Compare Bahamas holidays

What to do in the Bahamas

Holidays in the Bahamas mostly revolve around its many spellbinding beaches. Beyond that, there’s a wide range of watersports, national parks and islands to discover. And more white-sand beaches, of course.

Scuba diving

With vast coral reefs, hulking sunken shipwrecks, and ethereal blue sinkholes, the Bahamas has some of the most spectacular and varied diving in the world. Dives range from the extreme – swimming with tiger sharks at Tiger Beach off Grand Bahama or descending one of the world’s deepest blue holes off Long Island – to shallow reef dives, such as those in the Exumas.

Advanced divers tend to flock to Andros, while beginners favour Nassau for its easy-to-access dive sites. For near-endless wreck diving, meanwhile, head to Eleuthera and Harbour Island.

Discover perfect beaches

If you’re a bona fide beach bum, you’ve come to the right place. White sand, pink sand, impossibly soft, no-filter-needed sand… the Bahamas’ beaches aren’t just beautiful, they’re pretty much perfect.

While almost every island has a fair claim to the “best beach in the Bahamas”, some are just that little bit more perfect than others. Top picks include Pink Sands Beach on Harbour Island, the beaches of Shroud Cay in the Exumas, Columbus Harbour Beach on Long Island, and Lucaya Beach in Freeport.

Harbour Island

Tiny Harbour Island makes good on the old cliché “good things come in small packages” – at about 5km by 2km (3.5 miles by 1.5 miles), it is not much more than a drop in the ocean.

Despite its miniscule size, Harbour Island has become one of the most popular (not to mention beautiful) isles in the Bahamas. Home to pink sand beaches, the sleepily serene Dunmore Town, and some of the best food across the entire archipelago, it’s an island built for relaxing. A holiday here is escapism, pure and simple.

Swim with wild pigs

The swimming swine of the Exuma islands have become an unlikely hit with Insta-obsessed travellers. You’ll find them splashing about the waters of Big Major Cay’s “Pig Beach” in the Exuma islands.

With the usual white sand, clear waters, and completely deserted vibes, the cay itself is half the attraction. Swim with them, get a selfie, and generally just enjoy the blissful surroundings. Many tour operators run boat trips out to Big Major Cay from most of the inhabited Exuma islands.

Blue Holes National Park

Deep underwater caves, known locally as blue holes, can be found all over the Bahamas, but nowhere are they as common and as concentrated as Blue Holes National Pak on the island of Andros.

The park covers 40,000 acres of protected nature reserve, where you can hike through lush tropical forest in search of these legendary vertical lagoons. Go for a swim in Captain Bill’s Blue Hole, one of the easiest to get to, and Cousteau’s Blue Hole, named after a certain Jacques.

Where to stay in the Bahamas

For families

With endless opportunities for watersports, snorkelling and lazy days by the beach, Grand Bahama is a great option for a family holiday in the Bahamas. Family-friendly resorts line the pristine shore of Lucaya, the island’s popular seafront district, offering a good range of accommodation and activities.

At nearby Freeport, you’ll find the Pirate Cove’s Zipline and Water Park, and the Garden of the Groves botanical garden, both very popular with kids. Less-crowded Great Exuma is another good option for families, with safe, stunning beaches pretty much the norm. Opt for an all-inclusive package to truly kick back and relax.

For travellers on a budget

A magnet for movie stars and tax-dodging millionaires, the Bahamas isn’t exactly known for cheap holidays. That said, some islands have better bargains than others. Being relatively close to Florida, New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama cater more to the mass market. As a result, you’ll find more mid-range hotels and resorts across these two islands. Both have major airports, so you’ll save on transfers to other islands, too.

Lesser-visited islands, such as Andros, Cat Island and Long Island, tend to have good value deals if you stay in the smaller, local-run B&Bs, but getting to these islands could raise costs.

For food and drink

Diminutive Harbour Island is packed with excellent restaurants, serving everything from the classic Bahamian conch salad to contemporary sushi. It’s the Bahamas’ foodie island, but such a title comes at a price – for you, that is. Expect the food to be exquisite and expensive.

For proper Bahamian eating – conch fritters, fried fish and chowder – look to the lesser developed islands, such as Andros, the Abaco Islands, and the Exumas, and local-run restaurants as opposed to eating in resorts and hotels. Once again, Nassau is worth a mention, particularly for the Fish Fry down at Arawak Cay.

For nightlife

Nassau is the Bahamas’ undisputed champion of nightlife. From laidback rum bars and boozy pubs to all-nighter dance clubs and high-end cocktail lounges, the islands’ capital has a well-earned party rep.

For a typical Bahamian night out, head down to Arawak Cay for the Fish Fry on the weekend. Expect live DJs, cheap local food, Bahamian banter, and lots of dancing. Alternatively, for something a little more chilled out, Freeport on Grand Bahama, and Alice Town’s famous “King’s Highway” street on Bimini, both have a decent nightlife.

For culture

Culture varies from island to island, and most have a handful of small museums and galleries to explore between beach days and scuba dives.

Being the biggest city, Nassau has the most variety, and top picks include Nassau National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB), the Heritage Museum of the Bahamas, and Pirates of Nassau. Perhaps the Bahamas’ most important museum, though, is the Pompey Museum of Slavery and Emancipation. Through a powerful collection of exhibitions and artefacts, this museum tells the story of enslaved people in the Bahamas.