Beautifully landscaped Par-la-Ville Park (open 8 a.m.–sunset daily, admission free) is the city’s best used green space, popular with office workers for outdoor lunches in the spring and fall (summer’s torpid heat and humidity tend to discourage anyone wearing a suit from leaving the comfort of air-conditioning for more than a few minutes).

Mosaic pathways lead through the oasis, connecting Queen Street with Par-la-Ville Road, which lies parallel to the west (there’s a delightful moongate entrance on this side). A third entrance/exit runs through the Par-la-Ville carpark from Church Street to the north. Rock gardens, flower beds, trellises, pergolas, and shady mature trees can be found throughout, as well as wooden benches.

Par-la-Ville Park was once the private garden of the Perot family. The merchant William Perot’s son, William Bennet Perot, served as the island’s postmaster from 1818 to 1862. He designed Bermuda’s first stamp, the circular Perot stamp, of which there are only 11 in the world today.

Visit the quaint Perot Post Office (11 Queen St., tel. 441/292-9052, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri.), still a working post office on the park’s eastern border.