Us hugging on a Bahamas beach beneath a leaning palm and driftwood, turquoise water behind

The Bahamas

Nassau

Swimming pigs, Atlantis & clear water · 6 must-see spots

The trip

The clearest water we've ever set foot in.

Nassau is the trip we keep going back to — we've now been twice, once in July 2024 and again in January 2025 — and every time it's the crystal-clear turquoise water that gets us. The undisputed highlight is swimming with the pigs: yes, real pigs, paddling right up to you in water so clear you can count the ripples on the sand. Beyond that it's the pink fantasy of Atlantis (if you can swing a stay there, lucky you), powder-soft beaches, and quiet driftwood coves. One tip that saved us money and showed us far more of the island: rent a scooter and just ride around — cheap, easy, and the best way to see more. And if you're weighing how to get there, keep an eye on the cruise deals — we've often come in on a cruise and they can be surprisingly affordable.

Andrew feeding a swimming pig from a cup in clear turquoise water Us feeding a black swimming pig at the shoreline with a boat moored behind
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Swimming with the pigs

📍 The swimming-pig beaches · reached by boat from Nassau

This is the one you come for. You take a boat out to an uninhabited cay and the pigs come swimming straight out to meet you — big ones, little ones, black ones and ginger ones — bumping around your legs in the shallows for a snack. It's hilarious, a little chaotic, and honestly magical, all set in the clearest water imaginable. We'd 100% recommend doing it as a boat tour that folds in snorkelling and turtles too, so you get a whole day on the water for it.

Bring a GoProThey really do swim
GetYourGuide We'd recommend

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The pink towers and waterfall lagoon of the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island
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Atlantis, Paradise Island

📍 Atlantis · Paradise Island, across the bridge from Nassau

The candy-pink towers of Atlantis are as iconic as the Bahamas gets — a sprawling resort of lagoons, waterslides, a marine habitat and that unmistakable seahorse-and-waterfall facade. If you can manage a stay there, lucky you: guests get the run of the water park and aquarium. Even if you don't, it's worth seeing — the architecture rising over the turquoise water is a proper jaw-dropper and a Bahamas rite of passage.

If you can stay — doWaterslides & aquarium
Melody standing waist-deep in glassy, crystal-clear turquoise water Andrew standing in shallow, perfectly clear Bahamas water under a bright sky
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The impossibly clear water

📍 Everywhere · the sandbars & shallows around Nassau

We've been to a lot of beaches, and nothing has topped how clear the water is here — glassy, warm and so transparent that floating in it feels like floating on air. Some of our favourite moments of the whole trip were the simplest: wading out to a sandbar, snorkelling over the shallows, or just lying back and drifting. Pack a mask and reef-safe sunscreen and give yourself a slow afternoon to enjoy it.

Bring a snorkel maskWarm & calm
Us on a wide stretch of white-sand beach backed by a green treeline Us standing barefoot on an empty powder-white beach with calm blue water
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The powder-soft beaches

📍 Cable Beach, Cabbage Beach & the island's north shore

Between the pigs and the sightseeing, leave real time for the beaches themselves — long stretches of soft white sand that squeaks underfoot, fading into that impossible blue. Cabbage Beach on Paradise Island and Cable Beach are the famous ones, but half the fun is finding a quieter patch of your own. Early morning is dreamy: calm water, soft light, and often the sand almost to yourself.

Go earlySoft white sand
Us embracing beneath a leaning palm and a big piece of bleached driftwood Us in a rocky little cove with clear turquoise water lapping the shore
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Quiet coves & driftwood shores

📍 The little coves & back-beaches around the island

Some of our favourite frames came from the wilder, quieter corners — sculptural driftwood and leaning palms, little rocky coves you clamber into, and shallow pools you'll often have entirely to yourself. This is where the scooter earns its keep: pull over anywhere the water looks good and go explore. Bring water shoes for the rockier bits, and take your time — these calm, empty spots are the trip's best-kept secret.

Water shoes helpBarely a soul around
Us at the shoreline in the sun, driftwood and trees along the beach behind Us walking together along a palm-lined beach looking at each other
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See more by scooter

📍 All over New Providence · rent from Nassau

Renting a scooter was one of the best cheap decisions we made — it turned a resort stay into a proper island explore. You can zip between beaches, chase the good water, and stop wherever you like, all for a fraction of taxis. Drive carefully (Bahamians drive on the left!) and go slow. If you'd rather not ride, there's a lovely guided alternative that pairs an electric trolley through Nassau with time on the water — an easy way to get the history and the highlights in one go.

Cheaper than taxisDrive on the left
GetYourGuide We'd recommend

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Save these

The most Instagram-worthy shots

If you only chase a handful of frames, chase these. Tap through to see them on our feed.

Feeding a swimming pig Floating in crystal-clear water The pink towers of Atlantis Standing in glassy turquoise water Feeding a black swimming pig On a powder-white Bahamas beach

The full roll

More from the Bahamas

Walking a shallow sandbar past old weathered pier pilings Standing with a black swimming pig on the beach, boat moored behind Melody floating on her back in glassy clear water Melody feeding a big black swimming pig in the shallows Sitting together on a flat rock as the sea washes over our feet Andrew with a ginger-and-white pig on the sand under a moody sky Melody feeding a black pig at the water's edge by a rock Walking a palm-lined beach beside driftwood