Nassau travel guide

Nassau, Bahamas

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Nassau

Introduction

Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas and its largest city, sitting on the island of New Providence. It dominates the country to an unusual degree, serving as the centre of commerce, education, law, administration, and media, and dwarfing every other town in the Bahamas.

Because so much of Bahamian life is concentrated here, Nassau is where the country's institutions, business and culture come together. Expect a capital that functions as the national hub rather than one stop among many.

Before you go

Nassau sits slightly north of the tropics, so expect warm weather all year round. Rain varies a lot by season: December to April are the driest months, while the wettest stretch lines up with the Northern Hemisphere summer. Plan your days around that split rather than assuming constant sunshine.

Before you arrive, it helps to know how the city is laid out and what to watch for. Bay Street runs parallel to the shore and is the main shopping street, mixing expensive jewellery boutiques with souvenir shops. The hill behind it holds most government buildings and company headquarters, and the residential Over-the-Hill district begins on the far side. That area is the poorest part of Nassau, so take care there. Some criminals target restaurants and nightclubs popular with visitors, often by offering a ride as a "personal favour" or by posing as a taxi before robbing or assaulting passengers, so ride only in licensed taxis with yellow licence plates. Be wary of touts pushing jet-skiing or booze cruise excursions, and of locals offering marijuana, hairbraiding or a taxi ride; a friendly "no, thank you" and moving on works well. Most Cuban cigars sold here are counterfeit, so buy only from reputable dedicated tobacconists.

Getting there

Most visitors reach Nassau by air, arriving at Lynden Pindling International Airport, the country's largest. Major U.S. airlines fly here, and there is also some service from Toronto and London. Private and charter aircraft are handled by fixed base operators such as Executive Flight Services and Odyssey Aviation, with air taxi and charter companies like Jetset Charter and Monarch Air Group flying everything from luxury Gulfstreams to economical piston twins for small groups and individuals.

The airport has seen better days, though free drinks occasionally served on arrival and a live band in the Immigration hall help set the tone. A list of fixed taxi fares is posted at the exit, and it is roughly ten miles to most hotels in central Nassau. No public transport serves the airport; to take the bus you must walk out to John F Kennedy Drive, cross the road, and flag down the 12B into the city center, which runs about every half hour. On departure, note the three terminal concourses: domestic and charter flights, flights to the US, and other international flights. US Immigration and Customs preclearance can be very time-consuming, so arrive at least two hours before your flight; security for other destinations is considerably more laid back, and an hour should suffice.

By sea, Nassau is a favorite port of call for cruise ships, with up to seven able to dock at the Prince George Wharf Cruise Terminal next to downtown. For island-hopping within The Bahamas, Bahamas Ferries runs several sailings each week to Nassau from most other islands.

Getting around

Downtown Nassau is compact enough to explore on foot, with short distances between Bay Street, the harbourfront and the historic core — a walking tour is a pleasant way to see it. For anywhere further out, minibuses (locally known as jitneys) are the inexpensive workhorse of local travel. They are found on and near Bay Street: the #10 to Cable Beach loads on George & Bay Streets, in front of McDonald's and across from the British Colonial Hilton, while other jitneys pick up on Charlotte & Bay Streets. Routes can be complex — destinations are often painted on the buses, but there is no standard, so ask around for yours. A bus typically waits until it is full before departing, payment goes to the driver when you disembark, no change is given, and a round trip counts as two rides even if you never get off. Jitneys stop operating between 6 and 7PM, and there is no jitney to Paradise Island.

For Paradise Island, a water taxi is an alternative to a road taxi; it is picked up under the bridge and stops operating at 6PM. Taxis roam the streets, often minivans, identifiable by their yellow license plates and blackletter "Taxi" lettering. They have meters but usually refuse to use them, so agree on the fare in advance; expect the shortest trips from downtown to Cable Beach to be pricey, and note that fares from Paradise Island to Downtown are charged per person with a minimum. After the jitneys stop, taxis are effectively the only way back downtown. You can also rent a car — all major U.S. rental shops are in Nassau — and drivers from the UK will find the roads familiar, since Bahamian roads are left-hand drive with UK road signs and the odd roundabout. Scooter rental is popular; bicycle rental is not recommended, as traffic is bad, the old streets have many blind corners, and cars drive recklessly on the left.

Where to stay

Most of Nassau's hotels sit outside the city core, on Paradise Island or Cable Beach, so decide first whether you want to be downtown or on a resort strip. If you'd rather be in the middle of things, the British Colonial Nassau on One Bay Street puts you right downtown among Bay Street's shopping, and it occupies the site of a historical landmark, Fort Nassau. It caters more to business travellers than package tourists, has its own private beach, and from that beach you get a fine view of the cruise ships coming into, leaving, and berthed at the docks. Also downtown are the Graycliff Hotel on West Hill Street and the Towne Hotel on George Street, the latter a slightly cheaper option.

