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Nassau Bahamas Activities Cruise

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Nassau is the most visited cruise port in the Bahamas, and the good part for anyone arriving by ship is that most of what is worth seeing sits within a short walk of the gangway. The cruise terminal at Prince George Wharf reopened after a 300-million-dollar redevelopment, and from its festival plaza you step straight onto Bay Street, the spine of the old colonial town on New Providence Island. The United States dollar is accepted everywhere at par with the Bahamian dollar, which keeps a port day simple.

This guide is built around a cruise visitor’s day: what you can reach on foot, what is worth a taxi, the pirate history that makes Nassau more than a beach stop, and the conch and Junkanoo culture that locals will point you to. With a single day in port, a little planning lets you mix history, a beach and a rum tasting without feeling rushed. For the full picture beyond a cruise stop, see our guide to things to do in Nassau.

What You Can Reach on Foot

A surprising amount of Nassau is walkable from the wharf, which saves both time and taxi fares on a port day. These sights all sit within roughly fifteen minutes of the terminal.

  • The Queen’s Staircase: a flight of 66 steps cut by hand through solid limestone, carved by enslaved labourers in the 1790s as a sheltered route up to the hilltop fort. It is shaded, free and about a ten-minute walk inland.
  • Fort Fincastle: at the top of the staircase, this small fort shaped like the prow of a paddle steamer stands on the island’s high point beside the Water Tower, with views over the harbour and the cruise ships.
  • Pirates of Nassau Museum: an indoor museum a few minutes from the dock, built around a replica pirate ship, that tells the story of the town’s outlaw years.
  • The Straw Market: the covered market on Bay Street is the place to barter for woven bags, hats and carvings, though it pays to look for genuine Bahamian straw work among the many imported souvenirs.
  • John Watling’s Distillery: set in the 1789 Buena Vista Estate about fifteen minutes’ walk away, this rum distillery offers free self-guided tours and tastings, and stood in as a Bond location in the film Casino Royale.
  • Parliament Square and the old town: the pink colonial government buildings, the statue of Queen Victoria and the former gaol that is now the public library are all clustered just off Bay Street.

The Republic of Pirates

Nassau’s most distinctive history is its lawless decade. Between 1706 and 1718 the town was the headquarters of what the pirates themselves called a republic, a base with no working government where crews refitted their ships, spent their plunder and elected their own leaders. The loose brotherhood known as the Flying Gang counted some of the most notorious names of the age.

  • Edward Teach, Blackbeard, who used Nassau as a haven between raids.
  • Charles Vane and Calico Jack Rackham, captains who resisted the return of British rule.
  • Anne Bonny and Mary Read, two of the few documented women pirates, who sailed with Rackham.

The republic ended in July 1718 when the privateer-turned-governor Woodes Rogers sailed into the harbour carrying the King’s Pardon, an offer of amnesty to any pirate who surrendered. Many took it, the holdouts were hunted down, and Rogers gave the colony a motto still seen on the Bahamian coat of arms: Expulsis Piratis Restituta Commercia, pirates expelled, commerce restored. The Pirates of Nassau Museum brings this period to life better than any beach can.

Atlantis and Paradise Island

Across the harbour bridge on Paradise Island, the vast Atlantis resort is the single biggest draw for many cruisers, about fifteen minutes by taxi from the port. A day pass, priced around 170 dollars for an adult, opens the Aquaventure water park with its slides and river rides and the Dig, a walk-through aquarium set in a mock sunken city. You do not have to pay to wander the free Marina Village shops and restaurants, and the resort’s beaches and casino sit alongside.

For a full breakdown of the resort’s attractions, see our guides to the Atlantis water park and the wider Atlantis excursions. The nearby One and Only Ocean Club, another Casino Royale location, sits at the quieter eastern end of the island.

