Passengers · Bimini

Embarkation Bimini

⚠️ Please be aware that there is a 3 hour check-in window before departure. Terminal doors close 1 hour before departure. Please arrive at the terminal well in advance.

Tram service included during ferry arrival and departure hours. Tram service travels to Fisherman's Village and Hilton Resort.

Terminal is wheelchair accessible.

 

Passengers · Freeport (Grand Bahama)

Embarkation Freeport

⚠️ Please be aware that there is a 3 hour check-in window before departure. Terminal doors close 1 hour before departure. Please arrive at the terminal well in advance.

⚠️ Terminal note: Baleàr­ia Caribbean references Freeport Harbour (Terminal 2), while some sources list Terminal 1, Queen's Highway. Always verify the terminal on your booking confirmation before heading to the port.

Terminal is wheelchair accessible.

 

 

 

About the Bahamas

The Bahamas is an archipelago of over 700 islands, cays and islets stretching across the Atlantic Ocean, beginning just 50 miles east of Miami and extending southward for nearly 800 miles. Two islands in the north of the chain — Bimini and Grand Bahama — are directly connected to the U.S. mainland by Baleària Caribbean fast ferries departing from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades, Terminal 21). Both routes are international crossings — a valid passport is required — and together they represent the only regular passenger ferry service between the continental United States and the Bahamas.

The Bahamas became an independent nation in 1973 (previously a British colony) and operates as a constitutional monarchy with a distinctive dual identity: one of the world's most famous luxury travel destinations and simultaneously an authentic Caribbean culture with a proud tradition in fishing, sailing, music and cuisine. The Bahamian dollar is pegged 1:1 with the U.S. dollar, and U.S. currency is accepted everywhere across both islands — no exchange needed.

 

 

 

About Bimini, Bahamas

Bimini or Bimini Islands is the westernmost district of the Bahamas, made up of a chain of islands located about 53 miles (81 km) east of Miami (United States). Bimini is the closest point in the Bahamas to the United States and is located approximately 137 miles (209 km) northwest of Nassau.

The largest islands are North Bimini and South Bimini. The Bimini District also includes the Placer de los Roques or Cayo Sal (Cay Sal Bank), more than 62 miles (100 km) further south. North Bimini is seven miles (11 km) long and 700 feet (210 m) wide. Its main town is the city of Alice Town, a collection of shops, restaurants and bars around a single road known as "La Carretera del Rey" (The King's Highway).

 

Bimini ferry: ferry routes

Bimini ferry is the fast ferry that connects Florida (US) with Bimini island in the Bahamas. The boat departs from Fort Lauderdale, half an hour by car from Miami. The shipping company that makes the ferry Fort Lauderdale–Bimini ride is Balearia Caribbean.

 

Bimini Resorts

Most important Bimini island resorts are:

• Hilton Bimini at Resorts World Bimini

• Bimini Big Game Club Resort & Marina

Hilton Bimini

Hilton Bimini is a beautiful resort located on North Bimini where you can enjoy the island's natural beauty alongside the comfort and luxury of Hilton. The rooms are spacious and bright, each offering two queen-size beds and accommodating up to four guests. There are also connecting rooms for families and larger suites for those seeking extra comfort. Take a dip in one of the stunning infinity pools — including a rooftop pool with breathtaking views of the Caribbean and its crystal-clear waters.

The hotel is fully equipped with modern amenities, including a fitness center, spa, massage rooms, meeting and event spaces for corporate gatherings or weddings, and a top-rated restaurant where you can enjoy local Bahamian dishes and international cuisine. There's even a full casino where you can try your luck and enjoy the nightlife vibe.

Fishing enthusiasts will love the large marina located right in front of the hotel, where you can rent a boat and head out on a deep-sea fishing trip. With morning and evening charters available, it's the perfect way to spend a day on the water chasing unforgettable catches in these fish-rich Caribbean seas.

