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◆ Country guide · Caribbean

The Bahamas, choose the island first

Three quarters of Bahamians live on one island, and most of the water people fly in for is nowhere near it. The first decision here is not the hotel. It is which of the roughly thirty inhabited islands the trip is actually about.

398K

People

700+

Islands

Region

Conch salad

Stew fish

Kalik

Best months

Dec–Apr

Ideal length

7–10 days

Budget / day

$150–350

Language

English

Getting around

Inter-island flights through Nassau

When to visit the Bahamas

A dry half the whole country is priced around, and a storm season to plan for.

Full month guide →

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Best: January, February and April, dry, clear and outside the storm calendar Peak: March and December, when spring break and the Christmas and Junkanoo weeks fill every room Good: May to July and November, warm water, lower rates and a storm season that has not sharpened yet Care: August to October, the peak of hurricane season, when some Family Island lodges close

Quick answer · which Bahamian island to pick

Pick by distance from Nassau. New Providence has the only real city, with Nassau's museums, Junkanoo and the big resorts. Grand Bahama is the short hop from Florida. Past those are the Family Islands. The Exumas have the swimming pigs and a no-fishing marine park, Harbour Island pink sand, The Abacos sailing, Andros blue holes and bonefish flats, and Inagua flamingos. A week does Nassau and one Family Island. A fortnight does three.

Jump toMap Fun fact Stereotypes Famous Bahamians Food FAQ

Fun fact

One number worth knowing

The Bahamas counted 398,165 residents at the 2022 census and welcomed 11.22 million visitors in 2024, roughly 28 for every resident. About 9.35 million came by cruise ship and 1.72 million by air, so the crowd on Bay Street is not the crowd anywhere else in the country.

Stereotypes, sorted out

What the cruise-ship day flattens, what the islands are actually like, and how to behave once you land.

"The Bahamas is in the Caribbean."

The realityGeographically it is not. The islands sit in the Atlantic, level with Miami. Winter fronts that cross Florida cross here too, so January nights get cool and the sea is colder than the photographs. Culturally it is West Indian and Commonwealth, independent since 10 July 1973.

"It is a cruise stop with a country attached."

The realityFor most arrivals it is. Of 11.22 million visitors in 2024, about 9.35 million came by ship, so most people have seen a few hours on Bay Street and a leased private cay. The Family Islands invert that. Harbour Island, Long Island, Andros and Inagua have no cruise berth at all.

"Everything is priced for a honeymoon."

The realityThe Nassau resort strip and Harbour Island are expensive, as is anything flown in. A guesthouse on Long Island, a hire car, fish from a Friday fry and a boat driver for a morning is an ordinary budget. The costs that bite sit between islands: flights through Nassau, charters, and VAT plus service.

"One island is much like another."

The realityThey are barely the same landscape. Andros runs more than 100 miles, mostly pine, mangrove and blue holes, with fewer than eight thousand people. Harbour Island is about three miles long and has a restaurant scene. Inagua is salt pans and flamingos. The Exumas are low cays with almost no interior.

Conch salad by the waterYou picked the wrong islandThe mailboat leaves sometimeGolf carts as the only trafficRake and scrape at the fish fryA cruise ship on the horizonBahamian or US dollars?

How to behave

Greet before you ask. Good morning or good afternoon comes first, and going straight to the question reads as rude in a way visitors rarely notice they are doing.
Say Family Islands. The older term, Out Islands, is still heard, but the newer one is what people use about their own home.
Cover up away from the beach. Swimwear in a shop, a bank or a restaurant is frowned on, and Sunday clothes are not a costume.
Sunday is quiet, and on the smaller islands it is closed. Church runs long, shops stay shut, and a self-catering plan needs Saturday shopping.
Junkanoo is not a show staged for visitors. It rushes at three in the morning on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, groups build for it all year, and it is judged. Watch it from the side and do not walk into it.
Ask where the conch came from. The fishery is under real pressure and the country has been debating export limits and a minimum shell-lip thickness for years, so a kitchen that can answer the question is the one worth choosing.

Famous Bahamian faces

The names behind Bahamian sprinting, guitar, painting and independence. Pick a field.

