Are you planning on going to The Bahamas? All those pictures of turquoise water and white sandy beaches are stuck in your mind and you are wondering how long you should be going for?
This is the post for you! Once you have imagined yourself in such a dreamy paradise, it is hard to get those thoughts out of your mind. We will walk you through the optimal amount of time to spend in The Bahamas and what to do to make the most out of that time.
The Bahamas is a group 700 of islands located right in the Atlantic Ocean on southern direction from the state of Florida. There are inhabited and uninhabited islands in this group of islands being the largest one Andros Island and the smallest one Cat Island.
Although, The Bahamas group of islands are part of the Commonwealth nation like Australia, Canada and others, The Bahamas is defined as an island state, border free and politically independent from its other Commonwealth members.
Historically, The Bahamas were originally settled by the Siboney Indians, who used to trade with jewels and shells but they were displaced by another Caribbean born civilisation named the Lucayans. The Lucayan tribes were rapidly displaced and later exterminated by the Spanish Empire headed by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
The Spanish conquerors named these islands, “Gran Bajamar”, meaning, the Great shallows, as these islands are surrounded by reefs where ships and vessels used to get crushed against the coral reefs. Eventually, the name diverted into The Bahamas.
In 1670 Great Britain claimed The Bahamas after they left The Bermuda islands in seeking religious independence.
As the years went on, more conquerors arrived to these islands in hopes to claim them, as theirs and soon enough there were many ports used by pirates and army privateers, who found these reefy islands as the perfect place to thief and prey on vessels and other things going on.
In 1861 the American Civil War invaded The Bahamas causing an increase in the population numbers in a very short period of time and later from 1955 onwards the islands started becoming a big touristic destination, firstly, being visited by big company founders and contractors and slowly but progressively it become more accessible to the middle class citizens.
Today, The Bahamas is an incredible paradise, beautiful and very diverse country, known for the incredible year rounded warm weather, turquoise waters, sandy beaches, incredible food and overall a vibrant culture.
There are endless things to be done in The Bahamas with an incredible wide range of water activities and sports, country historical and touristic attractions and no limitations for relaxing and eye-indulging places for those who just want to be mindful and disconnect enjoying a place surrounded by beauty and palm trees.
Due to the history of The Bahamas, the different colonisation periods resulted in a very diverse Bahamian population, rich in culture and overall super friendly, easy going, relaxed people and always happy to help visitors to explore the country.
The Bahamian culture is a formidable mix of West African, European, American, and native Lucayan Indian influences, palpable everywhere in the islands, from Junkanoo drums, calypso, rake ’n’ scrape, colourful houses, the overarching Caribbean flavour (to really show visitors the original and real taste of Bahamian food) to the music and dance from the multiple festival through the year.
Deciding on how many days to spend in a destination is almost as hard as picking one location over another one! Judging the unique paradise that The Bahamas is, we get asked constantly how many days you should spend in The Bahamas?
If you want to know how many days is the optimal length and how to make the most out of 4 days in The Bahamas, keep on reading, as we will be describing how to do it in this blog post.
The right amount of days that you should spend in The Bahamas is 4 days. Although, there are many islands in The Bahamas groups of islands, really, there are only a couple that you think of when planning on visiting.
Our recommendation is to stay in Nassau, the capital of the country and located on the island of Providence, where you will have enough time to check out all the colonial sites of interest to learn about the Bahamian culture, the incredible white sand beaches and the “must do” day trips from Nassau. Below, is how 4 days in the Bahamas look like.
How to get from and around The Bahamas
Getting to The Bahamas
The Bahamas is a very well communicated and accessible group of islands, easily reachable by air and sea. Getting convenient and frequent flights to The Bahamas is not a difficult task, as there are 20 international airports in the country. Most of those flights happen in Nassau, Freeport in Grand Bahama and Eleuthera via Miami.
The biggest international airlines, like American Airlines, Delta, and British Airways, operate direct and non direct flights from big cities like Boston, Miami, NYC, London and many other cities around the world.
