With horse-drawn surreys in its streets, brightly colored buildings, and Bahamian music ringing, Nassau sets the mood for your Caribbean cruise vacation the moment you step ashore. Just 180 miles southeast of Miami, it’s the first stop for most cruise ships. From posh resorts, decadent restaurants, and lavish Vegas-style casinos to gorgeous tropical beaches, it’s difficult not to have a good time.

Nassau was burned to the ground by the Spanish in 1684, rebuilt 10 years later by the British, and was the hiding place of pirates, rum runners, ship wreckers, freed slaves, and religious refugees for centuries. Those topsy-turvy times helped shape the city and left it with a dynamic legacy and array of architecture.



Bay Street, Nassau’s main thoroughfare and a shoppers paradise, leads you to Parliament Square, the center of Bahamian government. Its beautifully preserved 19th century Colonial buildings surround a marble statue of Queen Victoria where much pomp and pageantry usher in each new parliamentary season. Balcony House, a historic landmark that’s the oldest wooden residential structure in Nassau, is a fully restored museum featuring interiors, furnishings, and home accessories from the early 18th century. Further along is historic Fort Charlotte, where you can wander through the underground tunnels and dungeons of this moat-protected complex from 1788.

Circle back to Bay Street to shop for luxury items at duty-free bargain prices, such as Rolex watches, high-end jewelry, perfume, china, and liquor. Then hit the world famous Straw Market, a mostly open-air market where you can bargain for Bahamian souvenirs and crafts with local merchants.

If you’re traveling with children, treat them to the interactive “Pirates of Nassau” museum, filled with pirate paraphernalia and a 75-foot, three-mast pirate ship. They’ll also enjoy the Seaworld Explorer, a large surface vessel with an underwater observatory deck providing close-up views of Sea Gardens Marine Park.

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