Multi-Day Plans Using Nassau as a Hub

Before you commit to nights away. The US State Department lists The Bahamas at Level 2, “Exercise Increased Caution”, mainly for crime. The FCDO adds that water sports are poorly regulated and that sharks can strike without warning. That matters most if your plan includes small boats or remote cays. Read both sets of advice first: the US advisory and the FCDO safety page .

Nassau does not run overland multi-day tours. New Providence is flat and small, and the sights on the island fit into two or three days. A longer stay therefore means one of three things: leaving by sea or air, taking a ferry to another island, or keeping a hotel in Nassau and treating each day as a separate outing. This page covers all three. Prices are in Bahamian dollars, which equal US dollars, and several come from listings, not operators.

One week on a dive liveaboard

Aqua Cat Cruises, part of All Star Liveaboards, runs a 102-foot dive catamaran on seven-night Exuma Cays itineraries that leave from Nassau. Listings quote about $2,400 to $2,900 per person, with a government port fee reported at $395 for 2026 added on top. Ask the operator for the total. Crossings to the Exumas by small fast boat are open water, so a liveaboard or a flight is a steadier choice.

Flying to the Exumas

The flight from Nassau to Staniel Cay takes about 40 minutes with Bahamas Air Tours, and scheduled services are described as 30 to 40 minutes. The operator’s packaged trip is a single day at $850 per person, so any overnight stay on the cays has to be arranged separately. The swimming pigs at Big Major Cay are about 70 to 75 nautical miles from Nassau. Tourist feeding there was restricted after several pigs died in 2017. Details are on the Bahamas Air Tours page .

Ferry or flight to Harbour Island

Harbour Island lies about 60 miles from Nassau. Bahamas Ferries departs from Potter’s Cay Dock, and its undated FAQ mentions a Friday to Sunday sailing at 8am with fares of $135 one way and $250 return. Treat those numbers as possibly out of date. Since the timetable rules out a same-day return, book at least one night. The company’s site is bahamasferries.com .

Staying in Nassau and branching out

For most visitors this is the simplest plan. Choose one base and give each day to a different outing:

  1. Downtown on foot, with the forts, the squares and the galleries.
  2. Rose Island or Blue Lagoon Island by boat.
  3. Clifton Heritage National Park by taxi or hire car.
  4. An evening at the Arawak Cay Fish Fry on West Bay Street.

The two-day itinerary and the six-day itinerary show how those pieces fit together over different lengths of stay.

Choosing where to sleep

Downtown puts you near the cruise port, Bay Street and the walking circuit. Cable Beach and Paradise Island are resort areas away from the old town, and each needs a taxi to reach downtown. Taxis charge government zone fares without meters, so agree the total first. Unofficial airport figures run about $30 to $40 to central Nassau, $30 to $35 to Cable Beach and $45 to $55 to Paradise Island, with the bridge toll extra. Jitneys do not serve the airport or Paradise Island.

Weather and timing

The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from 1 June to 30 November, and the peak runs from mid-August to mid-October. Storms can ground flights and cancel boats, so keep dates flexible and read the cancellation terms of anything that is hard to rebook. Driving is on the left.

Search Nassau places to stay to compare hotels.

Read more: day trips from Nassau and the seven-day Nassau itinerary .