Three Best Places to Go in the Bahamas Where You Don't Have to Spend Any Money

The Bahamas is an expensive place to get your travel fix. But some of its most popular attractions are free to enjoy if you don't want to bring your wallet along for the day.

The Straw Market

I'm not particularly a big fan of the Straw Market in Nassau myself, but for most Bahamas travelers, it's a must-see experience every time they visit.

You don't have to pay any admission or come out with any merchandise to simply browse the Straw Market. If you don't mind looking at row after row of Chanel handbag knock-offs, you might be busy for at least an hour.

The vendors probably won't appreciate your cheapskate attitude, as they'll no doubt flash their goods in your direction to entice a purchase. But that's the name of the game at the Straw Market, and it's worked for them so far. So just let them do their thing while you look around, and you'll still enjoy yourself.

When you get tired of the Straw Market, Nassau offers several legitimate luxury dealers on the downtown strip where you can shop for the real Chanel handbag you've been wanting to check out.

The Atlantis Marina

The Atlantis Resort is perhaps the most expensive spot on all of the Bahamian islands. But there's one facet of it that's free - the Marina.

The Marina is where all the fancy yachts pull up to dock after spending a day carting affluent folks around on the ocean. So naturally, there are plenty of restaurants and brand-name shops lining the Marina to entice more money out of your wallet.

However, when we went to the Bahamas, we just had fun hanging out at the Marina without spending money every time we took a walk. The docking area gives you a beautiful view of the resort, the ocean and the awesome yachts that dock there.

You might try going at nighttime, when the yachts are sure to be docked and when the lights are reflecting off the ocean. The smell of the Marina Pizzeria and the sounds of live music playing outside a restaurant were memory-makers for me, and I imagine they'll be the same for you, too.

The Beaches

They have this saying in the Bahamas - "No man owns the beach." That's right. You can swim right up to the Atlantis beaches, and they can't kick you off because they don't own it. That's also how a lot of shady third-party vendors get away with selling jet ski rentals, but that's for another time.

Just hanging out at the beach won't actually cost you money. Swim in the ocean, make sand castles, drag a free lounging chair to your favorite spot, and no one can - or will - charge you for it.