Most people who visit Nassau do so on a cruise ship, after all it’s one of the busiest cruise ports in the world. Now I’ve been to Nassau a number of times, all of them with my job as airline crew and I’ll be honest, I’ve never really explored as my time here is usually short. But this time as the weather wasn’t great I decided to get out and about. Here’s my guide on how to discover Nassau in just one day.
Parliament Square
So let’s start off in Parliament Square with its pastel pink colonial buildings and statue of Queen Victoria. The buildings house the House of Assembly of the Parliament of the Bahamas and were built in 1815 by Loyalist refugees from the United States in the British colonial style.
The Queen’s Staircase
About a 10 minute walk away up Elizabeth Avenue is the Queen’s Staircase. Sixty six steps carved out of solid limestone rock creating a direct route between Fort Fincastle and the city of Nassau. Six hundred slaves took sixteen years to dig out the staircase which was named in honour of Queen Victoria who abolished slavery on her ascension to the throne in 1837.
Fort Fincastle
Walk up the stairs taking in the view of the waterfall and once at the top head past the water tower to Fort Fincastle. The fort is constructed out of cut limestone and designed in the shape of a paddle steamer wheel. It was built in 1793 on the top of Bennet’s Hill to protect Nassau and its harbour by the then governor of the Bahamas, John Murray who named it after his title, Viscount Fincastle.
Walking around the fort is free and you can take a look at some of the large cannons that surround it which were never fired in battle. If you’d like to visit inside the fort you can but there is a small charge. You can find out more information here
Nassau Library & Government House
Leave the fort and head back down the Queen’s Staircase going back along Elizabeth Avenue until it crosses with Shirley Street. Here you’ll find the Nassau Public Library, originally a jail that was built in 1797 and was the first building to be constructed in Parliament Square. It has an unusual octagonal shape and was converted into a library, reading room and museum in 1879. The prison cells are now used to store books, documents and other historical artefacts.
Stay on Shirley Street and carry on to Duke Street to see Government House which is the official residence of The Governor General of The Bahamas.
Graycliff Heritage Village
From Government House and just a short walk away on West Hill Street is Graycliff Heritage Village. In this area you’ll find the historic Graycliff Hotel and various other brightly coloured buildings home to shops, bars and restaurants.
A little further along the road is the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas and John Watling’s Distillery which has been making rum since 1789. Free tours of the distillery are available and you can click here for more information.
Junkanoo Beach & Nassau Fish Fry
Head back down into the main part of Nassau on West Street and on to Junkanoo Beach – also known as Western Esplanade Beach. This is a free public beach but be aware it’s very popular with cruise line guests and gets very busy when there are several ships in. A great place to relax and enjoy some food and cocktails from one of the many places along the beach.
Keep walking for a few more minutes and you’ll end up in Arawak Cay and the Nassau Fish Fry. Here you’ll find many food stalls, bars and restaurants that serve fresh local seafood. It all kicks off here around lunchtime and gets busier in the late afternoon and evening.
Back to downtown
To get back into the downtown area of Nassau just walk back along Bay Street where there’s plenty of souvenir shops and a whole load of bars and restaurants. This is also where you’ll find the famous Straw Market where you can pick up some local craft items.
So that’s it, my guide on how to discover Nassau in just one day. Whether you’re on a cruise ship or like me visiting for another reason it’s definitely worth getting off that sun lounger and exploring, it certainly opened my eyes to a city that I knew very little about.
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