For a resort stay, the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar sits on Cable Beach and includes the Baha Mar Casino along with the ESPA Baha Mar spa. If you're watching your budget, a cottage-style option is the Sunrise Oceanfront Cottage at Eastern Point, reached by taking Eastern Road east past the Prince Charles Drive T-junction, with the beach on your left; after the third house on your left, turn left and the yellow cottage sits straight ahead on the ocean.

Food & drink

To eat well in Nassau, leave the hotel behind. Downtown holes-in-the-wall serve greasy fish with sides and desserts, while upscale waterside seafood restaurants make it easy to splurge on an excellent piece of lobster. If you've had enough conch, international chains and Chinese restaurants are mixed in for budget diners. For a mid-range option away from the tourist crowds, take a taxi to The Shoal Restaurant and Lounge on Nassau Street, where locals eat; expect fish that falls off the bone, friendly service, and a guava dessert. At the splurge end, Cafe Matisse on Bank Lane behind Parliament Square serves excellent Italian food with fresh local ingredients, with a shady garden courtyard that's lit up at night; reservations are recommended and proper dress (no shorts or sandals) is required for dinner.

Nassau's club scene is nightly and rowdy. Señor Frogs sits next to the cruise dock beside a sewer pipe, so check the wind before you order — and note it doesn't serve Kalik. Club Waterloo is on East Bay Street on the north side of the island, about two miles from the dock. Cocktails and Dreams on West Bay Street is on the beach but draws a sketchier crowd, so come in a group. Club Fluid draws a very local crowd and isn't a tourist club at all. Cover charges add up, and major hotels sell passes that reduce them; weekend charges climb higher, so getting a pass from your taxi driver or hotel desk is a good idea. An all-inclusive entertainment pass comes with a schedule you'll follow alongside thousands of other students — worth picking up even if you don't participate, to know which places to avoid on certain nights. Drinks in clubs can get expensive, so many locals drink up before going out or gather in parking lots with a cooler. Expect to pay for a beer and more for a cocktail, but rum is the exception: cheap, plentiful, and strong in cocktails.

What to see and do

Start your exploring on foot in Old Town, where abandoned buildings sit alongside bright Caribbean structures. It does not take long to leave the over-scrubbed tourist core behind, and a ten-minute walk uphill brings you to the pink Parliament House, with a statue of an enthroned Queen Victoria out front. From there you can climb the Queen's Staircase, a 66-step flight named after Queen Victoria, or head to Bennet's Hill to see Fort Fincastle, a small fort built in 1793 that overlooks the city from a hill south of town and displays several cannons.

Bus tours are an easy way to get oriented: they drive you around while telling you about the local government and points of interest, and they stop at old forts and at Paradise Island, where you can see the famous Atlantis hotel resort and its aquarium. If you would rather play than ride, the best-known golf course is Royal Blue GC at Baha Mar, at the east end of the city, designed by Jack Nicklaus.

When to go

Nassau has a warm tropical monsoon climate, and the timing of your visit largely determines how much rain you'll encounter. The pronounced dry season runs from December to April, when rainy days are infrequent — only about six to eight per month — and temperatures stay warm. This is a comfortable stretch for time outdoors and at the beaches.

The rainiest time of year falls in the Northern Hemisphere summer, when rain is heaviest and rainy days are most frequent. Expect frequent wet spells alongside the year-round warmth if you travel then.

Three days in Nassau

Day one: Arrive at Lynden Pindling International Airport on New Providence, where you clear Bahamian immigration and, if you are flying in from the US, US Immigration and Customs. Private and executive flights are handled by operators such as Executive Flight Services, Odyssey Aviation, Jetset Charter, Monarch Air Group and Gulfstreams. From the airport, head into Nassau and get your bearings along Bay Street, the main thoroughfare, before exploring Over the Hill, the neighbourhood that lies behind it.

Day two: Expect rain between December and April, when the Bahamas sits in the Northern Hemisphere's cooler months, so plan around the showers. Some of the most Cuban influences in Nassau can be found in its food and music, so spend the day sampling Bahamian cooking and listening to local sounds. Be sure to walk Bay Street and Over the Hill again at a slower pace.

Day three: Most visitors fly in from major cities such as Toronto, London and US hubs, so use your last day to revisit what you enjoyed most. Because Nassau and New Providence are compact, you can move easily between Bay Street and Over the Hill. Before you leave, allow time at the airport for immigration and customs formalities.

About this place