Nassau works well as both a standalone destination and a gateway to the wider Bahamas. Here are ten things worth your time. A boat excursion to Exuma's swimming pigs, combined with nurse shark encounters and snorkelling, is the single most memorable day trip available from Nassau ā book well ahead in peak season. Fort Charlotte and the hand-carved Queen's Staircase together give an easy half-day introduction to the island's pirate-era and colonial history. The Atlantis resort's marine habitats and water park on Paradise Island are worth visiting even without staying there ā day passes are widely available. Cable Beach, Nassau's main beachfront strip, offers reliable sand and water quality without requiring a boat trip or excursion booking. The straw market downtown, while clearly aimed at tourists, remains a genuine source of Bahamian craft goods if you take time to look past the most generic stalls. Arawak Cay's "Fish Fry" area serves fresh conch and seafood from casual local shacks at a fraction of resort restaurant prices. A sunset sail along Nassau's harbour, widely available through local operators, is a relaxed way to see the island from the water without committing to a full-day excursion. The Pirates of Nassau Museum gives historical context on the city's genuine pirate history, more substantive than the theming suggests at first glance. Blue Lagoon Island, a short boat ride from Nassau, offers dolphin encounters and a quieter beach experience than the more developed parts of the city. Finally, a half-day inter-island flight to the Exumas or Eleuthera, if your trip allows the extra time, reaches beaches considerably quieter than anything near Nassau itself. US dollars are accepted everywhere at the same rate as the Bahamian dollar, so currency exchange generally isn't necessary for this trip.