Nassau

Best things to do in Nassau

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   1. Exuma and the swimming pigs of Pig Beach

   • A full day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Couples

   Exuma is a district of over 365 islands and cays. Pig Beach, on uninhabited Big Major Cay, is home to a colony of wild pigs known as the Bahamas' swimming pigs, and has become a tourist attraction. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park protects mangroves and scrub from Shroud Cay to Bell Cay.

   The sources read do not say how to get there from Nassau or how long it takes; check with a tour operator or airline. Do not feed wild animals unless the operator says it is allowed.

   13,845 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Exuma
   • Wikipedia, Pig Beach
   • Wikipedia, Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

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   2. Paradise Island and Aquaventure

   • Half a day to a full day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Adults

   A 277-hectare island just off Nassau, linked to New Providence by two bridges and once called Hog Island. It is best known for the Atlantis resort, built around the Aquaventure waterscape, with water park rides, pools, a beach, a walk-in aquarium and casinos.

   Atlantis is a hotel resort. The sources read do not say what non-guests can use or what it costs; check with the resort before you go.

   9,533 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Paradise Island
   • Wikipedia, Atlantis Paradise Island

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   3. Junkanoo

   • A few hours
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Couples
   • No car needed

   A masquerade festival with drumming, dance and parades that began under slavery in British colonies. In the Bahamas it has grown into a formal parade with elaborate costumes, themed music and prizes in several categories.

   The sources read give no parade dates or viewing arrangements for Nassau; check with the Bahamas tourism office or your hotel before planning around it.

   5,505 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Junkanoo

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   4. Queen's Staircase and Fort Fincastle

   • 1 to 2 hours
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • No car needed
   • Active

   The Queen's Staircase has 65 steps, originally 66, cut from solid limestone in 1793 and 1794 by about 600 enslaved people to give a direct route to Fort Fincastle. The fort, shaped like a paddle steamer, was built in 1793 by Lord Dunmore on a hill overlooking Nassau and Paradise Island.

   The sources read do not give opening hours or entry rules for the fort; check locally.

   1,486 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Queen's Staircase
   • Wikipedia, Fort Fincastle (The Bahamas)

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   5. Blue Lagoon Island

   • Half a day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families

   A private island about 5 km from Nassau that serves as a local tourist attraction.

   The sources read give no details on what is offered, how to get there or booking; check with an operator.

   753 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Blue Lagoon Island

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   6. Rose Island

   • Half a day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Couples

   A small island 5 km east of Paradise Island with no roads or formal residential infrastructure and a shallow inland lagoon. Swimming pigs live there, and its coast was a filming location for the Vulcan bomber crash-landing in the 1965 film Thunderball.

   The sources read do not say how to reach the island or whether tours run; check with an operator.

   724 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Rose Island, Bahamas

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   7. Fort Charlotte

   • 1 to 2 hours
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • No car needed

   A British colonial fort on a hill overlooking Nassau harbour, built in the late 18th century by Governor Lord Dunmore after the American Revolutionary War. It sits a short walk west of downtown and the cruise ship terminal, and has never been used in battle.

   The sources read do not give opening hours or entry rules; check locally.

   532 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Fort Charlotte (Nassau)

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   8. Cable Beach

   • Half a day
   • No booking needed
   • Families
   • Couples

   A 2.5-mile beach and resort area on the north coast of New Providence Island, west of Nassau.

   441 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Cable Beach, Bahamas

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   9. Government House

   • About 1 hour
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • No car needed

   The official residence of the Bahamas' governor-general, on Duke Street in Nassau. Completed in 1806 on Mount Fitzwilliam, it is described as the islands' foremost example of Georgian Colonial architecture, with a conch-pink exterior.

   It is a working official residence; the sources read do not say whether or when visitors are admitted, so check before you go.

   254 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Government House, Nassau

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    10. Clifton Heritage National Park

    • 2 to 3 hours
    • Check entry rules before you go
    • Families
    • Active

    A 208-acre national park on the western end of New Providence Island, protected in June 2004 and open to the public since April 2009. It is notable as a tribute to the cultural history of the Bahamas.

    The sources read give no opening hours or entry details; check with the Clifton Heritage Authority.

    105 readers a month

    Sources

    • Wikipedia, Clifton Heritage National Park

Just missed the list: Bay Street (11th by readers; Nassau's main street for business and tourism); National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (12th by readers; Nassau art museum)