Early in the morning the harbor in Nassau is already busy. Boat engines idle at the docks, cruise passengers drift toward Bay Street, and the smell of fried conch starts to rise from Arawak Cay. Almost everything worth leaving town for starts from this waterfront. Some trips go by boat to a private island or a chain of cays, one goes by ferry to a pair of Out Island settlements, and the rest stay on New Providence, where forts, beaches and a rum distillery wait within a short hop of downtown.
What are the best day trips from Nassau?
The best day trips from Nassau split into boat days on the water and land days around New Providence, and the right pick depends on whether you want sand and animals or history and food. Six outings cover most tastes:
- Blue Lagoon Island, a private island northeast of town with dolphin and sea lion encounters, a lagoon and a snorkeling beach.
- The swimming pigs of Big Major Cay, reached by boat through the Exuma Cays, for the postcard animals of the Bahamas.
- Spanish Wells and Harbour Island by ferry, for a morning crossing to two small Out Island settlements.
- Cable Beach and Fort Charlotte, for a long stretch of sand to the west and a hilltop fort with harbor views.
- Fort Fincastle and the Queen’s Staircase, for a limestone climb through the history of old Nassau.
- Arawak Cay, Junkanoo Beach and John Watling’s Distillery, for conch, rum and a beach day close to the cruise dock.
None of these asks for more than a morning’s planning, and several can be paired. A fort and a beach fit comfortably into one day, while a boat trip tends to claim the whole of one.
The best day trips from Nassau
Blue Lagoon Island
Blue Lagoon Island, once known as Salt Cay, sits three miles northeast of Nassau and is a private island that works as a local tourist attraction. You reach it by boat, and the usual package includes the round-trip transfer, lunch, use of the facilities, beach sports and game equipment, plus free access to the Inflatable Aqua Park.
What you do there is mostly a beach day with some animals attached. Dolphins and sea lions live at Dolphin Encounters, and you can swim in a hidden lagoon, snorkel off the beach over coral reefs with tropical fish, or lie on white sand.
Walking trails pass through vegetation where birds nest, a quieter change after the water games. Before the late nineteenth century the lagoon was a salt marsh, which explains the island’s old name.
It suits families who want a set program, groups with mixed ages and anyone who wants a beach without arranging anything. Give it the whole day, since the lunch, the lagoon and the reef each deserve their time. Bring a swimsuit under your clothes, because the beach comes before the boat ride back.
The swimming pigs of Big Major Cay
The famous swimming pigs of the Bahamas live on Big Major Cay, also called Pig Beach, in the Exumas. About twenty pigs and piglets roam the shore, and the cay can only be reached by boat, whether on a private vessel, a chartered one or a booked boat tour. Visitors staying in Nassau can book a day trip that includes a boat tour through the Exuma Cays.
The journey is as much of the day as the pigs. You travel across open Atlantic water and then thread between small cays, with sandbars, pale shallows and rocky islets sliding past the bow. The pigs themselves are the comic stop, trotting down the sand toward arriving boats. Expect a lively, slightly chaotic scene rather than a quiet nature walk.
The wider chain holds the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, which covers 176 square miles and was the first land and sea park in the world. It is a no-take reserve where all fishing is prohibited, which tells you how carefully this stretch of water is looked after.
This trip suits travelers who like boats and animals and don’t mind a full day on the water. Sun protection and a hat make the day easier.
Spanish Wells and Harbour Island by ferry
The high-speed passenger ferry M/V Bo Hengy III runs from Nassau to Spanish Wells and Harbour Island on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Check-in comes before the early departure, and the morning sailing reaches Spanish Wells in the middle of the morning. The ferry’s fixed days decide when this outing can happen, so it is the one trip you plan around a calendar.
Spanish Wells is a fishing community with a tidy waterfront and a working-harbor feel, the kind of place where boats outnumber cars and the pace stays slow. Harbour Island, with its pastel clapboard houses in Dunmore Town, has a different mood, more island-resort than fishing village. Both reward wandering on foot, a lunch of fresh seafood and long pauses by the water.
This trip suits travelers who like the idea of seeing the Out Islands without flying. Because the days are limited and the departure is early, it works best when you have a flexible schedule and want a taste of life beyond New Providence. Cruise passengers on a tight port call should choose one of the nearer outings instead.
Cable Beach and Fort Charlotte
Cable Beach lies on the northern coast of New Providence, a few miles west of Nassau, and stretches along two and a half miles of sand. Five first-class or luxury resorts front the beach, and Pompey Market sits here too. Walking the length of the shore, you pass sunbathers, beach bars and the open lawns of the hotels, with a good view of passing boats.
On the way, or on the same day, Fort Charlotte stands one mile west of downtown just off West Bay Street. It is the largest fort on New Providence, covering a hundred acres on a hill above the entrance to Nassau Harbour.
The complex has three parts: Fort Charlotte itself, the middle bastion of Fort Stanley and the western auxiliary of Fort D’Arcy. Inside you find a drawbridge, souterrains, casemates dug into the rock, magazines, a guard room, a furnace for heating shot and a dry moat.
From the ramparts the view takes in Paradise Island, Nassau and the harbor, which makes it a good spot for a photograph in clear light. Pair the fort in the morning with Cable Beach in the afternoon for a day that mixes history and sand. It suits couples, families with older children and anyone who likes a landmark with a view.
Fort Fincastle and the Queen’s Staircase
Fort Fincastle crowns Bennet’s Hill and was built of cut limestone in the shape of a paddle-wheel steamer, an odd, memorable outline for a defensive work. It guarded old Nassau town and its harbor. The Queen’s Staircase belongs to the same Fort Fincastle Historic Complex and was hewn from solid limestone rock by slaves in the 1790s, giving a direct route between the fort and the city.
