Visitor Information

The two best sources to try before you leave home are your travel agent and The Bahamas Tourist Office nearest you. Visit the nation's official tourism office at www.bahamas.com, or call tel. 800/BAHAMAS (224-2627) or 242/302-2000. You can also walk in at these branch offices:

Chicago: 8600 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Suite 820, North Chicago, IL 60631 (tel. 773/867-3877)

Plantation: 1200 S. Pine Island Rd., Suite 750 & 770, Plantation, FL 33324 (tel. 954/236-9292)

Los Angeles: 11400 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90064 (tel. 800/439-6993 or 310/312-9544)

New York: 60 E. 42 St., Suite 1850, New York, NY 10165 (tel. 212/758-2777)

Texas: 3102 Oak Lawn Ave., Suite 700, Dallas, TX 75219 (tel. 214/560-2280)

Toronto: 6725 Airport Rd., Suite 202, Mississauga, ON L4V 1V2 (tel. 800/667-3777 or 905/672-9017)

United Kingdom: 10 Chesterfield St., London W1J 5JL (tel. 020/7355-0800)

You may also want to contact the U.S. State Department for background bulletins, which supply up-to-date information on crime, health concerns, import restrictions, and other travel matters. Call tel. 888/407-4747 or visit www.travel.state.gov.

A travel agent can be a great source of information. Make sure your agent is a member of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA). If you get poor service from an ASTA agent, you can write to the ASTA Consumer Affairs Department, 1101 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314 (tel. 800/440-ASTA [440-2782] or 703/739-2782; www.astanet.com).

Searching the Web

Bahamas websites include:

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (www.bahamas.com or www.tourismbahamas.org): Official tourism site

The Bahamas Out Islands Promotion Board (www.myoutislands.com): Focuses on remote isles

Bahamas Tourist Guide (www.interknowledge.com/bahamas): Travelers' opinions

Bahamas Vacation Guide (www.bahamasvg.com): Service listings

Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board (www.nassauparadiseisland.com): Service listings

Maps

As you emerge at one of the major airports, including those of Nassau (New Providence) and Freeport (Grand Bahama Island), you can pick up island maps that are good for routine touring around those islands. However, if you plan to do extensive touring in the Out Islands, you should go first to a bookstore in either Nassau or Freeport and ask for a copy of Atlas of The Bahamas. It provides touring routes (outlined in red) through all the major Out Islands. Once you arrive on these remote islands, it may be hard to obtain maps.