Nassau
Nassau in October costs less than half what February does
October is the cheapest month to sleep in Nassau, a median near $232 a night, and February is the dearest at $577. The first half of October still sits inside the hurricane peak, so book from the middle of the month, or go late in November once the season has closed.
Courtyard by Marriott Nassau Downtown/Junkanoo Beach, check prices
Courtyard by Marriott Nassau Downtown/Junkanoo BeachDowntown, 5 min walk to Junkanoo Beach$230 a nightCheck prices was $230 a night and rated 8.0 when we checked, five minutes on foot from Junkanoo Beach.
Eat conch salad at the Arawak Cay Fish Fry, chopped in front of you for about $12, then try Danny’s Den on Potter’s Cay Dock, which makes it as hot as you ask. Carry exact change for the jitney, because the drivers don’t make change.
Quick facts
- Best time
- Late November to mid-December, then May
- Days needed
- 4-5 days
- Stops
- 1 stop
- Cheapest month
- December · $265/night see costs
- Where to sleep
- Courtyard by Marriott Nassau Downtown/Junkanoo Beach, check pricesCourtyard by Marriott Nassau Downtown/Junkanoo BeachDowntown, 5 min walk to Junkanoo Beach$230 a nightCheck prices · $230 a night
When to go and what it costs
Nassau’s hotel prices swing hard through the year. October is the cheapest month at a median near $232 a night and February the dearest at $577, so the storm months cost less than half the peak. The discount has a reason. October still sits inside the hurricane window, and Hurricane Matthew hit the island’s west end in October.
Late November into the middle of December is the pick. Hurricane season closes on the 30th and the rain eases off, with days around 26C to 27C (79F to 81F). December’s median was the second lowest of the year when we checked in September 2026, and it holds until Junkanoo and New Year push it up at the end.
May is the other window. The rate drops about a third off April and the weather hasn’t turned yet.
October is where the money is. Its median is less than half of February’s, and the second half of the month is usually calmer than the first. Matthew came across the west of New Providence in October 2016, though, so that discount has a reason attached.
February to April is the expensive stretch, dry and full, with spring break on top of the winter crowd.
| Month | Avg nightly hotel |
|---|---|
| January | $357 $23 below the annual average |
| Peak Dry, with highs near 25C (77F). Junkanoo has just run and winter ships crowd the port on Tuesdays and Fridays. Dear, but well short of February. | |
| February | $577 $197 above the annual average |
| Peak The dearest median of the year, dry and mild at 25C (77F). The room-only quartile sits at under half the median, so the resorts set this price. | |
| March | $471 $91 above the annual average |
| Peak Spring break, and the driest month of the twelve. Around 26C (79F). Loud on the resort strips and priced to match. | |
| April | $518 $138 above the annual average |
| Peak Easter lands on top of spring break. Warm, 27C (81F), and still dry. The second dearest month. | |
| May | $348 $32 below the annual average |
| Best value About a third off April and the weather barely changes, near 29C (84F). The last dry month before the rains. | |
| June | $370 $10 below the annual average |
| Storm season opens on the 1st, though June strikes are uncommon here. Showers start, 31C (88F). One or two ships a day in port. | |
| July | $405 $25 above the annual average |
| US school holidays push the median back over $400. Hot and humid at 32C (90F), with short afternoon storms. | |
| August | $402 $22 above the annual average |
| Storm risk climbs in the second half and the rate barely comes off July. 32C (90F), and one of the two wettest months. | |
| September | $328 $52 below the annual average |
| Peak of the season, wet, 31C (88F). Dorian hit Abaco in September 2019. Sampled twelve months out, so read the median loosely. | |
| October | $232 $148 below the annual average |
| Cheapest month of the year, 29C (84F). Matthew crossed the west end in October 2016, so insure the first half. The second half is the value. | |
| November | $285 $95 below the annual average |
| Best value Season closes at the end of the month and the rain eases, 27C (81F). Still under $300, and the risk fades as the month goes on. | |
| December | $265 $115 below the annual average |
| Best value Dry and calm at 26C (79F). Soft for three weeks, then Junkanoo on Boxing Day and New Year push the rate up hard. | |
BELL At The Airport Suites – No Smoking & Adults Only – Free Airport Transportation
Blue Ocean Village
Simply Native B And B
Orange Hill Beach Inn
The Colony Club Inn & Suites
Courtyard by Marriott Nassau Downtown/Junkanoo Beach
Ocean West Boutique Hotel
British Colonial – Nassau
The Coral at Atlantis
Margaritaville Beach Resort – Nassau
The Royal at Atlantis
The Reef at Atlantis
Warwick Paradise Island- All Inclusive- Adults Only
The Island House
Grand Hyatt Baha Mar
Goldwynn Resort & Residences
The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas
Rosewood Baha Mar
below average above average
What a day costs
Shoestring in Nassau is about $95 a day each, with a B and B room, conch at the Fish Fry and the jitney. Mid is nearer $175, half a room at the downtown Courtyard and one boat trip in the week. Comfort runs to about $420 with the all-inclusive Warwick on Paradise Island and taxis whenever you like.
