Also stopping at Grand Bahama Island? Check out what to do with one day in Freeport!

Nassau Know Before You Go

Money

The currency in the Bahamas is the Bahamian dollar, which is always a 1:1 conversion with the US dollar. For this reason most businesses will take American money, however be aware that you may get Bahamian coins for change! I recommend keeping small bills on you for paying to minimize the need for change when purchasing something.

Travel Advisories

There is currently a travel advisory for the Bahamas due to high rates of crimes like mugging, fraud and assault. Use common sense when traveling, and keep things like your passport well secured and don’t travel with expensive jewelry or large sums of cash. It is not recommended to walk alone at night and stay aware of your surroundings.

Language

The official language in the Bahamas is English.

Getting Around Nassau

There are plenty of things to do within walking distance of the cruise port, but if you decide to go further, you may need to take a taxi. Always ask the price before you get into a taxi, as they may try to charge you too much if you wait until you’ve arrived at your destination. Make sure to get into a marked taxi and don’t take drives from locals offering.

Cars drive on the left in the Bahamas, so you may not want to rent a car for this reason. Also be careful when crossing the streets!

Unfortunately there is no Uber or Lyft on the island.

Nassau Cruise Port

When you get off the cruise you’ll walk down a boardwalk into Festival Place. It is a gated area with some local vendors selling their crafts and other items. There are also a few food stands to grab something to eat. It’s not a big area, but it has some bathrooms, and also an information booth. You will have to show ID to get back into the gated area after exploring Nassau, and also to leave Festival Place to get back to the boardwalk that leads to the ship.

Things To Do In Nassau

So much to do, so little time! You might not be able to tackle all these things in one day, depending on how much time you spend at each spot. We personally booked an excursion through our cruise ship, and then spent some time exploring on our own.

Ardastra Zoo and Gardens

Open daily 9-5, last entrance at 4pm. Cost is $18.75 for adults, $9.50 for children 4-12 and free for those 3 and under.

The Ardastra Zoo and Gardens is the only zoo in the Bahamas! It is about a 10 minute drive from the cruise port. The most exciting thing to see here is the flamingos! Flamingos are the national bird of the Bahamas, and here at Ardastra zoo, they are trained to put on a little show for you. They also have peacocks, parrots, many reptiles, and some domesticated animals like pigs and goats. It’s a great place for kids to see some animals they might never see at home.

Fort Charlotte

$5 for adults, $2 for children under 12

Fort Charlotte was built in 1789 by the British, although it has never been used in battle. You can walk around the fort, and on Wednesday and Friday, starting a 11:30am there will be actors dressed in period costumes to give you an idea of what life would have been like living in the fort. Cannons will be fired off at 12 noon! There is also a small market before you enter the fort area, if you need to pick up a souvenir. It is a bit too far to walk from the cruise terminal, so you’ll likely have to take a taxi, but it is close to the Ardastra Zoo if you’ve just visited there.

Junkanoo Beach

Junkanoo beach, also known as the Western Esplanade Beach is the only beach that you can walk to from the cruise port. It takes approximately 15 minutes to walk there. Although the beach is small and can be crowded, they are many places to rent chairs from, and a few shacks to get food and drinks. The water is safe for swimming as well. Not the prettiest beach in the Bahamas, but it’s a good place to spend an hour or two relaxing before going on to the next thing.

Shopping on Bay Street

Bay Street is the main shopping street in Nassau, it won’t be too hard to find! It is just outside the gated Festival Place area. If you’re shopping for jewelry this is the place to do it! There are also many souvenir stores, clothing stores, restaurants and cafes. Be sure to stop in somewhere to buy some Tortuga rum cake to take home!

Straw Market

The Straw Market has an entrance on Bay Street, and it is the only place where you can negotiate the price. It is stuffed to the rafters with handmade items such as straw purses and hats, wood carvings, conch shell jewelry, and so much more.  

Pirates of Nassau Museum

Monday – Saturday 8:30am – 5:30pm

Sunday 9am – 2pm

$13.50 for adults, $6.75 ages 4-17

The Pirates of Nassau museum gives you a look inside the real pirates of the Caribbean, including the infamous Blackbeard. You can learn about the “Golden Age of Piracy” through this interactive museum. It is a bit on the smaller side but that just means more time to spend at the next place you visit. It is close to the cruise port, less than a 10 minute walk.

Queen’s Staircase

The Queen’s Staircase is located inside Fort Fincastle. It was hand carved out of limestone by slaves in 1793-1794, they were later named in honor of Queen Victoria. It is commonly referred to as 66 steps, however only 65 remain now. Fort Fincastle is free, but donations are appreciated. There are guided tours daily between 9am and 4pm. The Queen’s Staircase is about a 15 minute walk from the cruise port.

