At a gate in Miami, with the smell of cafecito drifting from the stand across the concourse, a lot of travelers realize they are about to cross to another country in less time than it takes to watch a movie. The question comes up at the same moment: fly, sail, or point a boat east? From Miami the Bahamas is reached mostly by air, with sea routes that now start from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale rather than from Miami itself.
How do you get from Miami to the Bahamas?
You get there mostly by plane, and cruise ships are the other big way across, since PortMiami is one of the great cruise hubs of the world. The Bahamas takes visitors on commercial and charter flights, by ferry or cruise line, on private planes and on pleasure craft, so the real choice is the style of trip you want. A scheduled seat, a ship with a cabin, or your own wings or hull each give a very different first hour in the islands.
By air from Miami and South Florida
The country counts 20 international airports, plus dozens of smaller public and private airstrips, which tells you how the Bahamas works: a chain of islands with a landing strip on nearly every one that matters. From Miami, American Airlines flies daily to Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco, and that is the Miami route spelled out for you. American also serves Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, as do Delta, Air Canada, British Airways, Caribbean Airlines, Copa, Alaska and Bahamasair, the national carrier.
Think of South Florida as a cluster of departure points rather than a single one. Fort Lauderdale, Opa Locka and Stuart all feed flights to the islands, and the airline you pick often decides which airport you leave from. Looking at the whole region, not just Miami International, widens your options, especially for the smaller islands where a scheduled seat can come from any of them.
| Carrier | Departs from | Arrives at | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | Miami (MIA) | Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco | Daily |
| Aztec Airways | Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco | Daily |
| Aztec Airways | Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | Treasure Cay, Great Abaco | Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays |
| Bahamasair | Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco | Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays |
| Tradewind Aviation | Stuart (SUA) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco | Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays |
| JSX | Opa Locka (OPF) | Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco | Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays |
By ship, from PortMiami
PortMiami, formally the Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami, is the largest passenger port in the world, and more than 7.2 million cruise passengers pass through it each year. Its terminals are divided among the lines. Terminal A is exclusively Royal Caribbean Group and handles its Icon-class ships.
Terminal C primarily serves the MSC family of lines, and the newer MSC terminal has two berths named AA and AAA. Terminal J is the boutique terminal, primarily for smaller vessels and luxury lines such as Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
A cruise is the way to see the Bahamas if you want to unpack once and let someone else handle the logistics. At the dock the whole port has the feel of an airport crossed with a street party, with luggage carts, lanyards and families in matching shirts. The trade-off is that you get only the islands the ship visits, for the hours it stays.
By private plane or your own boat
Pilots will find the Bahamas welcoming, with near perfect flying conditions and a generous number of airports and island landing strips. Boaters arrive by schooner, powerboat or mega-yacht, and pleasure craft are an accepted way to come in. Both routes suit travelers who already have the aircraft or the boat and the experience to use them, and both turn the crossing from a transfer into part of the trip.
Which islands can you reach from Miami?
From Miami you can reach Great Abaco directly by air, Nassau on New Providence through the airlines that serve its airport, and Bimini, which lies just across the Gulf Stream. Grand Bahama is reached by sea from Fort Lauderdale. The farther islands usually come as a second step, a hop from Nassau or another hub.
Bimini, the nearest island
Resorts World Bimini sits on North Bimini Island, 42 miles east of Miami. It opened in 2013 as a 750-acre beachfront resort, and its casino, opened in June 2013, is the only one on North Bimini. The resort also has the largest marina in the Bahamas, which makes sense for an island long associated with boats and sport fishing. Construction of a 307-room hotel began there in 2014.
Bimini is where the Miami link feels most natural, since a boat leaving the Florida coast sees it as the first Bahamian land. Several major cruise lines now dock at the pier, so the island gets visitors from the sea as well as overnight guests. The sea route for independent travelers runs from Fort Lauderdale rather than Miami, covered in the ferry section.
Great Abaco: Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay
Abaco is the island with the clearest set of South Florida connections. Marsh Harbour is the island’s commercial heart, a harbor town of boats, small shops and waterfront restaurants, and it is also the usual jumping-off point for the sailing cays offshore. Treasure Cay, up the island, is known for its long crescent of beach and its marina, and it is a quieter base.
Beyond the Florida flights, Abaco also connects within the Bahamas. Bahamasair flies between Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
LeAir connects Treasure Cay with Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands and with Mangrove Cay in Andros on the same three days. Air Unlimited flies from Sanford Orlando to both Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and JSX also reaches Marsh Harbour from Dallas and White Plains.