Shoestring
$95/day
Half of the $94 bed and breakfast room, the cheapest in this search, conch salad at the Fish Fry or Potter’s Cay for most meals, jitneys at a dollar or two a ride with exact change, and the free side of the island from Saunders Beach to the John Watling’s tour.
4-day trip · $380
Mid-range Most readers
$175/day
Your half of a $230 night at the Courtyard downtown, a sit-down lunch and a Fish Fry dinner each day, a taxi when the jitneys stop, and one boat in the week, the $123 Rose Island run with lunch on board.
4-day trip · $700
Comfort
$420/day
Half of a $577 night for two at the Warwick on Paradise Island, with every meal and drink in it. On top of that the $189 boat, taxis over the bridge whenever you like, the trolley tour, and the sunset dinner cruise one night.
4-day trip · $1,680
| Shoestring | Mid-range Most readers | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per day | $95/day | $175/day | $420/day |
| Includes | Half of the $94 bed and breakfast room, the cheapest in this search, conch salad at the Fish Fry or Potter’s Cay for most meals, jitneys at a dollar or two a ride with exact change, and the free side of the island from Saunders Beach to the John Watling’s tour. | Your half of a $230 night at the Courtyard downtown, a sit-down lunch and a Fish Fry dinner each day, a taxi when the jitneys stop, and one boat in the week, the $123 Rose Island run with lunch on board. | Half of a $577 night for two at the Warwick on Paradise Island, with every meal and drink in it. On top of that the $189 boat, taxis over the bridge whenever you like, the trolley tour, and the sunset dinner cruise one night. |
| 4-day trip | $380 | $700 | $1,680 |
How long do you have?
Four or five days covers Nassau. Three gets you downtown before the ships and one Rose Island boat, and five adds the No. 10 jitney west to Fort Charlotte and Saunders Beach, and Love Beach for free snorkelling. A week leaves room for Paradise Island on foot and one of the Bahamas National Trust gardens.
3 days · A long weekend downtown
- Day 1 the taxi in, Junkanoo Beach and the Fish Fry at Arawak Cay.
- Day 2 the Queen’s Staircase, Fort Fincastle, Pompey Museum and John Watling’s before the ships.
- Day 3 the Rose Island boat, back in time for an evening flight.
5 days · Town, one boat and the west
- Days 1-2 downtown and Junkanoo Beach, with Potter’s Cay one evening.
- Day 3 Rose Island for the pigs and the turtles.
- Day 4 the No. 10 jitney to Fort Charlotte, Arawak Cay, Saunders Beach and Cable Beach.
- Day 5 Love Beach from the free path, then the airport.
7 days · The week, with Paradise Island
- Days 1-5 as the five-day plan, at a slower pace.
- Day 6 Paradise Island on foot and Cabbage Beach by the public path.
- Day 7 the Retreat Garden or Primeval Forest, then the flight.
Suggested itinerary
Land in Nassau and eat at the Arawak Cay Fish Fry. Day two is downtown before the ships, with the Queen’s Staircase and Pompey Museum. Day three is the Rose Island boat and Potter’s Cay at dusk. After that comes the jitney west to Fort Charlotte and Love Beach, Paradise Island on foot, and a garden before the flight.