The Queen’s Staircase has 66 steps., climbing through a narrow cut in the rock with green growth hanging from the walls. The total rise is 102 feet, and the cool, shaded passage makes a striking contrast with the sunlit streets below. At the top the fort gives wide views over town and harbor.
| Site | Open |
|---|---|
| Fort Fincastle (tours) | Daily, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
Government House, a pink and white colonial mansion on Duke Street atop Mount Fitzwilliam, is nearby and makes a good photo stop on the way back. This outing suits travelers who prefer a half day of history and architecture to a day at the beach.
Arawak Cay, Junkanoo Beach and John Watling’s Distillery
Arawak Cay, which Bahamians call the Fish Fry, is where conch is served in every form: cracked (battered and fried), steamed, stewed, as fritters, in chowder or as a tropical conch salad. The salad is made with diced uncooked conch, onions, sweet pepper, tomatoes, lime, salt and pepper, and the tropical version adds pineapple and mango. A plate of cracked conch and a cold Kalik makes a fine lunch.
Junkanoo Beach, also called the Western Esplanade, joins the beach at Arawak Cay and Long Wharf near downtown. It is a few minutes’ walk from the cruise ship dock and is a favorite of cruise passengers and locals alike, as well as a popular destination for spring breakers. The mix of music, food stalls and sand makes it lively rather than secluded.
For something quieter, John Watling’s Distillery stands on the Buena Vista Estate, which dates back to 1789, and is the only rum distillery in the Bahamas. The old estate setting suits an unhurried afternoon.
Across town, murals such as the White Crown Pigeon at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, and Once Upon a Time near the distillery, reward a slow walk. This is the easiest of the day trips for travelers with limited time or mixed interests.
Day trips from Nassau compared
| Trip | Time each way | Best for | How to go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Lagoon Island | Boat crossing to an island three miles northeast of Nassau | Beach day, dolphins, sea lions, snorkeling | Boat package with round-trip transfer |
| Swimming pigs, Big Major Cay | Boat tour through the Exuma Cays | Animals and island scenery | Booked boat tour, charter or private vessel |
| Spanish Wells and Harbour Island | Ferry leaves Nassau at 8:00 a.m. and reaches Spanish Wells at 10:10 a.m. | Out Island villages and seafood | M/V Bo Hengy III on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays |
| Cable Beach and Fort Charlotte | Along the coast west of downtown | Long beach and a hilltop fort | Land trip on New Providence |
| Fort Fincastle and Queen’s Staircase | Within Nassau | History and views | Land trip in town |
| Arawak Cay, Junkanoo Beach, distillery | Near downtown and the cruise dock | Conch, rum and a lively beach | On foot from the cruise dock or a land trip |
Choose by the kind of day you want. If you crave water and animals, Blue Lagoon Island and the Exuma pigs are the obvious pair, and you need to pick one because each fills the day. If you want to see another community, the ferry to Spanish Wells and Harbour Island is the only one that leaves New Providence for the Out Islands, and its fixed days come first.
Short on time, or arriving on a cruise ship? The land trips are the better fit, because Junkanoo Beach and the Fish Fry sit near the dock and downtown, and a fort and a beach combine easily. History lovers should start with the two forts and the staircase, and food lovers should head to Arawak Cay and the distillery.
Tour or on your own?
A tour makes sense wherever a boat is the only way in. Big Major Cay is reachable only by boat, whether private, chartered or a booked tour, so for the pigs most visitors go with an organized day trip that includes a boat tour through the Exuma Cays. Blue Lagoon Island works the same way, and its package bundles the boat transfer, lunch and use of the facilities, which leaves little to arrange yourself.
Before booking any boat day, look at what the package includes. The Blue Lagoon version lists transfer, lunch, the Inflatable Aqua Park, beach sports and game equipment. Compare that list with what you want from the day, whether that is the dolphin encounter, the snorkeling or simply the beach. For the pigs, ask whether the outing includes the tour through the Exuma Cays or only the stop at the cay.
The ferry is a middle path. It is independent of tours and runs on a set timetable, with check-in before the early departure, so you plan your own day at the other end. It suits travelers who like to wander without a guide and who can fit the Wednesday, Friday or Saturday sailing.
On New Providence you can do much on your own. Downtown, Junkanoo Beach and the Fish Fry are walkable, and the bars, restaurants and clubs in the center sit within walking distance of one another.
That makes them workable for daytime sights such as the forts and Cable Beach, but not for a late return, and not for Atlantis.
Guided visits help most at the forts. Fort Fincastle runs tours daily in the daytime, and a guide can bring out the paddle-wheel shape, the staircase and the stories of Fort Charlotte’s souterrains and casemates. If you prefer to roam, the same sites reward a slow self-guided walk, and the only fixed point to plan around is the closing time of the fort tours.
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, so a trip in the autumn falls inside it, and the boat outings in particular depend on the weather on the day. Downtown Nassau and other tourist areas have a visible police presence, and the usual habits of keeping valuables out of sight and staying aware of your surroundings apply on the beach and in town. Pack sun protection and swimwear for the boat days, and keep the fort walks for the cooler part of the day.
Sources
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To plan your stay
- Best Time to Visit Nassau: Weather by Month, Hurricane Season, Beaches and Junkanoo
- Where to Stay in Nassau: Cable Beach, Paradise Island, Downtown and How to Choose
- Nassau from the United States: Flights, Cruises, Airport Transfers and Getting Around
- Know Before You Go to Nassau: Entry Rules, Money, Getting Around and Local Customs