Nassau Culture and Sightseeing Tour by Electric Trolley

Bay Street and the Straw Market

Bay Street is the main street of Nassau, running along the harbour front past the pink colonial buildings of Parliament Square, Rawson Square and the old customs houses. The Straw Market at its western end has been the place to buy hand-plaited baskets, hats and wood carvings for generations; the present hall replaced the market destroyed by fire in 2001 and still fills with sellers every morning. It is right beside the cruise port, which is why every Nassau tour from the cruise port starts here.

Our trolley collects you at the Straw Market 15 minutes before the 10:00 or 13:00 departure. The guide welcomes you on board, explains the route and starts the first round of games as the trolley rolls east along Bay Street. Being electric, the ride is quiet enough to hear every story, and the open sides give clear views for photos of the harbour and the shop fronts.

Queen's Staircase and Fort Fincastle

The Queen's Staircase is the most visited landmark in Nassau: 66 steps hewn by hand from solid limestone between 1793 and 1794 to give soldiers a direct route from the town up to Fort Fincastle on Bennet's Hill. It was later named in honour of Queen Victoria, and the narrow gorge is now shaded by tall trees and cooled by a small waterfall that runs down the rock beside the steps.

The trolley stops here for about 15 minutes, long enough to climb the staircase, look up at the limestone walls and photograph the fort shaped like a ship's bow at the top, and browse the craft stalls at the base. The Queen's Staircase tour in Nassau is a favourite stop for families; the steps are even and easy, but bring comfortable shoes and water for the climb in the midday heat.

Government House and the National Art Gallery

From the staircase the trolley passes Government House, the pink and white mansion on Mount Fitzwilliam that has been the official residence of the Governor-General since 1801 and looks down over the whole town and harbour. A ceremonial changing of the guard takes place on the steps on alternate Saturdays. The trolley slows for photos without stopping, and your guide explains the role the house still plays in Bahamian public life.

A few streets on is the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, housed in Villa Doyle, a two-storey colonial mansion from the 1860s with wide verandas. It holds the national collection of Bahamian painting, sculpture and Junkanoo art, and the guide points it out as you pass so you can return later in the day if you have time. Together these two buildings show the best of Nassau's colonial architecture.

Fort Charlotte and Arawak Cay

Fort Charlotte is the largest fort in the Bahamas, built by the British in 1789 on a hill west of downtown and named after Queen Charlotte. It has a dry moat, drawbridge, dungeons and ramparts with cannons that still point across the harbour entrance, though not a shot was ever fired in anger. The trolley passes below the walls and your guide tells the story of the pirates, loyalists and garrisons that shaped Nassau.

Just beyond the fort lies Arawak Cay, the man-made island known to locals as the Fish Fry, where a row of colourful stalls and restaurants cook conch fritters, fried fish and other Bahamian specialities. The trolley passes along it so you can see where Nassau goes to eat and hear music in the evening, and the guide explains the dishes worth coming back for after the tour.

Paradise Island viewpoint and Junkanoo Beach

Early in the route the trolley climbs to a viewpoint over Paradise Island, the resort island across the harbour that was known as Hog Island until the 1960s and is now linked to Nassau by two bridges. The 30-minute stop gives a panorama of the harbour, the bridges and the resort towers, and time for the Bahamian treats from the cake bakery and a visit to a local tea shop that blends island herbs.

The final stop is Junkanoo Beach, the public beach just west of the cruise port named after the carnival that fills Bay Street on Boxing Day and New Year's Day. You have about 15 minutes to walk on the sand, photograph the turquoise water and watch the ships in the harbour before the trolley returns you to the Straw Market, where the Nassau sightseeing tour ends about two and a half hours after it began.