For us the Bahamas usually begins as one stop on a cruise or as an add-on to an American trip, and then a person comes back and says you have to go there on its own. Seven hundred islands, swimming pigs, pink sand and the world’s most turquoise water are all in one place. That does not fit into a one-day stop. The country is visa-free for three months for a citizen of Azerbaijan, but there is a trap: if the route goes through Miami, it is impossible to travel without a US visa. In this article I have gathered the islands and the route. The transport, the season and the prices are here too.
The Bahamas in brief
| Capital | Nassau, on New Providence island |
| Language | English |
| Currency | Bahamian dollar, pegged 1:1 to the US dollar; dollars work everywhere |
| Visa | 3 months visa-free for citizens of Azerbaijan |
| Best time | December–April; June–November the hurricane season |
| Flights | Via London or the USA; US transit requires a visa |
| Daily budget | 250–300 dollars at a mid-range level |
The Bahamas: Nassau, Paradise Island and the out islands
Nassau is the capital and the cruise port: colonial houses, the Queen’s Staircase, the straw market. The city itself is a day; on the day a ship comes in the streets fill, and when it leaves they go quiet. Paradise Island, which you cross to by bridge, is the island of the famous Atlantis resort, and with its aquarium and water park it is the Caribbean’s biggest entertainment place for families with children — though the prices match.
The real Bahamas, though, is in the places they call the «out islands». Exuma is made up of 365 cays, and the swimming pigs of Big Major Cay and its transparent lagoons are the main subject of the catamaran tours. Harbour Island is the smartest island with its pink sand beach; there are no cars there and everybody gets about by golf cart. Eleuthera is quiet and relatively cheap, Andros is the island of blue holes for divers, and Abaco is the place for yachtsmen. Choosing one island and staying three or four days is better than calling at them all.
How to reach the Bahamas and the US transit
The great majority of flights to Nassau come from the USA: an hour from Miami and three hours from New York. But the USA wants a visa even for transit, so the route for an Azerbaijani without an American visa goes through London.
British Airways flies direct from London to Nassau and the journey is nine and a half hours. As long as you do not leave Heathrow’s transit zone, no UK visa is needed.
If you do have an American visa, going via Miami or Orlando is both cheaper and more comfortable, and on top of that you can add the Bahamas to a Florida holiday. A ticket to Nassau on the London option changes considerably if you shift the date by a few days, and that is worth checking.
Transport between the islands
Between Nassau and the out islands Bahamasair and small airlines fly, the journey takes 30–60 minutes and the ticket is 100–200 dollars. There is a fast ferry to Exuma and Harbour Island too; it takes two or three hours and, when the sea is calm, is pleasanter than the flight.
Taxis in Nassau have no meters, so agree the price before getting in. From the airport into the city they ask 30–35 dollars, while the local «jitney» buses run for a dollar and a half.
A car is not needed in Nassau, while on the out islands it is hired for 70–90 dollars a day and traffic drives on the left. For those arriving by cruise ship, Nassau and the cruise line’s own island are a one-day stop.
Food: conch, rock lobster and the Fish Fry
The star of Bahamian cooking is the sea snail called conch, which comes your way everywhere as a salad, a fried fritter and a soup; the first time you hesitate, the second time you order it yourself. Rock lobster, grilled fish and peas and rice are the main dishes, and «guava duff» is the traditional dessert. In Nassau the Fish Fry quarter called Arawak Cay is where the local restaurants gather and is twice as cheap as the resort restaurants, with lunch at 15–20 dollars. Dinner at a resort is 60–80 dollars, and on top of that they add 15 per cent service to the bill themselves. There is practically no halal food, while fish and seafood are everywhere.
Read next: Do you need a visa for the Bahamas? Visa-free entry and the US transit trap
Season and weather
December to April is the dry season, the weather is 24–28 degrees and the water 24. It is at the same time the dearest and the fullest period. Especially at Christmas and during the March holiday it gets hard to find a place. May-June is warm and quiet, and that is the time I would choose. June to November is the hurricane season, August–October is the riskiest, the hotels give discounts, but your insurance must definitely include cancellation because of a hurricane. And know this too: Nassau lies north of the other Caribbean islands, so in January-February the water is a little cool. Hotel and ferry information for each island is on the Bahamas.com portal.
The Bahamas budget
The Bahamas is one of the most expensive places in the Caribbean, because practically everything is brought by ship from the USA. In Nassau a hotel is 200–300 dollars and small hotels on the out islands 150–250, while Atlantis starts at 400. The prices double with the season, so compare the dates.
The programmes are expensive too. A day catamaran from Nassau is 100–150 dollars and the swimming pigs tour in Exuma comes to 200–250; you have to book the boat in advance, because the small groups fill up fast. Excluding the flight, a week-long trip starts at 4000 dollars for two people.
The cheap option is a cruise. In Caribbean cruise tour programmes the ships leaving Miami call at Nassau and private islands, but that option again requires a US visa — the circle comes back to the same place.
Frequently asked questions about the Bahamas
Are the Bahamas safe?
The tourist zones and the out islands are quiet. In Nassau do not go beyond the centre at night, and when hiring a jet ski choose an official operator — that is all.
Where are the swimming pigs?
In Exuma, on Big Major Cay. You go by a day speedboat tour from Nassau, or fly to George Town and hire a local boat.
How many days is enough?
Three or four days for Nassau and Paradise Island, and seven together with one out island. When the journey is this long, a shorter trip does not pay.
In closing
The Bahamas is a visa-free but expensive destination with a tangled route: the London route works for those without an American visa and the Miami route for those with one. The entry rules are gathered on the Bahamas page, and to build the transit and the route plan together, fill in the application form.
Note: the prices and timetables here are as of the publication date and can change with the season.
