One of the fun things about cruises is that you get to see several locations with travel already provided. You don’t have to bother with a different hotel for every location. They’re not a great way to get a full experience of a place, but it’s good to get a taste of several fun locales. This is why I’d probably never go on a cruise to major cities in Europe, but I love it for island hopping or down a river within a small region.
One of the islands we got to check out is the Bahamas. In fact, it was the only one of our stops that is a standalone nation. I’ve actually visited Nassau back in high school, so I knew I wanted to take Logan to the Queen’s Staircase!
The Queen’s Staircase was built in the 1700’s, in recognition of Queen Victoria’s 65 years of reign over the British Empire. It’s a shortcut to Fort Fincastle, but it’s a beautiful thing to see in and of itself. There’s very few signs for it, so bring a map to make sure you find it!
At the top of the stairs is Fort Fincastle, a battlement built at the same time as the staircase. Also pretty unassuming, the fort is small. You can tour it for about $1.13 per person (seriously, it’s an exact number like that).
After checking out the fort and stairs, we headed back down to the more built up part of Nassau. Logan and I got to spend a couple hours walking around the city too, and enjoy the colorful architecture.
![The Queen's Staircase is a highlight of Nassau, Bahamas, and it's free to boot!](http://teaspoonofnose.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/p8010046b-1024x683.jpg)
We happened to be there the week after Bahamian Independence Day, and it was so much fun to see the decorations and temporary plaques up to celebrate the Bahamas history and success stories! Nassau is a great city for just walking around to take in the colorful buildings, sunning lizards and beautiful murals. I love that unlike many places in the States, there’s a lot of decor just for the sake of beauty.
Another free thing to do in Nassau is the Straw Market: a massive market of stalls, peddling mostly touristy souvenirs and knockoff products, but it’s a fun experience! Watch your bags, though: this is definitely the type of place pickpockets look for tourists. Plus you’ll definitely get accosted by people trying to sell you stuff. But don’t let that hold you back – it’s quite a scene and worth checking out!
If you want to see more of our cruise, check out the U.S. Virgin Islands, San Juan, or more on the boat!
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[…] and the U.S. Virgin Islands! For the rest of our cruise, you can see our adventures in San Juan, Nassau, and shots from the […]