Most visitors to the Bahamas envision deserted white sand beaches and azure waters, and indeed, the island nation has plenty of that. But it also has Nassau, the capital and largest city, where approximately 250,000 residents (about 60% of the country) live.

In addition, at any given time there might be 40-50,000 tourists in Nassau, split between day trippers on a cruise ship at one of the Caribbean’s busiest cruise ports and guests at the resorts around the city. The odds are that if you are reading this, you intend to be one of those.

I personally spent more than two full weeks in Nassau, trying to figure out what makes this city tick and what there is to do, see, eat, and learn. Those things are distilled in this guide.

So whether you have a single day in Nassau on your cruise itinerary, or a longer stay, this guide will endeavor to help you plan your time to maximize the good things about the city and avoid those things you might not like. There are links spread throughout that will take you to more detailed articles about specific aspects of the city and country, so I suggest clicking on any that interest you.

And if you like this guide, please click here to see our Ultimate Guides from all around the world!

Getting There

You’ll come to Nassau in one of two ways: by air or by sea. For those flying in, the airport is about a half hour (more with rush hour traffic) from the city center, and another fifteen from there to Paradise Island if that is where you’re staying. Cabs are available, or you can organize pickup prior via private transfer. Rideshare apps are not a thing here. A taxi will run about $40 to the city, with an upcharge to Paradise Island as it is a toll bridge to cross.

Direct flights come from as far as Europe, but U.S. carriers have offerings from East Coast hubs. I flew direct from Los Angeles on Alaska, which offers that twice a week (and from Seattle), so you may get lucky not to have to change.

If you arrive by cruise ship, the terminal is right in the middle of downtown Nassau, so pretty much anything you’d want to do is within a fifteen minute walk once you make your way from your ship off the pier. With five or more ships lined up, that might be a bit of a shlep if you are the furthest one out.

Getting Around

Within downtown Nassau, you will almost certainly walk. From the cruise terminal to Fish Fry (about as far as the main parts of the city center go) is roughly fifteen minutes on foot over decent sidewalks, and unless you want to go up to Fort Fincastle, mainly flat.

However, if you want to do more than that, transportation can be an issue. As mentioned, there is no ride share in the Bahamas. There are taxis, especially downtown during the day while ships are in port; you’ll be asked if you want a taxi if you are walking around. But those can be expensive to do more than just get back to the ship or your hotel. There is a bus system with mini-buses called jitneys. Those are $1.25, and one just has to wave at one when one sees it to get it to stop. There is no exact published schedule.

If you want to leave Nassau to explore more of New Providence island, you’re best off renting a car or ATV for the day.

What to Do

I’ll get to the longer list of things to do and see in Nassau in a moment. But I want to start with a brief “what to do with just a few hours” segment for the cruise ship passengers. If you ask me what to do with just one partial day, it is this:

Walk west from the cruise terminal. Pass Junkanoo Beach (don’t stop except to look) and head to the less crowded area Google Maps labels as “Locals Beach.” Rent a beach chair and enjoy. When you get hungry, walk two more minutes west to Fish Fry. Pick a spot; it doesn’t matter which really. Order conch fritters and a Bahama Mama. Then, full, make your way back toward the cruise terminal.

It seems overly simple, but that is one great day in my opinion, one I lived multiple times.

If you have longer, or prefer something other than beach time (still eat at Fish Fry), here are a few more things.

Nassau has some interesting history, much of which can be experienced via museums. Pirates of Nassau is well done if you like Disney-esque scenes, but it also is a glimpse into real piracy here back in its golden age. (Click here to read about Nassau and pirates.) Or visit the Pompey Museum to learn the disturbing history of slavery in the Bahamas. (Click here to read more about that.)

If you prefer immersing in historical sites, Fort Fincastle and Fort Charlotte can both be visited. If you choose the much smaller Fincastle, go up or down via the awesome Queen’s Staircase. (Click here to read more about Nassau’s colonial history and the forts.)

