Nassau Travel Guide, Bahamas

Holiday in The Bahamas can fulfill every dream. With its sandy beaches and its coral reefs The Bahamas draw one million visitors each year, tourism being thus the most important business, followed by banking (hundreds of bank and financial institutions can be found here) and shopping.

You can either visit the capital, Nassau or other large luxurious resorts on the island, on Cable Beach, such as Lyford Cay, South Ocean, Adelaide, Fox Hill, Marathon, Sound Beach. Don’t miss the Paradise Island nearby, joined to Nassau by several bridges that can be crossed on foot, by car or by taxi.

If you are interested in the historical city of Nassau visit the Government House and Parliament. Here you can witness every third Saturday of the month, a British founded custom, the “Changing of the Guard”. Religion is very important for the Bahamians, that is why you might be surprised by the big number of churches in town.

If you want to get the best in entertainment come to Nassau during June and July to see Junkanoo Summer Festival – a cultural festival where one can listen to contemporary Bahamian music or traditional storytelling, watch dramatic plays from the national theatre companies, play ancient games such as top spinning or box scooter riding and of course taste native dishes or fresh bread made by rock-oven bakers from the islands.

When it comes to music and fun Emancipation Day can also do the trick when you can expect to see the costume parades at carnival with its 200-400 paper costumes that dance on Junkanoo – a fusion of reggae and calypso. Or better, just join the parade and do the limbo dancing and vote the most beautiful girl in the beauty queen contest.

The most amazing and well-praised activity by the past visitors seems to be the Powerboat Adventure. A 1000 horsepower boat will take you and your family to the Exuma Cays to see marine life and swim with the stingrays. That is just a part of the trip on the Channel Cay where many other activities are waiting for you – check the native iguanas, eat fish dishes, drink the local cocktails, or swim in the warm and clear waters.

But the list of attractions is still long.

Rawson Square is the host for the local market, where every morning, except Sunday, you can buy fresh fish, mangoes, oranges, papayas, bananas, fresh herbs, limes, tomatoes or crimson-lipped conch. Conch is said to be the Bahamian’s favorite delicacy – try the fresh conch salad that the vendors can prepare on the spot. It is also the favorite souvenir – as the shell is dried out and later polished.

Rawson Square is not the only place where you can buy fish, there is also Potter’s Cay, just beneath the Paradise Island Bridge, where fishermen come and go to fetch the expensive catch – lobster, grouper, crab, jack, mackerel and other fish.

The Secret Garden – the Retreat, Village Road is home to the savage gardens on New Providence, of approximately 200 species of exotic palm trees, a fairy-tale oasis in the core of Nassau.

Even if the “Over-the-Hill” trip in the poor district of Nassau is said to be dangerous at night – most of the criminal incidents in Nassau take place here – go during daytime and have a look to the colorful houses of the descendants of former slaves. You can have a first-hand touch of the true Bahamian-African culture, feel the rhythm of the Junkanoo drum, buy some exquisite handcrafts or attend the Mass in one of the many churches in the area.