Moving around and in between the islands is also a very easy process, there are both constant flights and ferries to and from the main islands to the smaller ones.
The best domestic airlines to carry out this transportation are Bahamasair, Flamingo Air, Silver Airways, Makers Air, Western Airm among others.
As mentioned above, ferries are another convenient way to get to The Bahamas, especially, if going from South Florida. Most of the cruise ships come out of Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach and in less than two hours, you will reach the paradise islands.
Getting Around Bahamas
If wanting to explore The Bahamas properly, renting a car is the best way to move around. Also, it is easy and cost effective to do so by taxi. A great thing in The Bahamas is that taxis don’t run with a meter but instead, the government already has fixed rates for pretty much all the routes. The only thing you have to make sure to do is to agree with the driver before you hop on the taxi to avoid last minute surprises.
There are no Uber, Ola or any other ride-share apps in The Bahamas, so should keep in mind renting a car or preparing some of your budget allocation to get taxis.
However, if you plan on staying close-by the resort and only exploring occasionally, you can also get public transport, also called jitney buses. This is an excellent way to mingle with the locals and experience the island life. In this case, renting a car might no be the convenient, as gas and rentals can be pricey, if you are not going to fully make the most of it.
Also, please note, that U.S. driver's licenses are only valid for up to three months of driving in the Bahamas.
How long do you need in The Bahamas?
Nassau is the capital of The Bahamas, located in the island of New Providence. It is the most populated island in the archipelago, as more than 70% of citizens and residents live there.This means, there are tons of things to visit and see in Nassau before heading anywhere else.
The Bahamas is an incredibly rich country, due to its history, beauty and culture. It has endless things to offer. Deciding on how much time you wish to spend there, is going to depend on your holiday expectations and the kind of trip you seek. In this post, we give our recommendation to get the best, optimal experience and most popular 4 days itinerary.
Many tourists going to The Bahamas go on a company organised package, usually, through a cruise package trip (and this is great, nothing wrong!), but we would recommend that you focus not just in sunbathing, going after fun and beach time, but also, to really explore the culture of this place.
Less than four days in The Bahamas, is simply, not enough, neither if you stay only in Nassau, nor if you choose to visit other locations within the archipelago.
There are tons of islands in this country, more than 700 in fact! in which, there are endless activities to do, from water sports, like scuba diving and jet sky, to wildlife spotting, both in the pristine waters of the islands and in the land, to incredible culinary experiences. In other words, less than four days is just not enough!
The best way to start your four-day Bahamas journey, is by arriving in Nassau. Explore the capital city through its unique full of colour art, music and distinctive cuisine, to get the real taste of the colonial background of this marvellous place. The rich cultural origins of the country, makes it intriguing, enigmatic and a place to be visited with enthusiasm.
The mind-blowing white sandy beaches, with their beyond belief pristine blue waters, that islands like, The Grand Bahama offers, is definitely, the next step in this journey. This is for a good reason, Freeport, the main city in The Grand Bahama island, has a well earned popularity, due to its wide range of nightclubs, restaurants and many other options for entertainment.
It is, not only, packed with delightful places to eat and unwind, but also, it is the perfect place for those seeking nature encounters. The Grand Bahama is home of three wonderful national parks, well suited for this purpose.
The dreamy trip continues, as the following steps in this itinerary, will transport you to the no-less spectacular places of Exuma and/ or Eleuthera islands. There, you will be indulging doing unforgettable activities like swimming with sharks and swimming with pigs. Simply, an exquisite, once in a lifetime and well rounded experience!
The Bahamas in 4 days: Best itinerary starting in Nassau.
Day 1. Nassau.
