Nassau's main thoroughfare has all the big names in fashion, plus an assortment of independent shops selling everything from high-end dinnerware to fine jewelry to seashell-encrusted tissue box covers. If you have something in mind, you can probably find it here, but you may prefer to simply browse until the "right thing" finds you. Bay Street is teeming with local color and lined with popular tourist sights such as the Straw Market, Vendue House, and the stately Hilton British Colonial Hotel. A bit of trivia: when pirates (an odoriferous bunch even at the best of times, by all accounts) controlled the street, it was reported that the stench was so bad you could smell it far out at sea. Thankfully, today Bay Street reeks only of history!

For great views of the harbor and the massive cruise ships, Woodes Rogers Walk can't be beat. Running parallel to Bay Street, it also has a charming succession of little shops and market stalls where vendors sell vegetables, fish and, of course, conch. Several quaint cafes provide sustenance in the form of mostly traditional Bahamian fare, and horse drawn carriages line up here to take tourists on rides throughout the downtown area.