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If Nassau, Bahamas is on your cruise port schedule (or you’re just planning a visit), then be very excited! Nassau was our second favorite stop (after Half Moon Cay) on our cruise in partnership with Carnival.
It’s beautiful, laidback, fun, sunny, and warm! Not to mention all the options for activities you have. I mean, what’s not to love? There are so many things you could do and whether you’re visiting as a family or a couple, there’s something for everyone. In this post, I’ll dive into our experiences and what we did, as well as let you know of some other options!
Why You Should Be Excited if Nassau, Bahamas is On Your Cruise Schedule
Be excited about…
1. Junkanoo Beach
Junkanoo Beach is very popular and the closest to the cruise port so though it may be pretty busy, don’t let that stop you. The views are beautiful and the atmosphere is fun. The beach is lined with food and drink huts, music, and shops. It’s more a party beach than a quiet beach, but we enjoyed ourselves. Reggae music and a drink from a coconut are what beach vacations are made of. 😉
Even though it’s full of tourists (depending on the time of year), the food is cooked by locals right there on the beach and it’s really good. I don’t remember it being that expensive either!
It’s an easy and safe 10-15 minute walk from the cruise port. Just walk out and turn right. You can’t miss it. Easy peasy!
Be excited about…
2. Beautiful foliage, scenery, & buildings
Almost everywhere you turn you’re hit with beautiful flowers and colorful buildings! Even though I love neutrals, there’s just something about a vibrant display of colors to set the scene for the perfect tropical backdrop!
The Parliament buildings are especially a beautiful shade of pink, but they offer more than just beauty. There’s a lot of history in this little square and it’s something that a history buff would love to add to their itinerary.
Be excited about…
3. Straw Market/shops
The straw market was closed when we were there, but right outside there were tons of shops and I was thinking that could have been it instead. Sure, some of the shops were more “authentic” than others. One guy was carving right outside his tent while others were selling normal clothes. But still, it’s fun to look around and see what people are selling. Everyone will try to get you to go to their tent, but consider supporting a local!
It was near the cruise port too. Just exit and turn right. You’ll see it!
Be excited about…
4. Fruit stands
Coming across this fruit stand was a complete accident, but I felt like a local shopping for my fruit with the other locals. Just keep your eyes peeled for a fruit stand to get a healthy snack. And yes, I actually bought the orange I was holding. Please don’t just use locals for a photo op!
Be excited about…
5. Flamingo walk
I had read from a blog (can’t remember which one) that you can walk with flamingos in Nassau so I was going on blind blog faith that it was real. Well, it was! Every Wednesday at 9:30 am (accurate at the time of this post), the hotel, Baha Mar, lets out their flamingos for a walk.
To be honest, it’s a little underwhelming, as the employees walk right next to the flamingos the whole time (which is to be expected I suppose) and you just walk around the property. Honestly, I kinda felt like a kid being led on a nature walk haha. But I say be excited for it because if you get permission (like we did) to pop on their grounds and explore for a bit, it’s worth it because the resort is STUNNING. And of course, flamingos are beautiful creatures. If you’re in the area, sure, why not try to go to see them. But don’t fly in for it or anything!
Be excited about…
6. Junkanoo Beach/ Arawak Cay
I give this part two names because I’m not sure what to call it, but if you keep walking the path on Junkanoo beach, the crowd will thin out and you’ll be able to enjoy the area in peace. It’s like walking on a boardwalk and there are beautiful views, more food & drink options, and locals selling goods.
The path will lead you to Arawak Cay, which our taxi driver told us is where the locals eat. It’s a little street lined with buildings and you’ll have tons and tons of local food options. It’s hard to explain in text, but you’ll see more buildings and a path when you’re on Junkanoo Beach. Just follow it!
Be excited about…
7. Bay Street
People have likened this to Rodeo Drive and though I don’t think it’s that accurate, it’s still a fun street to walk up and down on and look at the shops. Then again, I haven’t been to Rodeo Drive, so who am I to talk?
From Bay Street, just take a side street and explore. That’s what we did and we came across a library and more. Walking without a plan is what we do in every new place because I think it’s one of the best ways to get a feel for where you’re at and discover gems!
You’ll have to be choosy with your time if you are visiting Nassau on a cruise. For our cruise, we had about 11 hours in Nassau. We had plenty of time to explore what we wanted in town, but we didn’t do any excursions and stuck around the area. We got to see a lot there and had extra time at the end of the day, but didn’t have enough time to see any of their other famous activities, such as:
- Swimming with the pigs
- Pink sand beaches
- Diving/Snorkeling
Titus thinks Nassau would be the place to spend money and do more excursions because the excursions seemed really fun here. If we were to do it again we’d probably pick 1 excursion and spend the rest of the time in town. I don’t think all the time is needed in town. I think it also depends on what day Nassau is in your schedule. It was our last stop and we were really tired and didn’t feel like doing all that much haha.
But just know there are options and there are a lot of fun things around Nassau!
Because of that, I think Nassau makes the perfect cruise port or stand-alone vacation. If you’re there for a short amount of time you can still get a taste of it, but you won’t get bored if you’re there for longer because you can start exploring the islands around it!
I hope this post is helping you plan your own trip to Nassau, Bahamas! Stay tuned for my next travel post! If you liked these photos, you’ll probably like all the ones in my Half Moon Cay post. Drop me a comment if you have any questions about our trip so far!
I’ll be doing an outfit roundup in a different post because I wore so many clothes haha!
*in partnership with Carnival Cruise Line