I’d be remiss here if I didn’t talk about the most popular day trip or cruise excursion from Nassau: the swimming pigs. You can do this all over. It’s cute, but overrated in itself. If you have a longer day, you can choose to take a speedboat down to Exuma, which you can read about here.

Finally, Nassau is known for shopping, especially for jewelry. That’s not my thing, but if you like it, go nuts.

(And yes, food and drinks are a huge part of visiting anywhere, especially Nassau and Fish Fry or rum, but I’ll talk about those in a later category.)

Where to Stay

If you’re on a cruise, this is moot, so this section is just for those spending nights in Nassau. Nassau has roughly 11,000 hotel rooms, most of which are at large resorts. (Atlantis on Paradise Island has about 4,000 of those itself.) Large resorts can run upwards of $300 per night, so unless your goal is to have all of the amenities on site, it may or may not be worth it. After all, if you are out exploring and not lounging by the pool, you aren’t really getting the resort value.

There are smaller hotels in downtown Nassau, and some are of US chains. There are also independent hotels. Or you can stay at an Airbnb. There seem to be a cluster of them just west of downtown. (That is what I chose to do.)

Just be aware if you choose to stay somewhere a bit further outside of downtown, especially at an Airbnb, that there may not be a ton of things in your area as far as restaurants, coffee shops, groceries, or laundry facilities. For me, it was about half a mile to the nearest place to get coffee, and a good 35 minute walk to a full grocery store.

What to Eat

Well, I wrote a full article about Bahamian cuisine, which you can read here. But for the purposes of this guide, I’ll summarize.

The most famous ingredient here is conch. If you eat shellfish, try it. It comes as salad (basically a ceviche), fried, fritters, chowder, and more. It’s a bit chewy but rather tasty.

As far as other seafood goes, fried or grilled snapper is all over the place. Lobster, crab, and shrimp are all widely available. Just go to Fish Fry (a bit west of downtown) and see which restaurant menus look good to you.

If you want meat, jerk chicken and pork are fairly common. Try Sonia’s Jerk on the eastern end of Fish Fry.

If you are comfortable venturing a bit further west, try The New Duff for their guava duff, a steamed bun filled with guava and topped with guava butter. (I was here at least six time in two weeks; it’s that good.)

Of course, food is only half the game. You’ll want some rum cocktails. (Click here to read about Bahamian rum.) Try a Bahama Mama, the national drink, or enjoy sitting on the patio of John Watling’s Distillery for my favorite pina colada in Nassau.

Other Useful Information

Let’s talk money. The Bahamian dollar is tied 1:1 to the U.S. dollar. This means that basically everywhere accepts American currency. That’s awesome. But sometimes you’ll get change in Bahamian money. If you are only in the Bahamas for the day, ask nicely to see if they have American change.

Along the lines of money, many restaurants in Nassau do not take credit cards, so you’ll need plenty of cash. Gratuity is added in for dining in, at least normally. And everything here is subject to a 10% VAT. Just be aware.

If you are someone who dislikes crowds, you might want to avoid downtown Nassau during the daytime (9-4 or so) when so many cruise ships are in port. Those can add 20,000 or more tourists in a relatively small area, and it can be a bit overwhelming. (Click here to read more about that aspect of Nassau.)

Nassau is open carry as far as alcohol goes. And it’s a big part of the tourist vibe here, as is loud music. If you want a bit more quiet, go to the beach just west of Junkanoo, or even further.

If you go grocery shopping, you’ll notice that food is incredibly expensive. That is because everything is imported. Locals will even fly to Miami to go to Walmart to buy in bulk for cheaper.

Conclusion

In a bit over two weeks in Nassau, few things went as I had expected going in. The food was much better. The beaches in the city center were cleaner. There were many more tourists, and the entire city seems to cater to them. And so many more.

But I did enjoy it, and can recommend it as a destination. As long as you are aware of the crowds and that it is not a cheap place, it can be a lovely city to spend some time.

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