Arrival Bahamas
Airplane: from Germany, Austria and Switzerland you can reach the Bahamas with British Airways (stopover in London), Delta Airlines flies from Atlanta to the Bahamas and Swiss International flies from Zurich with a stopover in Miami to Nassau. Miami is an important departure point for the Bahamas, from here the national airline Bahamasair, Lufthansa, Continental Airlines, Chalk’s International Airlines and American Eagle fly to Nassau.
Turbo-prop scheduled flights to the Bahamasa are also offered. From Florida you can fly to Treasure Cay and Marsh Harbor on Abaco Island, George Town on Exuma Island and Rock Sound and Governor’s Harbor on Eleuthera Island.
Airports: Nassau International Airport (NAS) on New Providence is 10 miles to the west of Nassau. From here buses and taxis go into the city, the journey time is around 15 minutes.
The Grand Bahama International Airport (FPO) is located near Freeport and the distance to the city of Freeport is around 5 km. Taxis go into town, there are no buses.
Most international flights land at these two airports, fewer international flights go directly to airports in the Out Islands.
Abaco has two Airports: Marsh Harbor International Airport (MHH) and Treasure Cay International Airport (TCB). Taxis between Treasure Cay and Marsh Harbor can cost as much as $ 60, so make sure they go to the correct airport.
There are four airports on Andros. Andros Town Airport is served by Continental Connection / Gulfstream International from Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Nassau.
Eleuthera: North Eleuthera International Airport (ELH) is located near the ferry pier across the Sound of Harbor Island. Governor’s Harbor Airport is in the middle of the island and Rock Sound further south.
Ship: With the Discovery Cruise Line you can go daily from Fort Lauderdale (Florida) to Freeport on Grand Bahama.
In addition, the Bahamas are visited by a number of cruise ships (especially on cruises that start in Florida). The main ports for cruises are Freeport and Nassau. Cruise lines that the Bahamas have in their program include Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Crystal Cruises, Costa Cruises Line, Holland America, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Majesty Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn Cruise Line and Radisson Seven Seas Cruises.
Bahamas Visa and Passport
Passport:
is a general requirement for travel to the Bahamas. The passport (or temporary passport) must be valid for at least 6 months after the planned departure. An identity card is not sufficient to enter the Bahamas. A return or onward travel ticket must be available upon entry.
Visa :
Citizens of Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain are required for tourist trips with a maximum stay of 90 days in the Bahamas, Czech Republic, Turkey, Hungary and Cyprus do not have a visa. Citizens of Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Great Britain, Italy, Luxembourg and Switzerland can even travel up to 8 months in the Bahamas without a visa.
Transit :
Visitors who require a visa who have the necessary onward travel documents and are flying on the next connecting flight within 3 days do not need a visa.
Visa fees:
The fees apply to travelers who require a visa and who have a valid residence permit for Germany, Switzerland or Austria. If the British consulate in the country does not issue a visa for the Bahamas, tourists who require a visa must travel to an embassy in the Bahamas, as visa applications sent by post will not be processed.
at the High Commission of the Bahamas in London:
single entry, up to three months stay – £ 30,
multiple entries, 3 to 6 months stay – £ 40,
multiple entries, 6 to 12 months stay – £ 50
at the British Consulate General in Düsseldorf: – £ 67
at the British Embassy in Switzerland – CHF 114
Entry with children :
The same visa requirements apply to children traveling with you in the Bahamas as their parents, i.e. the travel documents must be at least 6 months after the planned departure must also be valid.
Germany: the German child ID card with photo (up to the age of 16) or a separate child passport is accepted. Child ID cards are no longer issued in Germany, existing child ID cards remain valid until the expiry date.
Austria: Children need their own passport.
Switzerland: Children need their own passport.
Application : In
person or online at the responsible diplomatic mission. The High Commission of the Bahamas in London only processes postal applications from applicants who live in the UK but outside London.
Processing time:
At least 2 working days for personal applications, around 4 weeks for applications by post.
Sufficient funds:
Foreign visitors must have sufficient funds for their trip.
Residence permit :
If you are planning to stay in the Bahamas for a longer period of time, you must apply for a permit at the Immigration Office (Immigration Office, Cecil Wallace-Whitfield Center, Cable Beach, PO Box CB-10980, Nassau, NP The Bahamas, Telephone: (242) 327 5826 9) will.
Entry with pets:
The minimum age for pets brought into the Bahamas is 6 months and they must obtain a health certificate within the first 24 hours in the Bahamas. A rabies vaccination (at least one month and no more than 3 years ago) must be proven.
There are import bans for dogs and cats from continental Europe, states with rabies occurrences and from numerous Central and South American states.
Bahamas climate
Due to the cooling influence of the North American air system, the around 700 islands of the Bahamas have a relatively mild subtropical climate by Caribbean standards. Although the archipelago extends over 650 kilometers in north-south direction and even over 750 kilometers in east-west direction, the climate on all islands is quite similar.
In summer (May to October) the average temperatures in the Bahamas reach around 28 ° C, on the southern islands it can get very hot between June and August.
The warm Gulf Stream with water temperatures between 24 and 29 ° C ensures that temperatures hardly fall below 20 ° C in winter (with cold North American winds, minimum temperatures of less than 10 ° C can occasionally occur).
According to computergees, the annual mean temperature in the Bahamas is around 26 ° C.
Most of the precipitation (at around 500 mm per year, however, relatively little by Caribbean standards) falls from May to October, and there is a low risk of hurricanes in the period from June to November.
Best time to travel to the Bahamas
Due to the mild temperatures, the Bahamas is a destination for the whole year, the weather is not a decisive factor for planning trips.
Perhaps the best time to visit the Bahamas is the warm, breezy summers, when the water is warm enough to bathe for hours. The winter temperatures on the northern and western islands are surprisingly cool, but there are fewer mosquitos. The high tourist season extends from mid-December to mid-April when the hotel prices are highest and some hotels are fully booked, especially around Christmas and Easter.
In March / April and November / early December the temperatures are usually below 30 ° C, these periods are well suited to visit the Bahamas in the quieter off-season.