Arrive in the earlier flight possible in your first day. There are plenty of things to do in the capital, among other things, checking out the Queen's Staircase and then walking to downtown Nassau. You will be immediately immersed into the colonial world by having a really pleasant stroll through the oldest streets in The Bahamas. In downtown, you can also visit areas that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, like Fort Fincastle. There are other very interesting places to check out to learn a bit more about the origins of the country, like Pirates of Nassau Museum, Parliament Building and Government House.
Continue your day heading to the Straw Market on Bay Street, where all the colourful stands will give you the hint of what The Bahamas are all about. There, you can find all sorts of amazing hand made jewellery, hand crafts, hats and other beautiful thing, where you can contribute to the local economy by purchasing some of those items!
You will also find local food stands, where you can try incredible Bahamian delicacies, like conch salad or crab claws.
If you are feeling hungry and want to try more of the local cuisine, go ahead and walk over to the Fish Fry, where there are more than 20 colourful and lively restaurants serving Bahamian specialty dishes, paired with tasty local Kalik beer. It is quite a vibe!
Later in the day, you can grab some snorkelling gear and explore the wonders of the sea at Junkanoo Beach.
Round up your day by having dinner in town!
Day 2. The Grand Bahama Island.
Grand Bahama is by far one of most evolved islands in the country. It is recommended to explore it by taxi. Our advise is to allocate time in the day to explore one of the national parks listed below and the rest of the day to explore the stretches of the island, getting some snorkelling and dips in.
Make sure you try some of the restaurants and shacks along the island, where you can get amazing fresh juices and local seafood dishes.
LUCAYAN NATIONAL PARK
Lucayan National Park is the biggest and most visited park in The Grand Bahama Island. It is a gorgeous area, where you can have a panoramic view of the islands surrounded by pine trees, mangroves and orchids. The park is famous for being home for the longest underwater cave, making it the perfect place for divers.
THE RAND NATURE CENTER
This is the perfect place to get to visit Freeport, as this park is a small one but full of beauty. It is home for incredible bird life, as well as, all sorts of endemic plants.
PETERSON CAY NATIONAL PARK
If you are the snorkeler type of tourists, we, definitely, recommend going to this park. It is packed with shallow bars and coral reefs, where the most beautiful tropical fish and coral reside. It is also not uncommon to spot manta rays, stingrays and even barracudas in such an excellent visibility!
Day 3. Exuma.
Visiting Exuma, and more specifically, Pig Island, is simply, a must, when travelling to the Bahamas. There are tons of companies that will coordinate these escapes for you to reach there and have a great day.
In pig island you will have a wonderful day feeding and swimming with gorgeous pigs that live there! They are quite friendly and cuddly. It was by far, the highlight of our visit there! Not only, you can swim with pigs, but also, you will spot and feed wild rock iguanas and last but not least, you will swim with sharks!
If in season, you will get lucky and spot whales and dolphins swim by, as you are relaxing under the palm trees in the Exuma’s exotic beaches.
To conclude your day, as you will get back to Nassau late in the day, head over to Baha Mar, to indulge in great food and cocktails to finish off with the right tone.
Day 4. Nassau. Alternatively, Eleuthera Island.
For your last day in The Bahamas, make sure your flight is late in the day to make the most out of your day 4. We recommend to go diving with reef sharks in Stuart’s Cove in Nassau. This will take around 3 to 4 hours and the sharks are pretty huge!
Lastly, finish off with a great taste in your mouth by having an amazing meal at Graycliff. Well deserved 5 start dinning restaurant.
As an alternative, if you are not the diver kind, you could swap this day’s itinerary, with a day-trip escape to Eleuthera Island, instead.
It is a beautiful island, most known for its fishing opportunities and fishing excursions. It is also loaded with beautiful beaches and places to explore, like, Lucayan Beach, Harborside Village and New Plymouth. There, you will find a fairly good snorkelling areas in the shallow reefs, where you can spot a lot of wildlife.
There you go! Now you know and have a better idea of how much time you should spend in The Bahamas and the best way to spread out your time in the country. Go ahead and plan your trip to this paradise, where you will make unforgettable memories!