Nassau Travel Guide
Travel guide to Nassau, The Bahamas with comprehensive information about events, shopping, and major Nassau sporting events to help you enjoy your visit more.
Nassau Overview
The capital city of the Bahamas, Nassau is located on New Providence Island, the most popular of the Bahamian islands.
The Bahama's themselves have become a major tourist destination for the well heeled traveller, and Nassau is the main place to stay as it combines the most wonderful sandy beaches and idyllic settings with a cosmopolitan city setting, outstanding nightlife and some fantastic hotels.
The city has been a busy place since the 17th century when the British founded it as a port. It then became a popular place for pirates and the Spanish also held it for a while - its location meant it was a regular stop off point for ships travelling further afield, so it had major significance during this period of history. There are now museums explaining all about this and they are well worth visiting.
With a population of some 180,000 people Nassau has a lot of that number working in the tourist industry, but there is also a major financial industry here, with banks offering attractive services to those with sufficient funds. Between these two high profile commercial activities there are still many local people who live a more simple existence, taking an easy pace and enjoying the days here as everyone should.
Top Nassau Attractions
Taking a break from the natural beauty of the beaches there are a number of excellent museums in the city that shed light on different aspects of the island's history. The Pirates of Nassau Museum for example brings to life those times and puts into context the part the city and islands played.
Shopping in Nassau
Bay Street is the main shopping thoroughfare and is home to a wide variety of retailers, from the home spun wares of locals through to brand names such as Gucci and Fendi. The prices, being tax free, are also worthy of note being up top half the price of those elsewhere.
Nassau Sporting Events
Surrounded by the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean it is no surprise to find the water playing a key role in the areas leisure activities. Snorkeling and diving are especially prevalent here since the water is so clear and warm, allowing divers to see things they would be unable to see elsewhere. Water skiing is also popular, as are the other main water based sports. They are driven very much by tourist demand, but as a year round destination there is no shortage of visitors.
