Your Trip to the Bahamas: The Complete Guide SEE FULL GUIDE prev next Your Trip to the Bahamas: The Complete Guide Best Time to Visit Weather & Climate Lynden Pindling International Airport Guide Best Hotels in the Bahamas Best Hotels in Nassau 48 Hours in the Bahamas Day Trips From Nassau Top Things to Do in the Bahamas Best Things to Do in Nassau The Bahamas' Best Beaches Snorkeling in the Bahamas Shopping in the Bahamas Bahamian Food to Try Nassau's Best Restaurants Best Bars in the Bahamas Your Trip to the Bahamas: The Complete Guide close Overview Caribbean Bahamas Nassau in the Bahamas By Linda Garrison Linda Garrison Linda Paull Garrison is a travel writer who has taken over 150 cruises and spent over 1,100 days at sea. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 06/06/19 Share Pin Email Mary Margaret Duncan Jones 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. 01 of 28 Nassau Sunrise Nassau in the Bahamas (c) Linda Garrison Sailing into Nassau, I got this good photo of the sun rising over Paradise Island. Continue to 2 of 28 below. 02 of 28 Downtown Nassau and the Nassau Water Tower Nassau Photo Courtesy of Mary Margaret Duncan Jones Downtown Nassau and the Nassau Water Tower are easy to see from the decks of the Carnival Fantasy cruise ship docked in Nassau. Continue to 3 of 28 below. 03 of 28 Downtown Nassau in the Bahamas Typical downtown street in Nassau. The colorful buildings give the city a cheerful, upbeat look. Continue to 4 of 28 below. 04 of 28 Nassau Straw Market Nassau Photo Courtesy of Mary Margaret Duncan Jones Browsing through the market in Nassau is much the same as native markets elsewhere in the Caribbean and the Americas. Continue to 5 of 28 below. 05 of 28 Nassau School Girls in Uniform Nassau Photo Courtesy of Mary Margaret Duncan Jones Like many former British colonies, Bahamian school children still dress in proper uniforms. Continue to 6 of 28 below. 06 of 28 Nassau Parliament Square Nassau Photo Courtesy of Mary Margaret Duncan Jones The Bahamaian Houses of Parliament are clustered around a Queen Victoria statue in Nassau's Parliament Square. Continue to 7 of 28 below. 07 of 28 Nassau Parliament Square Nassau Photo Courtesy of Mary Margaret Duncan Jones This statue of Queen Victoria stands outside the Bahamian Houses of Parliament in Nassau. Continue to 8 of 28 below. 08 of 28 Queen's Staircase in Nassau Nassau, Bahamas (c) Linda Garrison 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. Continue to 9 of 28 below. 09 of 28 Queen's Staircase in Nassau Nassau, Bahamas (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 10 of 28 below. 10 of 28 Queen's Staircase in Nassau Nassau, Bahamas (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 11 of 28 below. 11 of 28 Queen's Staircase in Nassau Nassau, Bahamas (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 12 of 28 below. 12 of 28 Nassau Water Tower Nassau, Bahamas (c) Linda Garrison The views of New Providence Island, Nassau, and Paradise Island from the Water Tower in Nassau are spectacular. Continue to 13 of 28 below. 13 of 28 Nassau Water Tower Nassau Photo Courtesy of Mary Margaret Duncan Jones Continue to 14 of 28 below. 14 of 28 Fort Fincastle and Nassau Water Tower Nassau Photo Courtesy of Mary Margaret Duncan Jones 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). Continue to 15 of 28 below. 15 of 28 Nassau - Fort Fincastle Nassau, Bahamas (c) Linda Garrison Nassau's Fort Fincastle, built in 1793, is one of several historic forts on New Providence Island in the Bahamas. Continue to 16 of 28 below. 16 of 28 Cannons at Fort Fincastle in Nassau Nassau Photo Courtesy of Mary Margaret Duncan Jones Continue to 17 of 28 below. 17 of 28 View of Paradise Island from Fort Fincastle in Nassau, Bahamas Nassau Photo Courtesy of Mary Margaret Duncan Jones Bahamas photo of the view of Paradise Island and the large Atlantis Resort from Fort Fincastle in Nassau Continue to 18 of 28 below. 18 of 28 Fort Fincastle in Nassau Nassau Photo Courtesy of Mary Margaret Duncan Jones Fort Fincastle, which was built in 1793, offers good views of the Nassau harbor and Paradise Island. Continue to 19 of 28 below. 19 of 28 Poinciana at Fort Fincastle in Nassau, Bahamas Nassau, Bahamas (c) Linda Garrison Bright orange poinciana trees line the streets of Nassau. They are lovely, but have very messy blossoms. Continue to 20 of 28 below. 20 of 28 Paradise Island and the Atlantis Resort Complex from Fort Fincastle in Nassau Nassau, Bahamas (c) Linda Garrison The views of Paradise Island and the Atlantis Resort from Fort Fincastle are excellent. Continue to 21 of 28 below. 21 of 28 Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island near Nassau in the Bahamas Nassau, Bahamas (c) Linda Garrison 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. Continue to 22 of 28 below. 22 of 28 Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas Nassau, Bahamas (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 23 of 28 below. 23 of 28 Atlantis Resort Nassau Atlantis Resort Nassau Photo Courtesy of Mary Margaret Duncan Jones Continue to 24 of 28 below. 24 of 28 Nassau Graffiti or Is It Art? Nassau, Bahamas (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 25 of 28 below. 25 of 28 Poinciana Flowering Tree Nassau Photo Courtesy of Mary Margaret Duncan Jones Brilliant orange poinciana flowering trees are seen everywhere in Nassau, Bahamas Continue to 26 of 28 below. 26 of 28 Nassau Welcome Sign Isn't this a tempting sign? We all love to listen for the sea. Continue to 27 of 28 below. 27 of 28 Snorkeling and Swimming with Sting Rays Lagoon near Nassau Nassau, Bahamas (c) Linda Garrison 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. Continue to 28 of 28 below. 28 of 28 Snorkeling and Swimming with Sting Rays in Nassau Nassau, Bahamas (c) Linda Garrison 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! Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit