Holidays to Bahamas

Bahamas travel guide

• When is the best time to visit the Bahamas?

  The best time to visit the Bahamas is in the peak season from December to April. Temperatures are great all year round with an average of 24°C but bear in mind that there is a hurricane season which runs from June to November.
  

• Bahamas attractions

  The natural beauty of the Bahamas, with tropical emerald islands dotted across turquoise waters, is unrivalled. No matter where you head in this island nation, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to glorious beaches and magnificent sunsets. Throw in the fascinating history of the Bahamas, great food, world-class hotels and resorts, and friendly people with a unique culture, and it’s easy to see why the Bahamas is one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations.
  
  Here we provide an overview of key attractions.

  
  New Providence

  The island of New Providence is home to charming Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas and the economic and political hub of the country. Downtown Nassau combines 18th Century British colonial buildings with modern shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and bars.
  
  A popular attraction, especially for those with children, is the Pirates of Nassau Museum, just across from the British Colonial Hilton. Here you can relive the days of piracy on the high seas, enjoying a fun and educational break from the tropical heat. Next door to the museum and well worth a visit is Christ Church Cathedral, with its beautiful wooden ceilings and stained glass.
  
  The beaches of New Providence rival the best beaches on other islands, but with the added advantage of easy access to urban comforts. Most popular is the highly developed stretch of coastline known as Cable Beach, consisting of multiple beaches and several popular resorts, hotels and restaurants. For a more peaceful beach experience, try beautiful Old Fort Beach in western New Providence.
  
  For something far from the madding crowds, visit Clifton Heritage National Land and Sea Park, a protected park area that features excellent nature trails, historical ruins and practically deserted beaches.
  
  Last but not least, a major attraction on New Providence is the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort and Casino. This mega-resort features a sprawling water park with exhilarating mile-long water rides, as well as a world-class aquarium and a popular casino.

  
  Bimini

  Bimini is the closest Bahamian island to the United States. Lying just 80 or so kilometres from the coast of Florida, it’s a popular gateway to the Bahamas. Bimini includes two main islands, North Bimini Island and South Bimini Island, as well as a large number of cays. During the days of prohibition, rum-runners made good use of the island’s convoluted coastline.
  
  The warm waters of Bimini offer excellent snorkelling, especially at Sapona and Victoria Reef.
  
  Bimini also offers several excellent opportunities for getting “up close and personal” with marine animals. The Bimini Sharklab is well worth a visit, and you can swim with dolphins at the highly rated Dolphins in the Wild or on a Wild Dolphin Excursion.
  
  Both Ernest Hemingway and Martin Luther King spent time on Bimini, and you can visit the places they stayed.
  
  Also on Bimini, you can take a dip in The Healing Hole, a pond with a fresh-water spring rich in lithium and sulphur, within the salt-water swamp mangroves of Bonefish Creek.

  
  Eleuthera

  Eleuthera is famous for its pink-sand beaches, which owe their colour to microscopic marine animals known as foraminifera. Together with ancient coral reefs, these beaches make the island unique in the Bahamas.
  
  French Leave Beach is easy to get to, while you might need a 4x4 to reach Lighthouse Beach, where you can see the contrasting waters of the Caribbean and the Atlantic. One of the most spectacular shows of nature's power can be seen at Glass Window, where massive waves crash through a hole in the rocks under a single-lane bridge.

  
  Grand Bahama Island

  A highlight of a visit to Grand Bahama Island is a visit to Gold Rock Beach, with its long stretch of white sand and glorious calm waters, at Lucayan National Park. The park also features caves and an interesting walk through the mangroves. Other key attractions include snorkelling around Peterson Cay, which is a small but pristine, uninhabited island surrounded by magnificent coral reefs, the peaceful Garden of the Groves, with well-kept tropical gardens and pools spanning 12 acres, and the bustling Port Lucaya Marketplace; with good restaurants and live music available at Count Basie Square.