Day 1 · Land and find the Fish Fry
There’s no bus stop at the terminal, and flagging a jitney at the roundabout with luggage isn’t worth it. Taxis charge fixed zone fares for two, from about $30 to Cable Beach and $45 to Paradise Island plus the toll, and Uber doesn’t operate. Agree the fare before you get in.
Drop the bags and swim at Junkanoo Beach if you’re downtown. In the evening walk out to Arawak Cay, about 25 minutes from the cruise port, and order conch salad at the Fish Fry. They chop it in front of you with lime and a lot of pepper, for about $12.
Day 2 · Downtown before the ships
Check the port schedule first. In winter the harbour can hold seven or eight ships on Tuesdays and Fridays, and in storm season it’s usually one or two, so Bay Street is quieter now.
Climb the Queen’s Staircase early, 65 steps cut out of the limestone by enslaved labour in the 1790s, and pay $3 for Fort Fincastle at the top. Pompey Museum on Bay Street opens at 9:30am, $3 for adults, inside the old Vendue House where enslaved Africans were sold.
Finish on Delancy Street at John Watling’s, where the distillery tour and a cocktail are free until 6pm.
Day 3 · Rose Island by boat
Book the $123 boat, rated 9.4, which spends four hours on the water and has you back by mid-afternoon. The $89 water taxi reaches the same pigs without a guide or lunch.
At dusk take a taxi to Potter’s Cay Dock under the Paradise Island bridge, where the tourist board counts around forty conch shacks on a working fishing dock. McKenzie’s is the first one on the west side, and Danny’s Den makes conch salad as hot as you ask. Evenings bring music, and one reviewer called it a rough hang.
Day 4 · West Bay Street by jitney
A forum post has route 10 boarding on Frederick Street between Bay Street and Woodes Rodgers Walk, and you pay the driver when you get off. Carry exact change, because drivers don’t make it.
Get off first for Fort Charlotte, built in 1788, with a moat and dungeons and 42 cannons that have never been fired at an enemy. Walk down past Arawak Cay to Saunders Beach, calm water with showers and a playground where Nassau families spend the weekend.
Ride on to Cable Beach for the afternoon, and come back before the jitneys thin out around 7pm.
Day 5 · Love Beach and the west end
Take the 10 or the 12 out along West Bay Street, about half an hour from downtown. Love Beach has the best free snorkelling on the island, with reef close in off the sand.
Walk in free on Love Beach Walk. Nirvana Beach Bar charged $5 a head in 2024 for its toilets and the bar, and there are no public facilities otherwise. Planes on approach to the airport pass low overhead.
If you’ve got a taxi, Clifton Heritage Park at the western end is $10, and the Ocean Atlas sculpture sits offshore in snorkelling depth. The jitneys back run roughly every half hour until about 5pm.
Day 6 · Paradise Island on foot
No jitney crosses the bridge, and the 21 stops at the foot of it. You can walk over from the cruise port in 45 minutes to an hour, or take the water taxi from Prince George Wharf about every half hour. Fares quoted for it vary a lot, so ask before you board.
Cabbage Beach is public to the high water mark like every beach in the Bahamas. Use a marked access path rather than a hotel lobby, because the land behind the sand is private. Parasailing off Cabbage Beach costs $120 for seven minutes.
Leave the jet skis alone. The US advisory records assaults and deaths involving independent operators, and it bars its own staff from renting them here.
Day 7 · A garden and the flight
On a weekday the Retreat Garden on Village Road opens at 9am, a palm collection started by Arthur and Margaret Langlois, who bought the land in 1925. Adults pay $15 under the Bahamas National Trust’s new fees.
On a Wednesday, or Friday to Sunday, go to Primeval Forest instead for the same price. Boardwalks cross sinkholes up to 30 feet deep in the southwest of the island, and you’ll need a taxi.
Leave plenty of time for the airport. If a storm is forecast, a last night at BELL At The Airport Suites, check prices
BELL At The Airport Suites – No Smoking & Adults Only – Free Airport TransportationBy the airport$126 a night, budgetCheck prices puts you beside the terminal with a free shuttle.
Where to stay
Downtown Nassau has the cheapest rooms and the walk to Junkanoo Beach, with the Courtyard at $230. Cable Beach and Baha Mar sit on the No. 10 jitney, and the west end is quieter, near Love Beach and Caves Beach. Paradise Island has Atlantis and the one all-inclusive in this search, and no jitney crosses the bridge.