Parliament Square

If you’re interested in colonial architecture, you don’t want to miss Parliament Square! Built in 1815 by the Loyalists, these flamingo pink buildings are the House of Assembly, the Senate and the Supreme Court, as well as some offices. Located on Bay Street, it is not hard to find when walking by.

UpstateNYer [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there is no shortage of things to do when visiting Nassau for one day on your cruise! This doesn’t even include visiting things like Blue Lagoon Island and the Atlantis resort! If you’ve visited Nassau, let me know in the comments what you did.

Related post: Tips and Tricks for your First Cruise!

Know Before You Go

• The Bahamas has their own currency, the Bahamian Dollar, although it is tied to the US Dollar at a 1:1 ratio. For tourists this means that you can pay for anything you buy in USD. Be aware that you may get Bahamian coins back as change though! Many places in the Bahamas accept credit cards, but be aware that credit card fraud does happen and you may want to pay cash for any purchases.

• Cars drive on the left in the Bahamas! One of the reasons you may not want to rent a car during your stay in the Bahamas. Also be careful when you are crossing the road, make sure to look both ways.

• English is the official language in the Bahamas, so you should have no trouble communicating.

• June through November is hurricane season. There have been a few major hurricanes in recent years that have damaged these islands. Be aware that traveling during hurricane season may mean your itinerary changes to keep you safe!

• There is currently a travel advisory for the Bahamas due to high rates of crimes like mugging, fraud and assault. Use common sense when traveling, and keep things like your passport well secured and don’t travel with expensive jewelry or large sums of cash. It is not recommended to walk alone at night and stay aware of your surroundings.

• Many businesses have free Wi-Fi so you can keep in touch back home without the roaming charges!

When You Dock In Freeport

If you arrive by cruise ship, the dock area has some shops and restaurants for you to check out. The store that one of my family members bought from stored his purchase for the day so we didn’t have to drag it around all day, which was a nice touch!

If you don’t have any excursions booked, keep in mind there is not much to do right at the dock and nothing within walking distance. You’ll have to either take a cab or book an excursion to really experience the island.

Grand Bahama Island Things To Do

We booked an excursion through Norwegian Cruise Line which took us from the dock area into Freeport and Port Lucaya. All of these things can be done in one day, either on a tour or on your own by taking taxis.

Garden Of The Groves

The Garden of the Groves is a 12 acre botanical garden with walking trails. It was named after Wallace and Georgette Groves who were instrumental in the development of Port Lucaya. The gardens feature many native plants and birds, as well as a church and a small souvenir market and cafe. We took the guided tour that walked us around the gardens. Discussing plants and their uses in medicine, and the local history of the area. We had lunch in the cafe, and I have to recommend the local Goombay punch to drink, a locally made soda.

Garden of the Groves is open 7 days a week 9am-4pm and costs $17 for adults and $12 for children 4-11 if not entering as part of an organized tour from a cruise ship.

Port Lucaya Marketplace

The Port Lucaya Marketplace is a large open air shopping and dining facility. It has many shops operated by locals selling souvenirs, as well as stores like Pandora, and Harley-Davidson. There are many jewelry and perfume stores where you may buy items duty free to bring back home, just be aware of the limits for bringing items back to your country! If you buy alcohol to bring back home, when you head back to your cruise ship they will store your purchase until debarkation on the final day of your cruise, as drinking your own alcohol on board is not allowed.  

We always like looking at things that are handmade by locals, and one of our traditions while traveling is bringing home a Christmas ornament to remember our trip. We bought from Coconut Treasures, small store in the craft market section operated by local artist Gina Marche. Gina was such a joy to talk to and described what all her items were made from. We selected a seashell Christmas ornament that she made.

Lucaya Beach

A short walk from Port Lucaya Marketplace you can find Lucaya beach! If you walk toward the police station on Seahorse Road, you will then head down Seahorse Lane (which is not the same as Seahorse Ln, FYI!) It is more of a walking path/service road than an actual road. Here’s a map for you!

Once you arrive at the beach there will likely be locals offering you an umbrella or chairs for a fee. There were also jet-skis for rent but be aware that watersports are not well regulated in the Bahamas and it may be dangerous if you aren’t familiar with driving one.

The beach itself is beautiful, the sand is powdery and the water is warm and crystal clear. When you arrive I recommend heading to the left, because the main area was crowded. This beach used to be part of the Memories Grand Bahama resort, which was unfortunately damaged during a hurricane and never repaired.

Final Thoughts

Visiting Freeport on Grand Bahama for one day simply isn’t enough to see all the island has to offer, but you can get a good taste of it! There are many one day cruises from Miami to Grand Bahama, and Grand Bahama is also a common stop on many longer cruises. Let me know in the comments if I’ve missed any must dos on Grand Bahama Island.

Check out our other cruise related posts here:

• 2 Days In Miami Pre-cruise
• What To Do In Nassau
• Advice For First Time Cruisers
• Where To Stay In Fort Lauderdale Pre or Post Cruise