  
  Sun, sea and sand

  The Bahamas include some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. A few of the most stunning include:

  • Gold Rock Beach, with calm waters and a long stretch of white sand, in Lucayan National Park.
  • On Harbour Island, Pink Sands Beach, with powder-soft sand that really is pink due to the presence of microscopic marine animals known as foraminifera.
  • The pristine Lighthouse Beach on Eleuthera and, also with pink sand and well out of the way of crowds, magnificent French Leave Beach.

  As well as spending time on the beaches, you can visit the magnificent, uninhabited cays of Exuma by boat or kayak, experience some of the best diving and snorkelling spots in the world, swim with dolphins and, on Little San Salvador Island, even swim (perfectly safely) with large numbers of wild stingrays.

  
  Off the beach

  After spending time on a beach, you can enjoy the markets and cosmopolitan pleasures of the capital city, Nassau, on the island of New Providence. A popular attraction here is the Pirates of Nassau Museum.
  
  You can also party until dawn at a casino resort, soak up the local music and culture, visit local museums and churches or play golf at one of many attractive golf resorts.
  
  

• Top 5 things to do in the Bahamas

  Take to the seas

  Charter a sailboat and explore the 160 kilometre-long stretch of magnificent, uninhabited islands and cays around Exuma.

  Dean’s Blue Hole

  Swim, snorkel or dive at Dean’s Blue Hole, which is the world’s deepest marine hole; the surrounding waters are shallow and ideal for paddling, as well as encountering interesting marine animals, from stingrays to sea turtles.

  The legend of Atlantis

  On Paradise Island, enjoy the sprawling water park, pools, aquarium and casinos at the Atlantis mega-resort – and take time to visit the remains of the cloisters of a 14th-century French monastery.

  Castaway Cay

  If you arrive on a Disney cruise ship, as many visitors to the Bahamas do, enjoy a barbecue, pretty beaches and entertainment on Disney’s very own Bahaman island, Castaway Cay.

  National parks

  With such stunning places of natural beauty the island has a number of national parks, with Yala National Park being particularly amazing. Filled with wildlife, you can experience crocodiles, snow leopards, peacocks, elephants and much more alongside the beautifully relaxing landscape.

• Bahamas food and drink

  Popular drinks

  The Bahamas are known for their rum-based beverages, and it would be a pity not to sample the Goombay Smash, with coconut, rum, apricot brandy and pineapple juice, and the colourful Bahama Mama, with rum, grenadine and coconut, orange and pineapple juice.
  
  For those not keen on rum, there are plenty of other options too. For example, ask for Sky Juice, which is a refreshing mix of gin, coconut water and sweet milk. Beer drinkers can sample local brews such as Sands, Kalik and the Abacos, and non-alcoholic beverages include the Switcha, Bahamian lemonade and tropical fruit juices.

  
  Bahamian food

  The Bahamas are known for excellent fish and seafood, and conch is a favourite delicacy across the islands. If you can, try it in a salad with lime, cilantro, tomatoes and onion. Thanks to its balmy climate, Bahamian cuisine also includes plenty of fresh tropical fruit, from pineapple to guavas (used to make a dessert called duff), papayas and mangoes. Other staples in islanders’ diets are chilies, rice, potato, peas and pork.

• Bahamas nightlife

  If you’re on one of the quieter islands in the Bahamas, your main nightlife may be sipping drinks on a beach or watching the stars. If you’re anywhere near larger cities or tourist hotspots, however, you’ll be spoilt for choice, with a wide range of restaurants, bars, live music venues and casinos – and opportunities to party through the night.
  
  Club Waterloo on East Bay Street has been Nassau's most popular nightclub for nearly three decades, attracting both tourists and locals to its awesome dance floors and multiple bars, and even featuring its own swimming pool.
  
  Grand Bahama Island's Count Basie Square in Port Lucaya Market is where you’ll find live music and good food, along with great views of the tropical evening skies. Fire and limbo dancing are popular, and it won't be easy to refuse an invitation to karaoke.
  
