While many locals drink the tap water on the Bermuda Islands, the safety of the water cannot be guaranteed and it is therefore advisable to drink water only if it has been boiled or disinfected or if it is in a commercially sealed bottle. Use ice made only from purified or disinfected water. Brush your teeth with purified or bottled water

Only eat foods that are well cooked and served hot. Avoid food served at room temperature. Avoid raw or undercooked (rare) meats and fish, including shellfish. Only eat fruits and vegetables if you have washed them in safe water or peeled them yourself. Avoid salads, or other items that are made with fresh produce. Avoid unpasteurized dairy products and fruit juices.

Bermuda offers a vast variety of restaurants, cafes, bars and taverns to suit all budget and tastes. Service will vary, although generally table service can be expected. Hotel cooking is usually international with some Bermudan specialities.

When not included in the bill, 15% is generally acceptable for most services. Hotels and guest houses add a set amount per person in lieu of tips to the bill.

Lightweight cottons and linens are recommended. Light waterproofs or umbrellas are advisable and warmer clothes for cooler months. Sunglasses, sunscreen and a sun hat are essential.

Electrical sockets (outlets) in the Bermuda Islands are very similar to the electrical outlets found in the United States and Canada, and if your appliance has a North American plug, it's possible that you won't need any adapter at all in order to plug in there. However, there are two potentially very important physical differences that may need to be addressed with an adapter: grounding and/or polarization. If your plug has one or both, and the socket doesn't, then the plug may not physically be able to fit into the socket without an adapter.

In the case of a North American appliance plug, grounding is accomplished by the third, round pin beneath and below the two vertical blades on the plug. Polarization is accomplished by the left vertical blade being taller than the right, so that the plug can't be inserted upside down. U.S. and Canadian sockets are required to be both grounded and polarized. But in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Japan and other areas which use U.S. style sockets, grounding and polarization often are not required, and in fact, the majority of sockets in many of these areas do not accept the taller blade and/or the third grounding pin. This will prevent a North American appliance plug from being able to plug into these sockets, if the plug is either grounded or polarized.

Electrical sockets (outlets) in the Bermuda Islands usually supply electricity at between 110 and 120 volts AC. If you're plugging in a U.S. or Canadian 120 volt appliance, or an appliance that is compatible with multiple voltages, then an adapter is all you need.

But travel plug adapters do not change the voltage, so the electricity coming through the adapter will still be the same 110-120 volts the socket is supplying. If your appliance is from another part of the world, and it is built only for 220-240 volt electricity then a travel plug adapter by itself won't be sufficient. The voltage will have to be changed from 110-120 volts at the socket, to whatever voltage your appliance requires. This is accomplished with a voltage transformer.

Currency

Bermuda Dollar (BMD; symbol BD$) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of BD$100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 2. Coins are in denominations of BD$1, and 25, 10, 5 and 1 cents.

The Bermuda Dollar is at parity with the US Dollar. US Dollars are generally accepted, although change is almost always given in BD cents. It is illegal to exchange money other than at authorised banks or bureaux de change.

There are no restrictions on the import or export of local or foreign currency.

Banking

Banking hours range from Mon-Fri 09h00-16h30, with one bank having additional hours of Sat 10h00-15h00.

American Express, MasterCard and Visa credita cards are accepted at most hotels, shops and restaurants. ATMs are available across the island.

US Dollar cheques are accepted, but they are increasingly difficult to change, with institutions including Butterfield Bank refusing to accept them. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller's cheques in US Dollars.