Bahamas travel guide
The Bahamas is an archipelago of hundreds of low islands and cays in the Atlantic, south-east of Florida, surrounded by some of the clearest, shallowest turquoise water in the world. Nassau is busy and close to big resorts, while the Out Islands are quiet, with small settlements and empty beaches. It suits beach holidays, boating, diving and fishing.
Places worth the trip
Nassau and Paradise Island
The capital on New Providence has pastel colonial buildings, Fort Charlotte, the Queen's Staircase cut into limestone, and a busy harbour. Paradise Island, across a bridge, is home to large resorts and Cabbage Beach.
The Exumas
A chain of more than 300 cays and islands with sandbars, turquoise channels and the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. Boat trips visit Thunderball Grotto, an underwater cave, and the famous swimming pigs.
Eleuthera and Harbour Island
Eleuthera is a long, narrow island with pink-sand beaches and the Glass Window Bridge, where the dark Atlantic meets the calm turquoise bight. Harbour Island has a pink-sand beach and colourful clapboard houses in Dunmore Town.
Andros
The largest island is mostly wild, with pine forest, mangroves and inland blue holes. Offshore, a long barrier reef offers diving and some of the best bonefishing in the world.
The Abacos
A boating paradise of cays and settlements in the north, with the red-and-white striped lighthouse at Hope Town on Elbow Cay, one of the last kerosene-burning lighthouses in the world.
Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island
One of the deepest known blue holes, a near-circular sinkhole dropping around 200 metres beside a sandy beach. It is a centre for freediving and good for snorkelling at the edge.
Bimini
The closest islands to Florida, known for sport fishing, diving on reefs and wrecks, and associations with Ernest Hemingway.
Interesting facts about Bahamas
- Christopher Columbus's first landfall in the Americas in 1492 is believed to have been in the Bahamas, most likely on San Salvador.
- Only a small fraction of the archipelago's hundreds of islands and thousands of cays are inhabited.
- The Bahamian dollar is pegged one-to-one with the US dollar, and both are used interchangeably.
- Junkanoo, a street parade with costumes, cowbells, goatskin drums and brass, is held on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
- The Bahamas lies in the Atlantic Ocean, not the Caribbean Sea, though it is usually grouped with the Caribbean.
Best time to visit Bahamas
The dry season from mid-December to April has the most pleasant weather and is the busiest. May and June are warmer and quieter. Hurricane season runs from June to November, with the greatest risk from August to October, and some Out Island businesses close in September and October. Water temperatures are warm enough for swimming all year, though winter cold fronts can bring cooler, windier days.
Getting around
Domestic flights and mail boats link Nassau with the Out Islands, and fast ferries run to several islands such as Eleuthera and Harbour Island. On New Providence, jitneys (minibuses) serve the main routes during the day, and taxis are widely available. On larger Out Islands, a rental car is often needed, while small cays are explored on foot, by golf cart or by boat. Driving is on the left.
Practical details
- Capital
- Nassau
- Currency
- Bahamian dollar (BSD); US dollars accepted everywhere
- Languages
- English
- Plug types
- A, B
- Voltage
- 120 V, 60 Hz
- Emergency
- 911 or 919
- Driving side
- left
- Tipping
- Around 15 per cent in restaurants is usual, and many add a gratuity to the bill, so check before tipping. Tip taxi drivers, guides and boat crews.
Staying online in Bahamas
Mobile coverage is good on New Providence and Grand Bahama and in the main settlements of the populated Out Islands. Away from settlements, and on many smaller cays, coverage is patchy or absent, and on boat trips between islands it can disappear for long stretches. Wi-Fi is standard in hotels and common in restaurants in Nassau but can be slower on remote islands. Download offline maps, install an eSIM before you fly and switch it on when you land.
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Useful apps
- Google Maps: Driving directions and offline maps for the Out Islands where signal is limited.
- WhatsApp: Widely used to arrange taxis, boat trips and guesthouse check-ins.
- Windy: Wind, wave and weather forecasts, useful before boat trips and during hurricane season.
Bahamas travel FAQs
Nassau and Paradise Island suit travellers wanting resorts and nightlife. For quieter beaches and boating, choose the Exumas, Eleuthera or the Abacos. Andros is best for diving and fishing.
Yes, modern phones work on local networks in populated areas. Coverage thins out on remote cays and at sea. A travel eSIM gives you local data on arrival without high roaming fees.
No. US dollars are accepted everywhere at the same value, and cards work in hotels and most restaurants. Carry some cash for the Out Islands, where card acceptance can be limited.
Yes. Boat trips from Great Exuma and Nassau visit the pigs at Big Major Cay. Follow your guide's instructions and avoid feeding them unsuitable food.