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Recommended Tours
Welcome to New Providence Island, known to the world as simply Nassau/Paradise Island. Touring can take several forms here depending on your interests and physical predilections. Whether you prefer a self-guided tour or to join up with an organized tour group, taking in the city of Nassau is pure pleasure. It offers colorful local shopping, fascinating examples of colonial architecture, museums, culture and history all within easy touring range. Most tours originate from Port George Wharf near the cruise ship area. The wharf area is a wonderful place to get your first "feel" of Nassau—it's where over a million visiting cruise-ship passengers disembark yearly.
Downtown Nassau
Consider the downtown district in and around Bay Street, recently refurbished and beautified. It's the main avenue that runs along Nassau Harbour's south end and goes to the Government House, Junkanoo Museum,
The Bahamas
Don't miss the 200-year old Queen's Staircase, constructed by slaves who hand-carved each of the 66 steps out of limestone rock indigenous to the island. It leads to Bennet's Hill and famous Fort Fincastle and Water Tower, raised in 1793 to protect the city. The water tower presides as the highest point in Nassau, at 126 feet itself and 200 feet above sea level overall. Don't forget a camera, perhaps with a zoom lens, because the vista from the fort is remarkable. The Pompey Museum at Cumberland at Marlborough pays tribute to those who were victimized during the slave trade of the 1700s. It's named for a rebel slave who called the Bahamas home in the 1830s. It was the site of slave auctions and used to be called the Vendue House.
Cumberland and Marlborough is where you'll find the
Paradise Island
Speaking of Paradise, do take the trek across the bridge from Nassau to Paradise Island. It houses the world's largest aquarium, a championship golf course, casino, oodles of restaurants, resort and a world-class marina (accommodating yachts up to 200 feet). This is where you'll find Cable Beach, the famous two-mile stretch.
Day Tours
Of the 700 islands which make up The Bahama Islands, only about 30 are inhabited. Book an island-hopper flight or a day cruise to Abacos with its pristine waters, the Biminis (which are world-renown for game fishing), Eleuthera with its dramatic cliffs and pink sand, or to the largely undiscovered Exeumas.
Harbour Island Day Trip
For an unforgettable day, take the
While Bahamas Fast Ferries offers a one-day tour package for USD150, many people decide to use the boat as an alternative to air travel. For a slightly lower price, you can skip the tour and the lunch, and head off to a hotel or a tour of your own devising. Return on the ferry a few days later. Or if, one day of pink sand and pink government buildings is enough, hop on the boat at dusk and be back in Nassau in time for dinner.
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