Getting There

Lying off the east coast of Florida, the archipelago of The Bahamas is the easiest and most convenient foreign destination you can fly to unless you live close to the Canadian or Mexican borders.

Nassau is the busiest and most popular point of entry (this is where you'll fly if you're staying on Paradise Island). From here, you can make connections to many of the more remote Out Islands. If you're headed for one of the Out Islands, refer to the "Getting There" section that appears at the beginning of each island's coverage later in this book for details. Freeport, on Grand Bahama, also has its own airport, which is served by flights from the U.S. mainland, too.

Flight time to Nassau from Miami is about 35 minutes; from New York, 2 1/2 hours; from Atlanta, 2 hours and 5 minutes; from Philadelphia, 2 hours and 45 minutes; from Charlotte, 2 hours and 10 minutes; from central Florida, 1 hour and 10 minutes; and from Toronto, 3 hours.

The Major Airlines

From the U.S. mainland, about a half-dozen carriers fly nonstop to the country's major point of entry and busiest airline hub, Lynden Pindling International Airport (tel. 242/377-1759). Some also fly to the archipelago's second-most-populous city of Freeport. Only a handful fly directly to any of the Out Islands.

American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) has several flights per day from Miami to Nassau, as well as four daily flights from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau. In addition, the carrier flies three times daily from Miami to Freeport. It also offers three flights daily from Miami to George Town and one flight daily from Miami to Marsh Harbour.

Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) has several connections to The Bahamas, with service from Atlanta, Orlando, and New York's LaGuardia.

The national airline of The Bahamas, Bahamasair (tel. 800/222-4262 or 242/377-8451; www.bahamasair.com), flies to The Bahamas from Miami and Fort Lauderdale, landing at either Nassau (with seven nonstop flights daily) or Freeport (with two nonstop flights daily).

US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com) offers daily direct flights to Nassau from Philadelphia and Charlotte, North Carolina.

JetBlue (tel. 800/JET-BLUE [538-2583]; www.jetblue.com) has one direct flight daily to Nassau, from JFK in New York.

Other carriers include Continental Airlines (tel. 800/231-0856; www.continental.com), which has greatly expanded its link to The Bahamas through South Florida through its regional affiliate, Gulfstream International. Continental operates flights between Fort Lauderdale and Andros Town on Andros, with four round-trip flights each week. The airline also offers daily service from Fort Lauderdale to both George Town and Governor's Harbour. In addition, it maintains frequent links between Fort Lauderdale, Freeport, Marsh Harbour, North Eleuthera, and Treasure Cay. Twin Air (tel. 954/359-8266; www.flytwinair.com) flies from Fort Lauderdale three times a week to Rock Sound and Governor's Harbour, and four times a week to North Eleuthera.

Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.com) is the only carrier offering scheduled service to Nassau from Canada. Direct flights from Toronto and Montreal leave daily; other flights from Toronto and Montreal, as well as other Canadian cities, make connections in the U.S.

British travelers opt for transatlantic passage aboard British Airways (tel. 800/AIR-WAYS [247-9297] in the U.S. or 0870/850-9850 in the U.K.; www.britishairways.com), which offers four weekly direct flights from London to Nassau. The airline also has at least one flight daily to Miami. From here, many connections are available to Nassau and many other points within the archipelago on several carriers.

Flying to the Out Islands

Many frequent visitors to The Bahamas do everything they can to avoid the congestion, inconvenience, and uncertain connections of the Nassau International Airport. A couple of U.S.-based airlines offer service directly to some of the Out Islands. American Eagle (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) offers frequent service from Miami International Airport to the Abacos, Eleuthera, and the Exumas. US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com) flies nonstop every day from Fort Lauderdale to Eleuthera, usually making stops at both Governor's Harbour and North Eleuthera. US Airways also flies every day from West Palm Beach to the Abacos, stopping in both Treasure Cay and Marsh Harbour.

Chalk's International Airlines (tel. 877/924-2557; www.flychalks.com) operates 17-passenger amphibious aircraft that take off and land in waters near the company's portside terminals. From the Florida mainland, a nonstop flight departs for Bimini from Fort Lauderdale International Airport. The flight then continues on to Paradise Island. There's also a one-stop flight from Fort Lauderdale International Airport to Bimini. (The airline also offers charter flights to virtually anywhere in The Bahamas.)