Not sure how to get from your cruise ships to Cabbage Beach in Nassau? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
The beach sits right near Atlantis on Paradise Island. This is island sitting across the channel from Nassau and home to the Atlantis Bahamas resort. The resort is extremely high-end. While some parts of it — like the casino and the shopping areas — are open to the public, most of it is open to only guests or to those paying high prices to go on an excursion there.
But Atlantis sits on one of the most beautiful stretches of beach on the planet — Cabbage Beach. This area is open for anyone to enjoy.
Cabbage Beach is exactly what you’d expect from a nice beach. It has powdery white sand, electric blue water, and stretches what seems like forever (more than a mile).
The bad news is that Atlantis and other resorts have been built right next to the beach, all but cutting easy access for visitors to get to the beach unless they pay for access through the hotels.
The good news is that there is still a free public beach access; it’s just a bit of a trek to get through. If you want to head to the free beach during your cruise, here’s how to get there.
How to Get to the Free Beach on Paradise Island From the Cruise Ships
First things first, if you want to get to the free beach you will need to get over to Paradise Island. Taxi cabs run regularly from the cruise pier to the island. All you need to do it head to the taxi stand in the port area and they will get you situated.
If you take a cab, you can ask them to drop you off at the free beach access. A local cab driver will know exactly where to take you. This will be the easiest way to get back and forth.
Still, many people head over to Paradise Island via the ferry from the cruise pier. This ferry departs from the cruise pier. You can see our guide here on where to catch it. Still others want to get to the beach after visiting Atlantis.
No matter where you are coming from, once you are on the island, getting to the beach is relatively simple as long as you know where to go. It’s about a 15-minute walk from the ferry dock or about 10 minutes from Atlantis.
The map below shows the location of the beach access, along with the route to get there:
If you are walking to the beach access, here are directions on how to get there based on coming from the ferry dock.
- First, you’ll walk from the dock up to the road at the end of the Sydney Poitier Bridge (the bridge to Nassau). From there, you’ll come to a light at Paradise Beach Drive.
- Once at the light, cross the street to the other side of Paradise Beach Drive. Then, immediately cross to the right so that you are walking on the north side of Paradise Beach Drive.
- From here you will continue along the street for a couple of blocks until you come to the Comfort Suites hotel. Cross the street to the right, toward the hotel and then continue down the road (Paradise Island Drive) for about 1/4 mile.
- You will then come to a road named Lakeview Drive. Take a left down this street until it dead-ends into Casino Drive.
- Once you reach Casino Drive, take another left. After walking about a block, you’ll see taxis lined up on the side of the street and a sandy road cut through the trees, next to the Riu hotel. This path leads to Cabbage Beach.
If you walk to the beach, then expect it to take about 15 minutes from the ferry or about 10 minutes from Atlantis.
Don’t feel like walking back? There are lots of taxis available right at the beach entrance to take passengers back to the cruise ships.
What to Expect at Cabbage Beach
Never been to Cabbage Beach? If you’re picturing a desolate beach with no one one it, then think again.
The beach is popular with tourists and for good reason — it’s absolutely gorgeous. However, those crowds can make it busy, and vendors selling everything from drinks to parasailing rides walk up and down the beach.
On the beach you can purchase a number of items, including renting umbrellas and chairs.
If you want a little more seclusion, we suggest heading down the beach to get away from the free entrance and things will be a little quieter.
The beach here is more than a mile long, so walking just a few minutes can find your own private spot. It’s a good idea to bring along a beach towel from the ship. As well, while there are umbrella rentals on the busy part of the beach, if you walk too far down there won’t be services available.
More on Visiting Nassau:
- Everything About Riding the Ferry from Nassau to Paradise Island (Atlantis)
- 30 Fun Things for Cruise Passengers to Do in Nassau
- Nassau: How to Make the Most of 8 Hours in Port on a Cruise
I will be there Wednesday, do you have a taxi service ? I can hire you for the day,
Are there rest rooms available?
Well, there’s the ocean.
Is this the only entrance to Cabbage Beach? I have read it is CLOSED on weekends, what exactly does this mean?
Haven’t heard that before.