Beaches Near the Port

If a beach day is the plan, three stand out depending on how far you want to travel:

  • Junkanoo Beach: the closest swim to the ship, walkable in about ten minutes, with bars and loungers and a lively, busy feel rather than a postcard one.
  • Cable Beach: a long, calm stretch of pale sand about twenty minutes west by taxi, lined with resorts and beach bars.
  • Cabbage Beach: the broad Paradise Island beach behind Atlantis, reached by taxi or ferry, with the softest sand on the New Providence side.

Our guide to the free public beaches of Nassau covers where to swim without paying for a resort, and the clearest water for snorkelling sites around Nassau lies a short boat trip offshore.

Junkanoo, the National Festival

The pulse of Bahamian culture is Junkanoo, a street parade with roots in the masquerade traditions that enslaved Africans kept alive on their rare days off. Costumed groups in towering, hand-pasted crepe-paper outfits dance along Bay Street to the sound of goombay drums, cowbells, whistles and brass, competing for prizes in a contest months in the making.

The two great parades fall in the early hours of Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, but you can see the costumes and hear the story year-round at the Junkanoo museum near the wharf. Our dedicated guide to Junkanoo in Nassau goes into the music and the groups in more depth.

Conch and the Fish Fry

The national food of the Bahamas is conch, pronounced konk, the large sea snail whose firm white meat turns up in almost every local dish. See our full guide to Bahamian food and conch. The place to try it is Arawak Cay, the cluster of brightly painted food shacks known as the Fish Fry, built on land reclaimed from the harbour in the late 1960s and about a ten-minute taxi ride from the port.

  • Conch salad: raw conch diced at the stall and dressed with lime, sour orange, onion and pepper, the signature dish.
  • Cracked conch and conch fritters: the meat battered and fried, served with hot sauce.
  • Sky juice and Bahama Mama: a coconut-and-gin local drink and the rum cocktail to wash it all down.

Getting Around and Practical Tips

A few details make a port day run smoothly:

  • Jitneys: the local buses are a cheap way to reach Cable Beach and the Fish Fry, and we cover the lines in our guide to Nassau jitney routes.
  • Taxis: fares run on fixed zone rates rather than meters, so agree the price before you set off, and note that drivers keep to the left.
  • Money: US dollars and Bahamian dollars are interchangeable at par, and cards are widely taken.
  • Booked excursions: for snorkelling trips, swimming with dolphins at Blue Lagoon and other organised tours, see our guide to Nassau shore excursions, and book the ship-sponsored ones if you are nervous about getting back before sailing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is there to do in Nassau on a cruise day?

Within a short walk of the cruise port you can climb the Queen’s Staircase to Fort Fincastle, visit the Pirates of Nassau Museum, barter at the Straw Market and tour John Watling’s rum distillery. Further afield lie the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, Cable Beach and the Arawak Cay Fish Fry, all reachable by a short taxi ride.

Is the Atlantis day pass worth it?

If you want the water park and aquarium and have a full day, the day pass at around 170 dollars buys a lot of activity for families. If you only want to look around, the Marina Village shops, restaurants and casino at Atlantis are free to visit without a pass.

What can I do in Nassau without spending much?

The Queen’s Staircase, Fort Fincastle, Parliament Square, John Watling’s tastings and Junkanoo Beach are all free or nearly free and within walking distance of the port. Conch salad at the Fish Fry and a barter at the Straw Market round out an inexpensive day.

What is Nassau’s pirate history?

From 1706 to 1718 Nassau was a pirate republic, a base with no real government used by Blackbeard, Charles Vane, Calico Jack Rackham and the women pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. British rule returned in 1718 when governor Woodes Rogers arrived with an offer of amnesty, ending the era.

Which beach is best from the cruise port?

Junkanoo Beach is the closest and most walkable, Cable Beach is the longest and calmest at about twenty minutes by taxi, and Cabbage Beach behind Atlantis on Paradise Island has the softest sand. Each suits a different kind of day.

Do I need to exchange money in Nassau?

No. The Bahamian dollar is pegged one to one with the US dollar and the two are used interchangeably across Nassau, so American visitors can spend dollars and receive change in either currency.

Sources and Further Reading

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