Tours

Welcome to New Providence Island, known to the world as simply Nassau/Paradise Island. Touring can take several forms here depending on your interests and physical predilections. Whether you prefer a self-guided tour or to join up with an organized tour group, taking in the city of Nassau is pure pleasure. It offers colorful local shopping, fascinating examples of colonial architecture, museums, culture and history all within easy touring range. Most tours originate from Port George Wharf near the cruise ship area. The wharf area is a wonderful place to get your first "feel" of Nassau—it's where over a million visiting cruise-ship passengers disembark yearly.

Downtown Nassau

Consider the downtown district in and around Bay Street, recently refurbished and beautified. It's the main avenue that runs along Nassau Harbour's south end and goes to the Government House, Junkanoo Museum, Pompey Museum and Rawson Square. This is a great place to book a horse-drawn surrey tour. The Junkanoo Museum at Prince George Wharf is basically located in an old warehouse, but what it houses is, quite frankly, pretty cool. It is really the Junkanoo Museum—a tribute to participants in past Junkanoo celebrations, the traditional festival time the week between in between Christmas and New York. Junkaroo generally refers to a specific type of music. Old costumes and the like are the highlights.

The Government House is the official residence of the nation's leader, on Duke Street just off Cumberland. It's been the leader's official home since 1801. A statue of Christopher Columbus honors the man considered the discoverer of Nassau, and there is a marvelous ceremony for the changing of the guard. The Royal Bahamas Police Force Band, dressed to the nines, provides the soundtrack. Parliament Square is at Parliament and Bay, three blocks from the Government House, and is the seat of Bahamian government. Like in most countries, there are two houses, the lower Assembly and the upper Senate. The buildings comprising the government complex are tropical pink, and in the centre of the square is a statue paying tribute to Queen Victoria.

The Bahamas Supreme Court, where ordinary folks can watch the justices debate and rule on points of law, is open to the public. The Colonial Secretary's Office also is at Parliament Square. Downtown is also home to the interactive museum, Pirates of Nassau, which dramatizes the colonial days of piracy during the 17th-century Bahamas. It's located in the Lofthouse building on Marlborough Street and is guaranteed to thrill visitors of every age.

Don't miss the 200-year old Queen's Staircase, constructed by slaves who hand-carved each of the 66 steps out of limestone rock indigenous to the island. It leads to Bennet's Hill and famous Fort Fincastle and Water Tower, raised in 1793 to protect the city. The water tower presides as the highest point in Nassau, at 126 feet itself and 200 feet above sea level overall. Don't forget a camera, perhaps with a zoom lens, because the vista from the fort is remarkable. The Pompey Museum at Cumberland at Marlborough pays tribute to those who were victimized during the slave trade of the 1700s. It's named for a rebel slave who called the Bahamas home in the 1830s. It was the site of slave auctions and used to be called the Vendue House.

Cumberland and Marlborough is where you'll find the Christ Church Cathedral, erected in the 1830s. St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cathedral is on West Street, just down Cumberland. At East and Shirley is the Bahamas Historical Society Museum, which contains displays and artifacts, reflected in its name. It's small, but for those whom details—archaeological and the like—are the key, it's a paradise.

Paradise Island

Speaking of Paradise, do take the trek across the bridge from Nassau to Paradise Island. It houses the world's largest aquarium, a championship golf course, casino, oodles of restaurants, resort and a world-class marina (accommodating yachts up to 200 feet). This is where you'll find Cable Beach, the famous two-mile stretch.

Day Tours

Of the 700 islands which make up The Bahama Islands, only about 30 are inhabited. Book an island-hopper flight or a day cruise to Abacos with its pristine waters, the Biminis (which are world-renown for game fishing), Eleuthera with its dramatic cliffs and pink sand, or to the largely undiscovered Exeumas.

Harbour Island Day Trip

For an unforgettable day, take the Bahamas Fast Ferries day trip to Harbour Island. It begins in the morning, when guests are picked up at Nassau Harbour. The boat itself is a state-of-the-art vessel, a sleek, high-powered catamaran that travels at a speed of up to 35 knots, or 40 miles an hour. The trip to Harbour Island only takes two hours. With a comfortable air-conditioned cabin, plenty of refreshments for sale and stunning views of the ocean as it whips by, this is anything but a normal ferry ride.

Once the boat docks in Governor's Harbour, passengers can enjoy an edifying tour of historical downtown Harbour Island, which was the Bahamas' first capital city. Stroll through the picturesque streets, and don't forget to take a peek at Town Hall: it's painted in the cheerful color known these days as "Bubblegum Pink." Enjoy a Bahamian lunch, courtesy of the Fast Ferry. The remainder of the day is spent at Harbour Island's world famous pink sand beach. Stroll along the rosy shores, and dabble your toes in the clear aquamarine waves. You may never want to leave—and for a few days at least, you won't have to.

While Bahamas Fast Ferries offers a one-day tour package for USD150, many people decide to use the boat as an alternative to air travel. For a slightly lower price, you can skip the tour and the lunch, and head off to a hotel or a tour of your own devising. Return on the ferry a few days later. Or if, one day of pink sand and pink government buildings is enough, hop on the boat at dusk and be back in Nassau in time for dinner.