Nassau in the Bahamas

Island Paradise Is Just a Short Distance from USA

Nassau is found on New Providence, one of the 700 islands in the Bahamas archipelago that stretches from 50 miles east of Florida southeast towards Haiti. Nassau is the capital and largest city in the Bahamas, and has long been a popular cruise ship port of call. Cruise passengers can walk from the pier into downtown Nassau, and the city has lots of shops for visitors to browse or spend their money. Nassau also has a fascinating history, dating back to the 17th century pirates who roamed the Caribbean. Many of these photos were taken on a self-guided walking tour of Nassau.

Nassau tourists can participate in a wide variety of shore excursions, including historical, botanical, adventure, or water-related. Kayaking, snorkeling, parasailing, and diving are all fun and popular with visitors to Nassau. Many cruise passengers purchase a day pass to the Atlantis Resort Hotel, with its aquarium, lagoon, multiple swimming pools, shops, and casino.

I love snorkeling, and the Bahamas have some excellent places for snorkeling, both near Freeport and Nassau.

View of Nassau from the deck of the Carnival Fantasy cruise ship while on a cruise to the Bahamas from Charleston, SC.

Sailing into Nassau, I got this good photo of the sun rising over Paradise Island.

Downtown Nassau and the Nassau Water Tower are easy to see from the decks of the Carnival Fantasy cruise ship docked in Nassau.

Typical downtown street in Nassau. The colorful buildings give the city a cheerful, upbeat look.

Browsing through the market in Nassau is much the same as native markets elsewhere in the Caribbean and the Americas.

Like many former British colonies, Bahamian school children still dress in proper uniforms.

The Bahamaian Houses of Parliament are clustered around a Queen Victoria statue in Nassau's Parliament Square.

This statue of Queen Victoria stands outside the Bahamian Houses of Parliament in Nassau.

The Queen's Staircase in Nassau has 65 steps to the top; one for each year of her reign. The staircase is 102 feet tall and is carved from limestone. Nassau's Queen's Staircase was built by slaves in 1793-1794 to honor Queen Victoria. These old photos of the Queen's Staircase are very interesting.

The views of New Providence Island, Nassau, and Paradise Island from the Water Tower in Nassau are spectacular.

Fort Fincastle was built in 1793 to guard Nassau from Spanish invaders. The water tower offers great views of the city and island (for a fee).

Nassau's Fort Fincastle, built in 1793, is one of several historic forts on New Providence Island in the Bahamas.

Bahamas photo of the view of Paradise Island and the large Atlantis Resort from Fort Fincastle in Nassau

Fort Fincastle, which was built in 1793, offers good views of the Nassau harbor and Paradise Island.

Bright orange poinciana trees line the streets of Nassau. They are lovely, but have very messy blossoms.

The views of Paradise Island and the Atlantis Resort from Fort Fincastle are excellent.

The Atlantis Resort and Casino on Paradise Island near Nassau has fun activities for all ages. Big is the operative word to describe Atlantis. There is the largest casino in the Caribbean, a huge marine habitat, an enormous dinner theater, numerous pools, a golf course . . .Many cruise goers spend their day in Nassau exploring Atlantis.

Brilliant orange poinciana flowering trees are seen everywhere in Nassau, Bahamas

Isn't this a tempting sign? We all love to listen for the sea.

Snorkeling with sting rays in best known in Grand Cayman, but other islands such as the Bahamas offer tours for swimming/snorkeling with sting rays.

Ronnie and Linda Garrison petting a white sting ray at Sting Ray City near Nassau in the Bahamas. Photo was taken in 2001 - we've aged!