Travelling by bus will cost a bomb, except for Nassau and Freeport, where private 'jitneys' (minibuses) operate within the city (but not to the airport), and there is no public transport on any of the Family Islands. This leaves car rental as the best transportation option. Several major international car rental companies have outlets in Nassau and Freeport, supplemented by small local firms. On the Family Islands, there are few established agencies. Although the minimum age to obtain a driver's license in The Bahamas is 17, renters must be 21 (some companies only rent to those 25 or older). You can drive on your foreign license for up to three months; an International Driver's License, required for longer stays, can be obtained from the Road Traffic Department in Nassau or the AAA office in the USA or UK. Remember to drive on the left. Other transportation rental options include motorcycles, scooters and bicycles (usually only one gear), which are available primarily in Freeport and Nassau.

There's no shortage of taxis in Nassau and Freeport, where they can be hailed on the streets. Taxis are also the main local transportation on the Family Islands, though you'll need to summon one by radio or telephone.

Intra-island flights offer the only quick and convenient way to travel between islands. Bahamasair serves Grand Bahamas and the larger Out Islands. The schedules change frequently and at short notice (no attempt is made to notify passengers with advance reservations of schedule changes). The airline operates on a hub-and-spoke system, to and from Nassau. Thus, if you want to fly between adjacent islands, such as Cat Island and Long Island, you'll have to return to Nassau. If you plan on a lot of island-hopping, you begin to feel like a yo-yo. Worse, you may need to stay overnight in Nassau between flights. You can also charter a small aircraft - which, if you plan to do a lot of island hopping and can get a few people together, is cost effective and time saving.

Inter-island ferries are not as ubiquitous as you may imagine, but there are a few. Water taxis, for example, ply between Nassau and Paradise Island. Bahamas FastFerries is the only high-speed ferry in the islands; it links Nassau, Andros, Abacos, Eleuthera and the Exumas. Government-run ferries also link islands that are a short distance apart, such as North and South Bimini; Mangrove Cay and South Andros; and Crooked and Acklins Islands. Mail boats leave Potter's Cay Dock in Nassau, usually on twice-weekly trips, serving all the inhabited islands under government contract. Marinas are strewn about the islands like confetti at a wedding, and yachts for hire are easy to find.