The Bahamas rewards travelers who look beyond Nassau's cruise-ship strip. Here are the standouts.
Nassau and Paradise Island — The capital is worth a day or two for its colonial architecture, the bustling Straw Market, Fort Fincastle, and the genuinely good restaurants on and around Bay Street. Paradise Island, connected by bridge, is where Atlantis Resort dominates the skyline, but the quiet eastern end has lovely beaches that most visitors miss.
The Exumas — This 136-mile chain of cays has become famous for the swimming pigs of Big Major Cay, but the deeper appeal is the landscape itself: crystal-clear water over white sand, uninhabited cays accessible only by boat, and the protected waters of Exuma Land and Sea Park, one of the finest marine preserves in the Caribbean. George Town on Great Exuma is the main hub.
Eleuthera and Harbour Island — Eleuthera is a long, narrow island with some of the best surf in the Bahamas and a quieter, more local atmosphere than the big resorts. Harbour Island, reached by water taxi from the north end of Eleuthera, is home to the famous pink sand beach — three miles of pale pink shoreline that lives up to its reputation. The town of Dunmore has good restaurants and one of the most charming streetscapes in the Bahamas.
The Abacos — A favorite with sailors, the Abacos offer protected waters, well-marked anchorages, and a string of small cays with colonial-era loyalist towns. Hopetown on Elbow Cay has a candy-striped lighthouse and car-free lanes.
Andros — The largest island in the Bahamas is also the least visited. It borders the Tongue of the Ocean, one of the deepest ocean trenches in the Atlantic, making it a world-class dive destination. The bonefishing here is legendary.
Bimini — Only 50 miles from Miami, Bimini was Hemingway's fishing base and still draws anglers chasing blue marlin and yellowfin tuna. It's also the closest Bahamian island to reach from the US.