Top Things to do in New Providence Island
10 Free Things to do in New Providence Island That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in New Providence Island, Bahamas including Hillside House Art Gallery, Love Beaches, Saunders Beach, Christ Church Cathedral, Cable Beach, Paradise Island Lighthouse, John Watling's Distillery, The Cloisters Nassau, Jaws Beach, St. Francis Xavier Cathedral.
Restaurants in New Providence Island
1. Hillside House Art Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 13 reviews
This is a historical space and building dating back to the mid 1800's that has been restored to a serene, tropical and artistic space by the host artist Antonius Roberts. This space is an art gallery, a bar and can be transformed for many other occasions.
2. Love Beaches
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 139 reviews
Snorkeling hotspot only a 20 minute drive from downtown Nassau.
Reviewed By LqVu - New Jersey, United States
We walked to McDonald’s, which is a few blocks away from the cruise port, but found a sign in front saying it’s no longer an official bus stop. So we walked back to George St (corner of Bay St) and took the bus #10 (Jitney #10) all the way to Love Beaches. It runs along Bay St anyway and costs only $2/person. US dollars equal to Bahamian dollars, so you don’t need to exchange money. I asked the driver to drop us at Love Beaches. He said, “Don’t worry. It’s the last stop.” It took over 30 minutes with some stops for local folks to get in or out (I think most of them work for the resorts or business stores along the route). The bus was pretty clean with AC! Beautiful scenic view as it ran along the coast. We were dropped off in front of Nirvana Beach Bar at 10 AM. We went in and rented 2 chairs for $10. No umbrella needed. There were only 2 of us and a few folks. The waves were so strong so we did’t swim a lot. The gentleman who works there told us to just wait for a couple more hours... Then at around noon, the waves became much calmer. The water looked so nice and clear. We enjoyed swimming a lot for a few hours. More folks were arriving, and we got to know some of them came from the same cruise ship, but they had to pay a lot more for taxi. Nirvana Beach Bar has pretty big restrooms for changing clothes and showers. All are free for their customers. Beer and food have reasonable prices ($6/Heineken is not bad at all when you can use their facilities). Our trip only cost less than $30 for 2, much cheaper than cruise excursion or taxi). We had gone to the Atlantis and paid a lot more for “day pass” 10 years ago, so this time was a better experience for us.
3. Saunders Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 38 reviews
Popular spot for lounging and swimming, especially on the weekends.
Reviewed By beachmomma4
We made the choice to do a quiet, inexpensive outing during this port stop on our Royal Caribbean cruise. As a family of 6, this was a perfect solution. The hardest part was getting out of the labyrinth of the cruise port (and being nearly accosted and followed in attempts to sell us things) and finding the jitney "station" which was near an ice cream store a little ways from the straw market. We hopped on the number 10 and told the driver where we were headed. It stopped right at a shell gas station right across the street from the beach. We nearly had the entire beach to ourselves. There was a playground and small restroom area. The beach was guarded by two security guards (who even chased away a couple stray dogs for us). The sand and water were very clean minus some seaweed areas. We stayed for about 90 minutes for just some quiet beach time before heading back to the ship. We stood next to the road by the bathrooms and soon a jitney #10 came by, flashed their lights, we waved, and they stopped so we could get on. We road it all the way back to their waiting area near the straw market. It was a peaceful and cheap excursion for us! Plus you get a taste of local culture! We actually felt much safer here than we did in the cruise port area!
4. Christ Church Cathedral
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 329 reviews
Reviewed By gbloodworth - Ottawa, Canada
classic anglican architecture, nice quiet place to rest and contemplate, enjoy the organ music and examine the stain glass windows.
5. Cable Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,293 reviews
Reviewed By edthm
Beautiful beach lots of fun water sports available nice and clean beautiful water get to the beach early because the lounge chairs and umbrellas go quickly staff is very accommodating and will do their best to help get you settled on the beach
6. Paradise Island Lighthouse
7. John Watling's Distillery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 848 reviews
John Watling's Distillery home to JOHN WATLING'S rum and RED TURTLE vodka, the "Spirit of The Bahamas" offers complimentary tours at its home, the Buena Vista Estate, in Downtown Nassau. The historic Estate, founded in 1789 and overlooking the harbour, is the site where Bahamians hand-craft JOHN WATLING'S small-batch rums RED TURTLE pink sand filtered vodka. At the Estate, John Watling's features a production and museum-like tour, shopping and signature Bahamian cocktails at its Red Turtle Tavern. Within walking distance from the cruise ship port in Downtown Nassau, John Watling's Distillery is located on Delancy Street and is open from 10am-6pm, seven days a week and on Friday's until 9pm. Free Tour
8. The Cloisters Nassau
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 292 reviews
Reviewed By LairdDoug - St. Andrews, United Kingdom
A lovely spot away from the hustle and bustle of Atlantis on the way to the Ocean Club Golf Course and very close to The Ocean Club hotel. Worth a walk around the place and down to the water.
9. Jaws Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 185 reviews
Reviewed By snl143 - New York, United States
If you are visiting Nassau or Paradise Island this is a must see!! Crystal clear water, shallow, no waves. Perfect beach, looks just like the pictures. Not crowded, at all. Only downside is no facilities or restrooms. Call Lionel to take you here, or anywhere in Nassau/Paradise Island. The BEST cab driver around, reliable and trustworthy!!! Traveled from the US and felt completely safe with him. Tell him Arber, Mustache and Brian sent you!! Lionel: 242-814-8914 Really honest and great!!
10. St. Francis Xavier Cathedral
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 72 reviews
Reviewed By yoolykeme - Chicago, United States
Okay, here's what's up. . . Went to Nassau for vacation. I've been there countless times, doing other stuff. This time, though, I brought my mom, and when we are somewhere on a Sunday, we go find a Catholic church. We totally miscalculated the weather, going to Nassau post-hurricane, so unfortunately, it was raining on this particular Sunday. We took the bus into town, and it dropped us off a number of blocks away. Undeterred, we walked up the hill and make it to the church, soaking wet. The church is beautiful, well-maintained, and air-conditioned. We were late, coming in at the end of the sermon. As we walked in and looked for a seat, the usher saw my mom, and offered her his handkerchief to dry her glasses. We walked down the aisle and were acknowledged with hellos and nods from many of the locals. The priest and the choir delivered an amazing ceremony, and it was obvious that the community was very much involved. But this isn't even the best part!!!!!! It was still raining after the mass ended. A family approached us, asked us where we were from, and because it was raining, OFFERED TO DRIVE US BACK TO OUR RESORT!!!! Still wanting to look around, we took them up on their offer, but asked that they drop us off downtown. At the end of the day, this was a great experience. It was a true display of Christianity - the church, the people, the ceremony - all authentic and real. If you ever have the opportunity to avail, please do.
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