Nassau, off the beach
Simply Native B And B
$94 a night, budget
The cheapest bed in this search, and 72 guests rate it 9.0. It’s a small bed and breakfast rather than a beach hotel, so you’ll walk or take the jitney to the sand. With that few reviews, one bad month would move the score.
Downtown, 12 min walk to Junkanoo Beach
The Colony Club Inn & Suites
$101 a night, budget
Seven dollars more than the B and B, with 1,001 reviews agreeing on a 7.6. Expect a plain room and a small plunge pool rather than a resort. Junkanoo Beach is a 12 minute walk, and downtown is on foot from here.
By the airport
BELL At The Airport Suites – No Smoking & Adults Only – Free Airport Transportation
$126 a night, budget
Adults only, no smoking, and the shuttle to the terminal is free. That matters in storm season, because if a system cancels your flight you’re already next to the airport. 550 reviews rate it 9.6. Nothing else is in walking distance, so use it for a first or last night.
West Bay Street, on the beach
Orange Hill Beach Inn
$153 a night, budget
At $153 it’s the cheapest room in this search with sand in front of it. It’s out on West Bay Street toward the quiet west end, so Love Beach is close and downtown is a jitney ride. 692 reviews settle at 8.2, and the rooms are plain.
Downtown, 5 min walk to Junkanoo Beach
Courtyard by Marriott Nassau Downtown/Junkanoo Beach
$230 a night
Five minutes from Junkanoo Beach and a walk from Pompey Museum and John Watling’s. The 1,462 reviews put it at 8.0, about right for a chain hotel. On a winter Tuesday or Friday the port can take seven or eight ships, and that beach fills with day passengers.
West end, 1 min walk to Caves Beach
Ocean West Boutique Hotel
$239 a night
A minute from Caves Beach at the west end, rated 9.2 by 750 guests. Nine dollars more than the downtown Courtyard gets you a much better score and a quieter beach. The catch is distance, since town is a taxi or a long jitney ride away.
Downtown, on the beach
British Colonial – Nassau
$323 a night
The big old hotel at the west end of Bay Street, with its own strip of beach beside the cruise port. 3,045 reviews hold it at 8.6. You pay about $90 over the Courtyard to have the sand at the door instead of five minutes away.
Paradise Island, on the beach
The Coral at Atlantis
$426 a night, room only
Room only on Paradise Island, so every meal is on top and your choices once you’ve crossed the bridge are mostly resort restaurants. The Atlantis waterpark comes with the room. Rated 8.6 by 2,169 guests. No jitney crosses to the island, so budget for taxis.
Paradise Island, 12 min walk to Cabbage Beach
Warwick Paradise Island- All Inclusive- Adults Only
$577 a night for two, all-inclusive
The only all-inclusive in this search, with every meal and drink for two inside the rate. Hold it against The Coral, room only, and the food and drink come to about $150 a day for the pair. Adults only, on the harbour side facing downtown, 12 minutes on foot from Cabbage Beach.
Cable Beach, Baha Mar
Grand Hyatt Baha Mar
$752 a night, room only
The most reviewed hotel in this search, with 5,599 guests rating it 8.8. It’s on the Baha Mar strip at Cable Beach, with the casino and a long row of restaurants in the same complex. Room only, and eating at Baha Mar isn’t cheap. The jitney into town stops on West Bay Street.
What to do
The best value boat day from Nassau is the $123 Rose Island trip with the pigs and the turtles, a snorkel stop and lunch. The longer version rates higher. The $89 water taxi is the cheap way to the pigs. On land, the electric trolley covers Nassau’s history and the $90 ATV tour has the most reviews.
Nassau: Pigs, Snorkel, Turtles, Lunch & Private Beach Club
$123 for four hours with the pigs and the turtles, plus a reef snorkel and lunch at a beach club. It’s rated 9.4 and covers the same stops as the dearest boat on this list, so it’s the one to book if you’re only doing one boat.
Nassau 3 Stops: Snorkelling, Swimming Pigs, Turtles & Lunch
At $189 it’s the best rated boat day out of Nassau, at 9.8. It makes the same stops as the four hour boat and gives you an extra hour and a half on the water. Whether that’s worth the difference depends on how long you like to sit on a sandbar.
