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Seven hundred islands, one shallow turquoise bank — and the water is the reason you came.
The Bahamas is an archipelago of some 700 islands and 2,400 cays scattered across 100,000 square miles of shallow, luminous sea southeast of Florida. Most visitors land in Nassau, the colonial-era capital on New Providence, where pastel government buildings and 18th-century forts sit a few streets from the cruise wharf. Beyond it lie the quieter Out Islands — the Exumas with their swimming pigs and sandbars, Harbour Island's pink sand, Andros and its barrier reef. It is an easy, English-speaking, US-dollar-friendly introduction to the Caribbean, and a country that rewards anyone who travels past the capital.
Bahamas in numbers
Plan your tripAttraction-by-attraction guides to 1 city in Bahamas, each one mapped.
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Arguably the best window of the year: reliably dry, warm without the summer humidity, and the sea has warmed back up for snorkelling. It overlaps with US spring break, so Nassau and Paradise Island get busy in March, but the Out Islands stay calm.
Hot, humid and increasingly wet, with short heavy afternoon showers rather than all-day rain. The sea is at its warmest and calmest for diving, and prices drop. This is also the opening of hurricane season, which runs June to November.
The quietest and cheapest season, and the riskiest — September and October are the statistical peak of hurricane season, and some Out Island hotels and restaurants close for part of it. Travel insurance matters more here than at any other time of year.
Peak season. Dry, sunny and pleasantly warm by day, cooler after dark, with occasional brisk northerly winds that can flatten boat trips for a day or two. Book flights, hotels and Exuma day trips well ahead, especially around Christmas and Junkanoo.
The easy introduction, and the one most flights suit. Base yourself once, see the historic capital on foot, and give a day each to a beach and a boat trip.
Pair the capital with the country's most beautiful water. A short flight or fast ferry south turns a city break into a proper Bahamas trip.
For a second visit, or anyone who wants the country rather than the capital. Distances are short but connections are not always daily, so build in slack.
Eight questions travellers ask before they go.
December to April is the dry, sunny high season, and March to May is the sweet spot — warm, reliably dry, and the sea has warmed for snorkelling. Summer is hotter and more humid with short afternoon showers, but cheaper and calmest for diving. Hurricane season runs June to November and peaks in September and October, which is when prices are lowest and the risk of disruption highest.
Three to four days is enough for Nassau and Paradise Island — the historic centre is compact and walkable, leaving time for a beach and one boat trip. A week lets you add the Exumas or Grand Bahama. Two weeks is the point at which real island-hopping through the Out Islands becomes comfortable rather than rushed, since inter-island flights and ferries do not always run daily.
Not in Nassau. The historic core is walkable from the cruise wharf, taxis run on fixed zone fares, and shared jitney minibuses cover the main roads cheaply. On the smaller islands a golf cart is usually the practical choice, and on a few of them it is the only one. If you do rent a car, note that the Bahamas drives on the left even though most vehicles are left-hand-drive imports from the US.
Water, above all — the shallow banks around the islands produce the vivid turquoise the country is famous for. Beyond that: 700 islands and world-class diving and snorkelling, the swimming pigs of the Exumas, pink-sand beaches on Harbour Island, Junkanoo (the exuberant street parade held on Boxing Day and New Year's Day), and Nassau's history as the capital of the pirate republic in the early 1700s.
Yes. English is the official language and is spoken universally, a legacy of British rule that lasted until independence in 1973. You will also hear Bahamian Creole, a distinctive local dialect, in everyday conversation between Bahamians, and Haitian Creole within the country's Haitian community.
The Bahamian dollar (BSD), which is pegged one-to-one with the US dollar. US dollars are accepted essentially everywhere and are often given as change interchangeably with Bahamian notes, so there is no need to exchange money before you travel. Cards are widely accepted in Nassau and the resorts, but carry cash for the Out Islands, small vendors, the Fish Fry and taxi fares.
Conch is the national ingredient — try it as cracked conch (battered and fried), in a fiery raw conch salad chopped to order with citrus and peppers, or as conch fritters. Alongside it: Bahamian rock lobster in season, fresh grouper and snapper, peas 'n' rice, johnnycake, and guava duff for dessert. Wash it down with a Kalik or Sands beer, or a rum punch. The best place to eat all of it in Nassau is the Fish Fry at Arawak Cay.
Beaches, boating, snorkelling and island-hopping.
