The Royal Naval Dockyard and National Museum

The Royal Naval Dockyard at the western tip of Bermuda was built by the British Royal Navy in the nineteenth century as a base and repair yard in the Atlantic, with massive stone walls and warehouses that are now among the island's busiest visitor areas. Today the old storehouses hold shops, craft studios, restaurants and the Clocktower Mall, boats and ferries leave from the waterfront, and the cruise ships dock here in season. The star attraction is the National Museum of Bermuda, housed in the Keep, the Dockyard's main fortification, with ramparts, galleries and gardens. Queen's Exhibition Hall, a former gunpowder store built in 1850, shows more than 1,500 artefacts from shipwrecks, dating from the sixteenth century onward, while the Commissioner's House holds the Hall of History with its enormous mural of Bermuda's story and exhibits on military history, slavery and links with the Azores and the West Indies. Outdoors, you can walk the ramparts for harbour views, and a playground with a lighthouse slide keeps children busy. Public ferries and buses connect the Dockyard with Hamilton, and most boat trips in this guide start here.

Hours and admission: the museum is open daily, with a winter schedule that starts at ten in the morning and a final admission at about four o'clock. Adults pay a modest entry fee, seniors a little less, and children under sixteen are free. It is closed on 25 December. Opening times shift between summer and winter, so check the museum before you go, especially around holidays and cruise-ship days.

Making the most of a visit: begin at Queen's Exhibition Hall for the shipwreck treasures and the stories of the vessels that never made it to land, then cross to the Commissioner's House for the Hall of History and its detailed mural, which is worth slowing down for. Finish on the ramparts, which give views over the Dockyard and the surrounding sea, and let children run in the playground. Allow half a day for the museum, and the rest of the day for lunch, craft shops and a boat trip. The Dolphin Quest programme is based on site and runs by reservation rather than drop-in, so book directly if it interests you.

Shoulder season: in November the cruise season winds down, so the Dockyard is quieter than in summer, with shorter queues at cafes and a more relaxed museum. Some seasonal shops and eateries keep shorter hours, and boat tours depend on weather, so check ahead. To avoid the heat or a rainy spell, plan the museum for midday, and keep the waterfront walk for the late afternoon, when the stone glows and ships rock gently in the dockyard basin. Public ferries from Hamilton are one of the most pleasant ways to arrive.