The 7 things to do in the Bahamas

Are you flying to the Bahamas? What a chance! Here is our selection of the 6 essential things to do in this tropical pearl!

The Bahamas, a coral archipelago located north of the Caribbean Sea, is an English-speaking country composed of 700 islands halfway between Cuba Haiti and Florida. Tropical Paradise – and tax haven – discovered for the first time by Christopher Columbus, occupied by the Spanish and British, the enlivened history of the Bahamas is enamelled with battles, struggles against slavery and colonizations. With a total population of 395,361 (2017) spread over 700 islands and 260,000 km2, the population density is very low (24 hab./km2).

What to do in the Bahamas? You will not be bored: heavenly beaches, diving spots, treks in the middle of nature, beaches and cities where to party and meet the locals, beautiful natural landscapes associated with the Bahamas cuisine, the waters heated by the Gulf Stream and the tropical climate, will sublimate your trip!

If you are looking for a place to sleep in the Bahamas or even a place to sleep, read the information that will follow on the must-sees to visit the Bahamas.

1. Nassau

Nassau , the capital of the country, is also the commercial and cultural lung and the largest city with 266,100 inhabitants (2017), and represents almost the entire area of the island of New Providence. The city centre – downtown and Downtown Nassau – and Paradise Island, right across the street, offer most of the things to do in the city. What we see first is that people continue to live, as in many island countries, quietly at the pace of the sun and the sea.

The city centre is very frequented by tourists who have recently landed from the ferry. To visit Nassau: Fort Montagu (18th century) – if you like history -, Rawson Square and Parliament Square, the enclosure of the Supreme Court of the Bahamas, historic buildings of colonial architecture. Take the Queen’s Staircase, a shady staircase leading to Fort Fincastle. In particular, you can enjoy these monuments with a sandstone gourmet walk which will make you discover the local specialties!

2. Paradise Island

The island of New Paradise, in front of Nassau, is worldwide known to house countless Duty Free boutiques – zero-taxed – attracting thousands of tourists. If you love history and culture, go to the historical museum of the Bahamas society. Well, one. excursion to Paradise Island – and its Atlantis tourist complex – is a must. Numerous bars, hotels where to sleep in Nassau sit the streets of the city.

3. Eleuthera and Harbour Island

Want to see dream beaches to visit the Bahamas? Eleuthera is one of the most emblematic and essential islands in the Bahamas. Enjoy it to first see the Glass Window Bridge , “glass bridge”, a magical natural bridge between the Atlantic in deep blue and the bay and its turquoise waters.

To the south, go to Surfer’s Beach see the cave of Hatchet Bay, a cavity of about 1.5 kilometers long, full of stalactites and stalagmites. The city of Dunmore Town offers everything you need to stay on Eleuthera, including shops, restaurants, bars and the splendid Pink Sands Beach – the beach of pink sand -, sometimes described as one of the most beautiful beaches of the Bahamas, spread over 5 kilometers. Its unusual colour comes from foraminifers, microscopic coral insects to the pink shell living in coral reefs.

There are also hotels to sleep in Harbour Island. Beach side, the French Leave Beach , with its vast expanse of fine sand, is one of the most beautiful, located just outside the port of governor. For a real postcard image, go to Ben Bay Beach , to the extreme north of the island, in a year of the Atlantic Ocean.

4. Great Harbour Cay

Here, one word of order: tranquility. Peaceful atmosphere guaranteed indeed on Great Harbour Cay , Peuplée of 353 inhabitants (2010) only, this is the perfect place to feel like a cut off from the world: Sugar Cave, Bardot Beach, Shark Creek (where to observe sharks, rays and sea turtles), Shelling Beach, are the immanquables of the island. Bullock Harbour is the main village of the island, where there are hotels where to stay, bars and restaurants and shops.

5. The Exuma Islands

After the sublime lagoons and warm and peaceful waters, what else do we do in the Bahamas? Great Exuma and Little Exuma both of the islands connected by a bridge are essential. A few historical sites are there, including the statue of Pompey at Stevenson, a man who initiated rebellion against the slavery of Europeans.

South of Great Exuma, Man-o-War cay is one of the most beautiful islets where to stroll in the blue lagoons. A detour Stocking Island is a must for all tourists coming to visit the Bahamas: it is a long and narrow strip of land off the port of Georgetown, sheltering some seaside resorts and, as often on the archipelago, a rather low urbanization. On the south, on Little Exuma, you can lie down exactly on the Tropic line of Cancer, at its homonymous beach, you can’t look pretty and romantic.

6. Long Island

Visit the Bahamas without going to Long Island to see Dean's Blue Trou – Dean’s Blue Hole – would be a pity: it is a 202-metre deep hole located west of Clarence Town Bay. With its cliffs, vegetation and colours, one would almost look on one of the Greek islands. With a diameter of 25 to 35 meters, it is the second deepest in the world after the Dragon Trou (Southern China). Another must in this island: Cape Santa Maria . Again, you will reach a beautiful beach with its pure white sand and crystalline water.

7. A boat ride

To make the most of the archipelago and its crystal clear waters, what better than a boat ride?

Indeed, rent a boat you will enjoy breathtaking views, between cliffs and coves loved in a heavenly setting.

Also, having your own small boat gives you the choice to stop where you like to explore the rich seabed all around the island. An unforgettable experience to live with family or friends!

How to get to the Bahamas?

Two international airports serve the cities of the Bahamas: Nassau Lynden Pindling Airport, linking international flights to the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe – only London with British Airways – and Central America. Almost all islands have a small airport to carry out internal flights from Nassau: it is almost always necessary to iron by Nassau to go from one island to another.

Grand Bahama Airport is primarily serving the United States and Europe (Milan, Paris) and Canada (Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg). To find a flight at the best price, visit our partner's website Ulysses which enjoys great flexibility in terms of choice.

Rapid catamarans Bahamas Ferries These include links between the islands, from Nassau, serving Eleuthera, Andros and Great Exuma.

Where to stay in the Bahamas?

For staying in the Bahamas , it is the hotel that overclasses the whole offer of accommodation: the campsite is forbidden, the non-existent hostels, the guesthouses absent or almost. So you will have to go to luxury hotels that are often more expensive in Nassau, Freeport, Cat Island and Long Island: you will find them at the best price on this Compare hotels .

Otherwise, you can try the accommodation at home, in the villas and apartment when the owners offer their property for rent on Airbnb .