Getting around Grand Cayman: the bus, and the day it does not run
Sunday is the whole finding
Everything else on this page is ordinary transport information. This part is not. The Public Transport Unit publishes bus hours of 6:00am to 7:00pm Monday to Saturday, and closure on Sundays and public holidays. Cruise itineraries do not avoid Sundays. So the cheapest way across the island is unavailable on exactly the day a large share of visitors are ashore, and almost nothing written about Grand Cayman mentions it.
If that is your day, the bus is out and you are choosing between walking, a taxi, and a boat trip that collects you. See what you can do from the tender landing for the walking option.
The fare, in both currencies
The typical fare is CI$2. That is US$2.40, not two dollars. Beyond Hutland Road, which is the direction of Rum Point and Cayman Kai, it rises to as much as CI$5, which is US$6.00.
The arithmetic behind those conversions is the same one the whole site runs on. The Cayman Islands dollar has been pegged at CI$1 = US$1.20 since 1 April 1974. A fare board that reads “$2” means CI$2, and CI$2 is US$2.40. A single bus ride is a small enough sum that getting it wrong costs nothing. A dinner bill is not. Read the dollar trap once and you will read every price on the island correctly for the rest of the trip.
If you pay a fare in US dollars, expect your change in Cayman dollars. Shops, hotels and restaurants here take US dollars at CI$0.80 to the US dollar, against a peg of CI$0.8333, so paying cash in US dollars costs you about 4%. Small on a bus fare. Not small across a week.
Finding the right bus
The depot is at 68 Edward Street, George Town. Routes are marked by a number inside a coloured circle, so you are looking for a numbered circle rather than a destination board. Eight routes exist on the islands and seven of them are active.
Taxis, and the number I am not printing
Taxis on Grand Cayman are not metered. They operate on a dispatch basis, with rates decided using an approved fare table. I have seen plenty of pages quote a confident dollar figure for the ride from the terminals to Seven Mile Beach. I have no fare table I can cite, so I am not quoting one, in either currency. Agree the fare before you get in, and be clear with the driver which dollar you are both talking about.
For distance: Cruise Critic puts Seven Mile Beach at about ten minutes from the terminals by vehicle. That is a driving time from the source, and I am not converting it into a walking time.
Car hire
This page does not cover car hire, and the reason is that the two things you would actually need to know are not sourced here: which side of the road traffic uses, and whether a visitor needs a local driving permit. Both are widely asserted online. Neither is confirmed in my source set, and a wrong answer to either is not a small mistake in a hire car.
The option that ignores the timetable
A boat trip that collects you does not care what day it is. The trips on this site run between two and a half and five hours, and several handle the transfer themselves. That is a real argument for booking one on a Sunday call rather than a Tuesday one.
Compare all seven on the all-tours page, or work out the group-size sum on shared boat or private charter.
Frequently asked questions
Does the bus run on Sunday in Grand Cayman?
No. The public bus does not run on Sundays or public holidays. It runs 6:00am to 7:00pm Monday to Saturday from the depot at 68 Edward Street, George Town. Cruise ships do call on Sundays, so check the day before you plan around the bus.
How much is the bus in Grand Cayman?
The typical fare is CI$2, which is US$2.40 at the pegged rate of CI$1 = US$1.20. Beyond Hutland Road, towards Rum Point and Cayman Kai, it goes up to as much as CI$5, which is US$6.00.
Are taxis in Grand Cayman metered?
No. Taxis operate on a dispatch basis with rates decided using an approved fare table. This site has no fare table it can cite, so it quotes no taxi fare in either currency. Agree the fare, and the currency, before you set off.