Sidney Poitier

First Black Best Actor winner, for Lilies of the Field in 1964. Raised on Cat Island.

Steven Gardiner

From Moore’s Island in the Abacos. World 400 metres champion in 2019, Olympic in Tokyo.

Deandre Ayton

Born and raised in Nassau, the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft.

Shaunae Miller-Uibo

Olympic 400 metres champion in Rio and Tokyo, and the first Bahamian with two solo golds.

Sir Lynden Pindling

First prime minister of independent Bahamas, 1973 to 1992, and the face of majority rule.

Joseph Spence

Andros guitarist whose humming style reshaped Bahamian folk and was studied by Ry Cooder.

Tonique Williams

Olympic 400 metres champion in 2004 and world champion in 2005.

Buddy Hield

Guard from Eight Mile Rock, sixth pick in the 2016 draft and a prolific three-point man.

Blind Blake

Blake Alphonso Higgs, star of goombay and calypso, called the father of Bahamian music.

Ronnie Butler

Five decades of rake-and-scrape and calypso made him the godfather of Bahamian music.

Baha Men

Junkanoo band formed in 1977 that won a Grammy with Who Let the Dogs Out.

Amos Ferguson

Painted Bible stories in house paint on cardboard. The grandfather of Bahamian art.

Sir Milo Butler

The first Bahamian governor-general, in 1973. His face is on the twenty dollar note.

Dame Ivy Dumont

Long Island teacher who became the first woman governor-general, from 2001 to 2005.

Must-try Bahamian food

Conch four ways, a broth for breakfast, macaroni you can slice, and a limeade on every table. Pick a category.

Conch salad

Raw conch diced with onion, pepper, tomato, lime and sour orange. Bahamian ceviche.

Stew fish

Fish stewed in a dark roux with onion, thyme, tomato and celery. Heavier, and eaten later.

Kalik

The Bahamian lager, named for the sound of Junkanoo cowbells.

Goombay smash

Rum, coconut rum and pineapple, invented in the Abacos, where it is still made best.

Cracked conch

The national dish. Conch pounded flat, battered and fried hard, with lime and hot sauce.

Conch fritters

Chopped conch in seasoned batter, fried, with a pink ketchup and lime dip. In every bar.

Scorched conch

Conch scored, dressed with citrus and pepper, served in its shell. All conch, no batter.

Bahamian rock lobster

Clawless spiny lobster, grilled or curried. A year-round menu ignores its closed season.

Boil fish

Grouper in clear broth with onion, potato, lime and bird pepper. Eaten at breakfast.

Crab and rice

Land crab cooked into rice with thyme and pepper. An Andros and Family Island dish.

Souse

Lime-sharp broth of chicken, sheep tongue or trotter. Saturday's hangover cure.

Baked macaroni

Baked firm enough to cut into a slab, and served as a block beside the fish.

Peas n’ rice

Pigeon peas cooked into rice with salt pork, thyme and tomato paste. The default plate.

Johnnycake

Dense, slightly sweet pan bread for boil fish and souse. Every island claims the best one.

Guava duff

Guava rolled in sweet dough, boiled into a spiral, served in butter and rum sauce.

Benny cake

Toasted sesame set in boiled sugar and cut into squares, sold from roadside jars.

Switcha

Bahamian limeade of lime, water, sugar and ice. On every table, and the midday drink.

Sky juice

Gin, coconut water, condensed milk and nutmeg, very cold. Easy to drink and not weak.

Know before you go

The essentials for planning a Bahamian trip: entry, money, the roads and moving between islands.

Currency

Bahamian dollar, pegged 1:1 to the US dollar

The Bahamian dollar trades at par with the US dollar, and both circulate. Spend Bahamian notes before leaving. Cards work in Nassau, Freeport and resorts. Small islands are often cash only.

Language

English

English is official. Day to day you will hear Bahamian dialect, an English-based creole with its own grammar and speed. Haitian Creole is common in New Providence and Abaco.

Entry

Passport, and no visa for most short visits

Most US, Canadian, UK and EU visitors enter visa-free for up to three months with a passport and onward ticket. Check the government's own pages. A digital immigration card is filed before travel.

