Horseshoe Bay Beach

About this place

Horseshoe Bay is Bermuda's best-known beach, on the main island's south coast facing the Atlantic, in Southampton Parish, about 6 km in a straight line south-west of the capital, Hamilton. It takes its name from the horseshoe curve of its bay. The beach is famous for its pink sand: tiny fragments of the shells of small red marine organisms called foraminifera mix with the fine white sand, giving it a soft pink tint that shows most clearly at the water's edge. Sculpted limestone rocks frame the bay, forming small, sheltered coves. The beach runs between the rocks and turquoise water, linked to smaller coves you can reach by walking along the sand or between the rocks. In summer there is a lifeguard, a café and showers, and buses reach the top of the hill from the main road. The beach is public and free. Waves can be strong on some days, so swim near the lifeguard area; early mornings are calmest, before cruise-ship visitors arrive, and bring sun cream.