Nassau, Grand Bahama and the islands beyond
Nassau is a city on New Providence, and its Lynden Pindling International Airport is served by a long list of airlines. For many itineraries it is the hub, with Bahamasair flying onward to the Family Islands. Out of Nassau, Bahamasair flies to Spring Point on Acklins on Saturdays and to Crooked Island on Wednesdays, with a Wednesday link between those two. Those are remote islands where the schedule shapes the trip.
Freeport on Grand Bahama is the other South Florida target, served by the Baléaria ferry from Port Everglades. Travelers can island hop on scheduled and chartered flights, by private boat, or with Bahamas Ferries between islands, so a first stop can lead anywhere.
Can you take a ferry or a boat from Miami?
Not any longer on a scheduled passenger ferry from Miami itself, because the ferries that once left the city have stopped, and the sailing to take now leaves from Port Everglades. Two services used to cross from Miami to Bimini.
FRS Caribbean operated a ferry from Terminal H at PortMiami until August 2019. In late June 2013 Resorts World had launched the MS Bimini Superfast, a German-built ship that carried passengers from Miami to Bimini, and that service was ultimately discontinued.
Baleària from Port Everglades
Baleària, which operates in the United States as Baleària Caribbean, runs regular international ferry service between Fort Lauderdale and both Bimini and Freeport. The vessel is a high speed catamaran, the HSC Jaume II. Port Everglades is the base, and Cruise Terminal 21 there is shared by Baleària and Carnival Corporation.
For a Miami-based traveler this means the crossing starts in the next city up the coast, and it suits someone who prefers arriving by sea and wants Bimini or Grand Bahama without a flight. Freeport and Lucaya on Grand Bahama give you a resort-and-marina setting, while Bimini offers the island with its fishing heritage.
Your own boat
Pleasure craft are welcome, and the Bahamas accepts schooners, powerboats and mega-yachts. Bimini is the natural first stop for a boat leaving Miami, and the marina at Resorts World gives it plenty of room. The crossing is the part of the trip that belongs to the captain, and it is the one choice here that leaves the schedule entirely in your hands.
Ferries once you are in the islands
Inside the country, Bahamas Ferries link some islands. The M/V Bo Hengy III is a high-speed passenger ferry from Nassau to Spanish Wells and Harbour Island on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Spanish Wells is a fishing community, and Harbour Island is known for its pink-sand beach and the pastel houses of Dunmore Town.
| Nassau to Spanish Wells and Harbour Island | Details |
|---|---|
| Check-in on departure days | 6:45 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. |
| Departs Nassau | 8:00 a.m. |
| Arrives Spanish Wells | 10:10 a.m. |
| Arrives Harbour Island | 11:10 a.m. |
| Returns from Harbour Island | 3:40 p.m. |
| Arrives Nassau | 6:30 p.m. |
| Adult round trip, VAT included | $257.00 |
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates the Bahamas Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, and says most crime occurs in Nassau on New Providence and in Freeport on Grand Bahama.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and it is the stretch to keep in mind when choosing between a ship, a ferry or your own boat, since sea crossings depend on the weather. Outside hurricane season, sea crossings can still be disrupted by winter cold fronts and rough seas. Because the schedules for Abaco and the ferries change by day of the week, build your itinerary around the days a service runs, and plan any connection through Nassau on the same logic.
Sources
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Getting here (https://www.bahamas.com/getting-here), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Flying to the Bahamas (https://www.bahamas.com/getting-here/flying), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, PortMiami (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PortMiami), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Resorts World Bimini (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resorts_World_Bimini), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Everglades), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ferries, Your travel (https://bahamasferries.com/your-travel/), checked October 10, 2026
- Lynden Pindling International Airport, Airlines (https://nassaulpia.com/flights/airlines/), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Baleària (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baleària), checked October 10, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Advisory, Level 2 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 10, 2026
To plan your stay
- Best Time to Visit the Bahamas: Weather, Hurricane Season, Sea Temperatures and Junkanoo
- Things to Do in the Bahamas: Beaches, Blue Holes, Swimming Pigs and Fish Fry
- Where to Stay in the Bahamas: Best Islands, Resorts, Boutique Stays and How to Choose
- Know Before You Go to the Bahamas: Entry Rules, Money, Getting Around and Local Customs