  Visit the enormous Wyndham Nassau Resort and Casino on Cable Beach in New Providence, which features an 800-seat theatre with world-class stage entertainment.
  
  Local and international artists also play to eager audiences at the Atlantis Live stage on Paradise Island, as well as at Arawak Cay in Nassau.

• Bahamas lifestyle and culture

  The Bahamas is known for its friendly people and warm culture, which features a unique blend of African traditions and British colonial influences with a laid-back Caribbean island lifestyle.

  
  Rich history

  During a stay on the islands, you can learn about the fascinating history of the Bahamas, from before and after the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. The islands’ turbulent history features tales of piracy, the slave trade, colonisation by the British and, after the American War of Independence, settlement by Loyalists.
  
  The Bahamas is interesting in that in the 1800s, it became a known refuge for freed slaves. Today over 85% of the country’s population is of African descent.
  
  In more recent history, the Bahamas has attracted many notable figures. Today you can visit the places where Ernest Hemingway lived and Martin Luther King wrote his acceptance speech for the Nobel peace prize.

  
  Music and festivals

  Almost any time of the year, an island somewhere in the Bahamas will be hosting a colourful festival, a regatta or a celebration. Key features of most celebrations are music and dance.
  
  The Bahamas has claim to three types of music – Goombay, Rake and Scrape, and Junkanoo. Goombay is first a type of drum, but the term also refers generally to the percussion music made famous by local musician Alphonso Higgs, also known as "Blind Blake". Tourists arriving at Nassau International Airport were once treated to his performances upon entering the country.
  
  Rake and Scrape is a unique type of musical performance that involves bending a saw and scraping it with a small object such as a screwdriver.
  
  Junkanoo, which is associated with the colourful Junkanoo parades held on the 26th of December and the 1st of January, features cowbells, whistles and goatskin drums, often accompanied by brass instruments. During the Junkanoo parades, throngs of people in vibrant costumes take to the streets, with dance, music and song in celebration of the people’s African roots and freedom from slavery.

• Bahamas events - what's on when?

  January

  New Year’s Sailing Regattas
  New Year in the Bahamas is marked by two key sailing regattas. On January 1st and 2nd, upwards of 40 sloops, ranging in length from 5 to 8.5 metres, participate in the New Year’s Sailing Regatta, racing across Montagu Bay. Also on New Year’s Day, the Staniel Cay New Year’s Day Cruising Regatta is held in Exuma.
  
  Nassau Classic Car Festival
  In early January, classic cars are the focus of a festival held in the streets of Nassau and nearby Paradise Island.
  
  Majority Rule Day
  January 10th is a public holiday on which the island nation celebrates equality for all Bahamians.
  
  Bahamas Princess Resort and Casino Crystal Pro-Am Golf Tournament
  The Crystal Pro-Am Golf Tournament is held annually at the Bahamas Princess Resort and Casino on Grand Bahama Island. This is one of the top golf tournaments in the Caribbean, with a grand prize of $100,000.

  
  February

  Farmer's Cay Festival
  On the first Friday in February, Farmer’s Cay Festival – also known as 5Fs – is held in Little Farmer’s Cay on Exuma. This homecoming festival features good food, Bahamian Class-C sloop races, school band performances and a range of games and family activities. Boat excursions to the festival are offered from Nassau.
  
  Rum Cay Day Festival
  The annual Rum Cay Day Festival is held at Port Nelson on Rum Cay. The festival features family entertainment, great food and games.

  
  March

  Bahamian Music and Heritage Festival
  Each March, local people in Exuma celebrate their heritage with cultural activities such as singing and other musical performances, poetry readings and exhibits of local arts and crafts.
  
  George Town Cruising Regatta
  At the end of February or the beginning of March, upwards of 500 yachts participate in the George Town Cruising Regatta at Exuma, with plenty of shore-side activities to keep spectators entertained.
  