Swimming Pigs of Rose Island: Water Taxi & Turtle Viewing
$89 is the cheapest way out to the Rose Island pigs and the turtles. It’s a water taxi rather than a tour, so there’s no guide and no lunch, and the 8.8 rating reflects that. Bring your own water and something to eat.
Self-Drive Speedboat and Swim with the Pigs
Two hours and $130 with you at the wheel of a small speedboat, out to the pigs and back. It’s the quickest way to see them without giving up a whole day. Only 16 reviews, at 9.8, so the score is thin.
Nassau Culture Tour by Electric Trolley
$55 for two and a half hours of forts and Bay Street history on an open-sided electric trolley, rated 9.6. It’s the one well-rated tour here about Nassau itself rather than the water, and a fair plan for a wet September morning.
Guided ATV Nassau Tour with Beach Stop
$90 for four hours on a quad bike with a beach stop, and 580 reviews at 9.4 make it the most reviewed land tour in Nassau. Pickup from hotels and the cruise port is included. Expect dust on everything you’re wearing.
Snorkelling with Tropical Reefs & Sharks
Three hours over the reef for $144, with reef sharks below you, watched from the surface rather than a cage. At 8.8 it’s the lowest rated boat here, which is worth knowing at that price. Visibility drops after rough weather, so don’t book it the morning after a storm.
Sunset Dinner Cruise
$129 for two hours on the water with dinner, rated 9.2, and the only evening trip in the top rated set. You’re paying for the harbour at dusk more than the food. Nassau’s other evening plan is the Fish Fry at about a quarter of the price.
Cabbage Beach Parasailing
Seven minutes in the air over Cabbage Beach for $120, which works out near $17 a minute. People rate it 9.2 anyway. The beach itself is public, so you don’t need a resort room to be there when your slot comes up.
Exuma Island Hopping and Swimming Pigs from Nassau
$439 for eight hours, the dearest thing Nassau sells, and it flies you out to the Exuma Cays where the famous pigs and the swimming iguanas live. Rated 9.6. If the pigs are the reason for the whole trip, price a couple of nights in Exuma before you book this.
What most visitors miss
Potter’s Cay Dock under the Paradise Island bridge is where Nassau eats conch. Love Beach has free snorkelling off a public path, and Saunders Beach is where local families swim. Fort Charlotte dates from 1788, Pompey Museum tells the story of slavery on Bay Street, and John Watling’s pours a free rum cocktail.
foodEast Bay Street, under the Paradise Island bridge
Potter's Cay Dock
A working fishing dock under the Paradise Island bridge, lined with conch shacks and few tourists. Danny’s Den will chop your conch salad to order, as hot as you ask for it.
Tip Lunch is the calm time, evenings bring music and a louder crowd. The turn off comes about 50 yards before the bridge and it’s easy to miss, so tell the taxi where you’re going.
beachWest Bay Street, northwest New Providence
Love Beach from the free path
The snorkelling reef sits just offshore on this stretch of the northwest coast, and it’s where you’ll see planes lining up for the airport. There are no public toilets here.
Tip Walk in free along Love Beach Walk, or pay $5 at Nirvana Beach Bar for its toilets and bar. Jitney 10 or 12 gets you there in about half an hour, and the last ones run around 5pm.
beachWest Bay Street
Saunders Beach
The family beach Nassau uses itself, on West Bay Street short of Cable Beach. Calm harbour water, a playground and showers, and a Bahamian KFC across the road that locals carry over.
Tip Free. The No. 10 jitney from downtown goes right past it. Midweek it’s quiet, and at weekends it’s busy with locals, so get there early.
fortOff West Bay Street, a mile west of downtown
Fort Charlotte
Lord Dunmore’s fort from 1788 on the hill over the west end of the harbour, with a moat round it and dungeons underneath. Its 42 cannons have never been fired at an enemy.
Tip Open daily from 8am, though one guide says the last entry is around 3:30pm. Sources disagree on the fee, somewhere between free and a dollar. The No. 10 jitney passes below it.
museumBay Street, downtown
Pompey Museum at Vendue House
The old market building on Bay Street where enslaved Africans were sold, now a small museum of slavery and emancipation. It’s named for Pompey, an enslaved man on the Rolle plantation at Steventon in Exuma.
