Bahamas: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Bahamas feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 120 written places.
Warm, churchgoing and unhurried; a proper greeting opens every conversation.
✓ Considered polite
- Say good morning or good afternoon before asking anything - launching straight in reads as rude
- Dress up a little for Nassau restaurants; beachwear stays at the beach
- Chat back - small talk with taxi drivers and shopkeepers is the culture, not a delay
- Ask before photographing straw vendors and their stalls
✗ Better avoided
- Wear swimwear in shops, banks or restaurants away from the sand
- Rush service - island time is real and hurrying gets you nowhere faster
- Expect much open on Sunday outside the resorts
- Push hard when bargaining at the Straw Market - a friendly counter-offer is as far as it goes
Worth knowing
- US dollars are accepted everywhere at par with the Bahamian dollar; change often comes back Bahamian
- Many restaurants add a 15% gratuity automatically - check before tipping twice
- Cars drive on the left, though many vehicles are left-hand-drive imports
- Nassau and the Out Islands run at different speeds - small-island shops keep short, flexible hours
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.