Best Things to Do in Nassau, Bahamas

Nassau sits on New Providence Island, the most densely populated of the 700 Bahamian islands. The things to do in Nassau are split between the city and the wider Bahamas archipelago accessible by day trip. The city itself: Parliament Square (the British colonial parliament buildings, painted pink); the Queen’s Staircase (66 steps carved from limestone by enslaved workers in the 1790s); the Pompey Museum of Slavery (documenting the history of Bahamian slavery and emancipation); Fort Charlotte on the western headland; and Nassau’s straw market. Atlantis Paradise Island, across the short bridge from Nassau, is one of the world’s largest water park and resort complexes, with waterslides, an aquarium, a casino, and a marine habitat. But the most extraordinary experiences from Nassau require day trips by plane or fast boat. The Exumas: a 120-island chain 60 km south of Nassau with some of the clearest, most colorful water in the world; the swimming pigs of Big Major Cay (uninhabited island where feral pigs swim out to meet arriving boats) have become one of the Caribbean’s most photographed attractions; Thunderball Grotto (a sea cave where James Bond films were shot) has excellent snorkeling; iguanas can be fed at Allen’s Cay. Bahamas blue holes: Dean’s Blue Hole in Long Island is the world’s deepest known blue hole at 202m depth, a world-famous free-diving location.

Best time to visit

November through April is the best time: dry, warm (22-28°C), and the least humid. The hurricane season (June through November, peak August-October) warrants travel insurance. December-January is peak season; February-April offers warm weather with slightly fewer crowds. The Junkanoo Festival (December 26 and January 1) is Nassau’s most celebrated cultural event, a street parade of elaborate costumes, goatskin drums, cowbells, and brass instruments that runs through the night into dawn.

Getting around

Lynden Pindling International Airport, 16 km west of downtown Nassau, has connections from major US cities (Miami, New York, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale), Canada, and the UK. Within Nassau, taxis and jitneys (public buses) serve the main routes. Atlantis is a 10-minute taxi ride via the Paradise Island Bridge. For the Exumas, charter flights (25 minutes from Nassau to Staniel Cay) or speedboat tours (2.5-3 hours from Nassau to the swimming pigs) are the options.