurants and marinas and you have a historical, yet modern, town.