  Bacardi Rum Cup
  The Bacardi Rum Cup is held over two days on Nassau and Paradise Island. It features a performance by the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band, as well as a range of sailing and other competitions.

  
  April

  Easter
  Easter is an important holiday in the Bahamas. Many people attend church services on Good Friday, and fish is served as the main meal. Easter Monday is traditionally celebrated with picnics or cookouts on the beach, and there are a number of homecoming events and regattas on the Out Islands.
  
  Bahamas Heritage Festival
  The Bahamas Heritage Festival focuses on the culture of the islands, and features traditional music, dance, and storytelling. The Great Bahamas Seafood Festival is a part of this event, which takes place at the end of April or beginning of March on Nassau/Paradise Island.

  
  May

  Island Roots Heritage Festival
  In May, the people of Green Turtle Cay celebrate both their African roots and their Loyalist heritage, with a parade, a conch cracking festival, re-enactments of fierce pirate battles, a tug-of-war and other games, along with plenty of good food.

  
  June

  Labor Day
  On the first Friday in June, Labor Day is marked with a lively parade organised by labor unions and political parties in downtown Nassau.
  
  Pineapple Festival
  In June, Gregory Town on the island of Eleuthera celebrates the island’s juicy pineapples, with pineapple eating and cooking contests, a Junkanoo parade, craft exhibits, a triathlon event and tours of pineapple farms.

  
  July

  Independence Day
  On July 10th, all islands in the Bahamas celebrate their independence (achieved in 1973) with parades, performances and fireworks.

  
  August

  Bahamas Emancipation Day
  On the first Monday in August, Bahamians celebrate the 1834 emancipation of slaves in the British colonies. Festivities and regattas are held throughout the islands, with the celebrations in Fox Hill Village, Nassau, being a particular highlight. The day begins at 4 a.m. with a “Junkanoo Rush-out”. This is followed by cookouts, competitions, like climbing a greased pole, and plaiting of the Maypole.

  
  September

  Bahamas Atlantis Superboat Challenge
  The Bahamas Superboat Challenge is an international race for superboats, starting from Paradise Island.

  
  October

  North Eleuthera Sailing Regatta
  Taking place in mid-October, the North Eleuthera Sailing Regatta sees native sloops participate in a number of weekend races in the waters off North Eleuthera, Harbour Island and Spanish Wells.
  
  Conch Festival
  The Conch Festival celebrates the country’s favourite food with a range of conch cracking events, cook-offs and live music and dancing.
  
  International Cultural Festival
  Held at the Botanical Gardens on the island of New Providence, the International Cultural Festival is a week-long celebration of cultures from around the world, with international foods and live entertainment.
  
  Bahamas National Trust Wine and Art Festival
  Hosted at the Bahamas National Trust Retreat Gardens, this festival includes exhibits by Bahamian artists, along with sampling of more than 50 wines offered by Bristol Wine & Spirits.

  
  November

  Wahoo Smackdown
  Hosted by the Bimini Big Game Fishing Club, the Wahoo Smackdown is a chance for anglers from around the globe to compete for large cash prizes in a number of categories, including biggest catch.
  
  Great Bahamas Seafood and Heritage Festival
  Held in Heritage Village, Arawak Cay, the Great Bahamas Seafood and Heritage Festival is an opportunity to sample a range of fish and seafood dishes, and to enjoy traditional Bahamian music and storytelling.

  
  December

  Bahamas International Film Festival
  Held in early December, the Bahamas International Film Festival has been held each year since 2004. It showcases world cinema, along with the works of Caribbean filmmakers. As well as film screenings, the festival includes opening and closing galas, forums and discussion panels.
  
  Junkanoo
  Most famous of all festivities in the Bahamas is the annual Junkanoo, a colourful parade and street party held on December 26th to celebrate freedom from slavery and the Bahamian people’s African roots. Expect colourful costumes, lively music, dancing and energetic partying. Similar parades are held again on New Year’s Day.