Nassau, BS

A long-celebrated formal dining room in a 1740s plantation house next door to Government House, with one of the largest private wine cellars in the region. Chateaubriand, classical French cooking, dress-up evening.

Italian restaurant in a Bay Street courtyard, walls hung with reproduction Matisse cutouts — fresh pasta, risotto, seafood, a serious wine list. The downtown nicer-dinner room.

Beloved Fish Fry stall at Arawak Cay doing the canon of Bahamian seafood — conch salad, conch fritters, cracked conch, snapper. Outdoor picnic tables, loud music, no pretense.

Another Arawak Cay Fish Fry stall, busier than most — lively bar, big portions, live music many nights and the strongest Bahama Mama in the strip. Casual; come prepared for sticky tables and loud company.

Bay Street restaurant facing the cruise port — Bahamian dishes done modern (conch carbonara, blackened mahi) with a long deck overlooking the harbour. The downtown polished-Bahamian option.

Bay Street walk-up daiquiri bar and small food window doing conch fritters, jerk wings and proper frozen rum drinks. Twenty-minute decompression spot on a long downtown afternoon.

French-style cafe-bakery in Sandyport, west of central Nassau — croissants, pastry case, a tight lunch menu of quiches and salads. The brunch room when you're west of downtown.

Sister restaurant to Cafe Matisse in Old Fort Bay Town Centre, doing wood-fired pizza and a casual Italian menu. The relaxed counterpart when you don't want a full courtyard dinner.

Trinity Place hidden lunch-only room doing rotating daily Bahamian specials — steamed chicken, peas and rice, boiled fish, johnnycake. The cheap proper Bahamian lunch in central Nassau.

Modern Caribbean fine-dining in Cable Beach doing a tasting menu plus a long a la carte — local ingredients, a serious wine list, polished service. The under-the-radar competitor to Graycliff.

Bay Street Greek-Mediterranean cafe doing souvlaki, moussaka, mezze and good coffee. Cheap, walk-in friendly, the easy downtown lunch when the Fish Fry feels too much.

Coastal national park at New Providence's western tip with walking trails through old Loyalist plantation ruins, a sculpture trail, mangroves and a small beach. About 8km of trails total.

Eleven-acre tropical garden in Village Road central to Nassau, home to the National Trust HQ — the largest collection of mature palms in the country, a quiet loop trail. Twenty minutes of pottering.

Boardwalk along the eastern edge of Lake Cunningham — bird-watching, mangrove trees, a 3km easy walk. Free and almost no-one uses it.

Formal terraced gardens on Paradise Island with the Hue Cloister at the top — a 14th-century French monastery dismantled and shipped here in the 1960s. A short walk, photogenic, completely free.

Pocket national park in south-central New Providence with a short raised boardwalk over a tidal flat. Mangroves, juvenile fish, a chance at bonefish in the channel. Twenty minutes.

Strip of 30+ colourful Bahamian seafood shacks west of central Nassau — conch in every form, live music most nights, a cheap-and-loud evening built around eating. The single most local experience in the city.

Atlantis's 141-acre water park — 14 pools, 20 million gallons, the famous Leap of Faith waterslide that drops through a shark tank, the Serpent Slide tube through aquariums. Best half-day with kids in the city.

Fourteen-acre dolphin and sea-lion habitat at Atlantis with structured interactions ranging from a meet-and-greet to a swim-with. Conservation-focused, rescue dolphins, more ethical than most.

Forty-minute ferry from Paradise Island to a private island with calm-water beaches, hammocks, a dolphin sanctuary and a sea-lion programme. The lazy-beach-day alternative to busy Nassau beaches.

Smaller community-run Junkanoo museum south of central Nassau, packed with original parade costumes from the past 60 years. The deeper story behind the Bahamas Junkanoo Museum at the cruise port.

Cable Beach's flagship casino — 100,000 square feet, multiple restaurants, a sports book. The largest casino on the island and the after-dinner default for Cable Beach evenings.

National gallery in Villa Doyle in central Nassau showing rotating Bahamian and Caribbean shows. Small, free, the city's serious art space.

Sixty-six steps cut by enslaved people from solid limestone in the late 1700s, leading up to Fort Fincastle. Cooler in the shaded gorge than the streets above; the city's most-photographed historical site.

Largest of Nassau's surviving forts, never fired in battle, with dungeons, dry moats and a panorama over the harbour. Free to wander; guided tours by costumed actors for a small fee.

Sprawling resort and waterpark complex covering most of Paradise Island — 14 lagoons of marine life, 20 water slides, a casino, the country's biggest hotel. Pay for a day-pass even if you're not staying.

Three-kilometre stretch of white sand west of central Nassau, fronted by the Baha Mar resort complex. The main public-access swim beach for visitors not staying on Paradise Island.

Walkable beach right in central Nassau within sight of the cruise port — a short sandy strip with a few bars, food shacks and the easiest sea swim from downtown.

A compact museum at the Nassau Cruise Port showing Junkanoo costumes, music history and a small immersive parade-feel exhibit. The best year-round window into the Bahamas' defining cultural event.

Interactive walk-through museum on King Street covering Nassau's pirate decade (early 1700s) with a full-size reconstruction of a sloop. Cheesy in the right way; kids love it.

Small zoo and botanic gardens near Fort Charlotte famous for its marching flamingoes — the long-running daily show where trained pink flamingoes parade in formation. Kid-magnet, slightly absurd, lovable.