Tip Adults $3, kids a dollar. Opens 9:30am Monday to Saturday, closed on Sundays and holidays.
free tourDelancy Street, downtown
John Watling's Distillery
Small batch rum made on the Buena Vista Estate, a hilltop house from 1789 a short walk up from the cruise port. The tour is free and so is the cocktail at the end.
Tip No booking. It’s at 17 Delancy Street and opens daily 10am to 6pm, but it’s closed on Bahamian holidays.
natureSouthwest New Providence
Primeval Forest National Park
A patch of the original hardwood forest in the southwest of the island, with limestone sinkholes up to 30 feet deep crossed on boardwalks and little bridges.
Tip Open Wednesday and Friday to Sunday, 9am to 4pm. Adults pay $15 from July 2026. You need a car or a taxi, and guides come by arrangement only.
gardenVillage Road, central Nassau
The Retreat Garden
The Langlois couple bought this plot on Village Road in 1925 and filled it with palms Arthur collected on trips abroad. It covers 11 acres and now belongs to the Bahamas National Trust.
Tip Weekdays only, 9am to 4pm. Adults pay $15 under the Trust’s fees from July 2026, and there’s a visitor centre with toilets.
Common questions
The question most people ask about Nassau is whether hurricane season is worth the discount. October’s median was about $232 against February’s $577 when we checked. The first half of October still carries real risk, so book from the middle of the month or buy insurance that names hurricanes.
What is the cheapest month to visit Nassau?
October, at a median near $232 a night against $577 in February. It’s also inside hurricane season, and the first half of the month still carries real risk. December was the next cheapest when we checked, and it stays dry and soft until Junkanoo pushes the price up at the end.
Does Nassau get cheaper in hurricane season?
Yes, and by a lot. October’s median is less than half of February’s, and September sits well under the spring months.
The storms are the reason. Matthew crossed the west end of New Providence in October 2016 and took roofs off, and Dorian cut the island’s power in 2019 while it wrecked Abaco and Grand Bahama. Buy insurance that names hurricanes.
How many days do you need in Nassau?
Four or five. Three covers downtown and one boat day to Rose Island. Five adds the jitney out west to Fort Charlotte and Saunders Beach, and Love Beach for the snorkelling. Seven leaves time for Paradise Island on foot and a morning at the Retreat Garden or Primeval Forest.
Is Nassau safe, and can you walk around?
The US State Department has the Bahamas at Level 2, exercise increased caution, and most reported crime is in Nassau and Freeport. The advisory names Over the Hill, south of Shirley Street, and warns about vacation rentals without security.
Downtown is walkable, from the cruise port to Potter’s Cay. Skip the independent jet ski operators, which the advisory ties to assaults and deaths.
What is the weather like in the busy months?
February to April is dry and mild, with highs around 25C to 28C (77F to 82F) and March the driest month of the year. Nights in January and February run cooler, so pack a layer. The sea stays warm enough to swim, though it’s cooler than in summer.
How do you get from Nassau airport to your hotel?
By taxi, realistically. Fares are set by zone for two passengers, with $3 for each extra person, from about $30 to Cable Beach and $45 to Paradise Island plus the bridge toll. Agree the price before you get in.
Uber doesn’t operate. There’s no jitney stop at the terminal, and the walk to flag one at the roundabout isn’t worth doing with bags.
Is an all-inclusive worth it in Nassau?
Only one hotel in this search was all-inclusive, the Warwick on Paradise Island at $577 for two. The Coral at Atlantis, check pricesThe Coral at AtlantisParadise Island, on the beach$426 a night, room onlyCheck prices , room only, was about $150 a night cheaper, and that gap is what the pair pays for every meal and drink.
On Paradise Island, where eating out means resort restaurants, that’s a fair price. Downtown, the Fish Fry does dinner for far less.
Can you use the beach at Atlantis without staying there?
Yes. Every Bahamian beach is public between the high and low water marks, so Cabbage Beach is open to anyone. The land behind it isn’t, and no hotel has to give you a way through, so use the marked public access paths.