Value added tax

10 percent on almost everything

VAT is 10 percent since 1 January 2022, on rooms, meals, tours and most goods, often quoted separately and never refunded. Expect bills 10 to 25 percent above the menu price.

Tipping

A 15 percent service charge is usually already on the bill

Restaurants and hotels often add about 15 percent service, so read the bill. If not, 15 percent is normal. Tip boat crews, guides, taxis and housekeeping separately, in cash.

Driving

On the left, usually in a left-hand-drive car

Traffic keeps left, but most cars are left-hand-drive US imports, so overtaking views are poor. Foreign licences work for short visits. Family Island roads are unlit and shared with golf carts.

Getting between islands

Fly through Nassau, or take a mailboat

Nassau is the hub. Bahamasair and smaller airlines fly twenty to forty minutes to the Family Islands, ferries serve nearer ones and mailboats run slowly. Allow a full day per move.

Hurricane season

June to November, sharpest August to October

The season runs 1 June to 30 November, peaking August to October. Storms are forecast days out, so expect disruption. Insure for weather cancellation, keep a spare day, and check seasonal closures.

National parks

Managed by the Bahamas National Trust

The National Trust runs the parks. Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, the wider Caribbean's first marine reserve, has banned fishing since 1986. Inagua holds the largest West Indian flamingo colony.

Bahamas travel FAQ

Which Bahamian island should I choose for a first trip?+

Answer the question the country actually asks: do you want a town or an empty coast. For a first trip with a mix of both, Nassau for two or three nights and the Exumas or Eleuthera for the rest is the standard route and it works. If the trip is about water and nothing else, go straight to the Exumas or Long Island. If it is about sailing or a slower village pace, the Abacos. If it is fishing or diving, Andros or Bimini. Grand Bahama is the easy short break from Florida. Harbour Island is small, extremely pretty and priced accordingly. The one thing not to do is book a remote lodge and a packed itinerary at the same time, because moving between islands almost always means routing back through Nassau.

Do I need to change money, and is the US dollar accepted?+

No, and yes. The Bahamian dollar is pegged one to one with the US dollar and both circulate side by side, so American notes are accepted everywhere and change may come back in a mix of the two. Spend the Bahamian notes before you leave, since they are hard to exchange abroad. Cards are normal in Nassau, Freeport and the resorts, and much less normal on a small island where a guesthouse, a boat driver or a beach bar may want cash. Take more cash than a Caribbean trip would normally need, and expect a 10 percent value added tax plus a service charge on top of listed prices.

Is it safe to travel during hurricane season?+

It is common, it is cheaper, and it needs planning. The Atlantic season runs from 1 June to 30 November, and the real concentration of risk is August through October. Hurricane Dorian in 2019 was a category five landfall on Abaco and Grand Bahama that killed at least 74 people and caused around 3.4 billion US dollars of damage, which is the scale the season can reach. In practice a September trip means watching the forecast, buying insurance that covers weather cancellation, and accepting that some Family Island lodges and restaurants close for part of the autumn anyway. Storms are tracked days ahead, so the risk is disruption far more often than danger.

How do I get between the islands?+

Three ways, and they suit different budgets. Flying is the normal one: Bahamasair and a set of smaller domestic carriers run short hops out of Nassau, usually twenty to forty minutes, and almost every route runs through Nassau. Ferries connect Nassau with several of the nearer islands and are quicker than they look. Mailboats are the cheap and slow option, running freight and passengers on schedules built around cargo. Charter flights and boat transfers cover the gaps, particularly to the cays. Budget a whole day for any move that involves a connection, and do not plan to leave one island the morning of an international flight.

Is Nassau worth staying in, or should I go straight to a Family Island?+

Worth two or three nights, and worth choosing where you stay. Nassau holds the things no other island has: the National Art Gallery, the Pirates of Nassau and Pompey museums, the John Watling’s distillery, Fort Charlotte and the Queen’s Staircase, the Fish Fry at Arawak Cay, and Junkanoo in the Christmas and New Year weeks. It is also the busiest place in the country on a cruise day, so downtown between mid-morning and late afternoon is at its worst and the rest of the island is not. Stay on Cable Beach or Paradise Island if you want a resort, in a guesthouse over the hill if you want the city, and give the beaches at the eastern end of New Providence a morning before you fly on.

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