4 Best Sights in Bermuda

It's illegal to export shipwreck artifacts or a Bermuda-cedar carving or item of furniture that's more than 50 years old without a special permit from Bermuda Customs.

The most rewarding time to visit the Cabinet Building, which was completed in 1841 and remodeled almost a century later, is during the formal opening of Parliament, traditionally held on the first Friday of November. His (or Her) Excellency the Governor, dressed in a plumed hat and full regalia, arrives on the grounds in a landau drawn by magnificent black horses and accompanied by a police escort. A senior officer, carrying the Black Rod made by the Crown jewelers, next asks the speaker of the House, elected representatives, and members of the Senate chamber to convene. The governor then presents the Throne Speech from a tiny cedar throne dating from 1642. 

To some, this rather austere 1840s structure is simply a place to mail a letter, but to stamp collectors the Perot Post Office, named for Hamilton's first postmaster, is a veritable shrine. William Bennett Perot (1791–1871) was certainly a genial fellow: he would meet arriving steamers, collect the incoming mail, stash it in his beaver hat, and then stroll around Hamilton to deliver it, greeting each recipient with a tip of his chapeau. But it was his resourcefulness that made him most famous among philatelists. Tired of individually hand-stamping outgoing letters, Perot began printing stamps in 1848. Of the thousands he produced, only 11 still exist—and several of those are owned by the British royal family. If you'd like to get your hands on one, be prepared to dig deep. In 2005, a Perot-era one-penny stamp sold at auction for a record-breaking $244,000.

This eye-catching Italianate edifice, erected in 1819, is where the House of Assembly (Bermuda's lower house of Parliament) and the Supreme Court convene. The Florentine towers and colonnade, decorated with red terra-cotta, were added to the building in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. The Victoria Jubilee Clock Tower made its striking debut—albeit a few years late—at midnight on December 31, 1893. Bermuda's Westminster-style Parliament meets on the second floor, where the speaker rules the roost in a powdered wig and robe. (The island has approximately 14 times as many politicians per capita as Europe or North America, so maintaining order is no small feat.) Sartorial splendor is equally evident downstairs in the Supreme Court, where wigs and robes—red for judges, black for barristers—are again the order of the day.

You're welcome to watch the colorful proceedings: bear in mind, though, that visitors, too, are required to wear appropriate attire.

Call first to find out when parliamentary sessions and court cases are scheduled. Tours can also be scheduled, except on Fridays, when Parliament is in session.