If you're looking to relax, soak up the sun, and enjoy the beach, you can add access to the hotel's exclusive Beach Club, located just a couple of kilometers from the main property. The club features an infinity pool, a beach bar, lounge chairs with umbrellas, and private cabanas — everything you need for the perfect island day.

The resort also offers golf cart rentals so you can explore the island at your own pace. These vehicles are quiet, easy to drive, and spacious enough to carry you and your friends around comfortably.

 

Bimini Big Game Club

Bimini Big Game Club Resort & Marina is a boutique resort located in Alice Town, North Bimini — right in the heart of it all, and just steps away from the island's most beautiful beaches. This Bahamian-style property offers comfortable, beautifully decorated guest rooms, charming waterfront cottages, and spacious penthouses.

The resort features a full-service marina with 75 slips, accommodating vessels up to 150 feet (45 meters), and even has an on-site Bahamian Customs and Immigration officer. All boat and megayacht docks have direct access to the resort's full range of amenities.

Adventure / Scuba: The resort is home to Neal Watson's Bimini Scuba Center, which operates six dive boats and offers year-round diving adventures in the crystal-clear waters of Bimini.

Sport Fishing: At this Bimini resort, fishing isn't just a hobby — it's a way of life. Whether you're into fly fishing, reef fishing, or big game fishing, Bimini offers abundant marine life and top-tier fishing opportunities.

The Legendary History of Bimini Big Game Club: Originally founded in the 1930s as an upscale dining club, the resort was relocated and expanded to its current location in 1947. Bimini Big Game Club has hosted world-class anglers, expert divers, and visiting dignitaries alike. Whether you're here to escape your busy lifestyle and reel in a 1,000-pound blue marlin, or to explore the mysterious underwater Bimini Road, this resort is the perfect base for your Bahamian vacation getaway.

 

Bimini Beaches

 

 

 

About Freeport · Grand Bahama Island

Freeport is the second-largest city in the Bahamas and the commercial and tourism hub of Grand Bahama Island, located just about 55 nautical miles east of Palm Beach, Florida — making it one of the most accessible Bahamian destinations from the U.S. mainland. The city was created from scratch in 1955 under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, which granted financier Wallace Groves a massive tract of pineyard and swampland to develop into what would become a free trade zone and tropical resort destination. Today, Grand Bahama draws well over a million visitors a year.

Freeport and its coastal suburb Lucaya are often spoken of together as a single destination. While Freeport is the inland commercial center — home to offices, banks and the Grand Bahama International Airport (FPO) — Lucaya is the waterfront district to the east, where most of the resorts, restaurants, shops and the beloved Port Lucaya Marketplace are concentrated. The island stretches some 530 square miles and is divided into three broad zones: West End, Freeport/Lucaya and East End. Grand Bahama is the fourth-largest island in the Bahamas.

The island's natural assets are exceptional. Grand Bahama is home to Lucayan National Park, one of the most ecologically diverse protected areas in the Bahamas, sheltering one of the world's longest underwater cave systems — over 6.4 miles of surveyed passages — along with all six Bahamian ecosystems and the spectacular Gold Rock Beach, named the Caribbean's best beach by USA Today in 2018. The island draws visitors with world-class scuba diving, kayaking through pristine mangroves, deep-sea fishing, dolphin encounters and a genuine Bahamian food culture built around fresh conch, grouper and local seafood.

 

Freeport ferry: ferry routes

The Freeport ferry is the fast ferry that connects Florida (US) with Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas. The boat departs from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades, Terminal 21), approximately half an hour's drive north of Miami. The shipping company that operates the ferry Fort Lauderdale–Freeport route is Balearia Caribbean, using the high-speed catamaran HSC Jaume II.

 

Freeport & Lucaya: top attractions

Most visited spots in Grand Bahama for ferry travelers:

• Port Lucaya Marketplace

• Lucayan National Park

Port Lucaya Marketplace

Port Lucaya Marketplace is the beating heart of tourism on Grand Bahama Island — a lively, open-air commercial hub spread across 9.5 acres on Lucaya's southern shore, right across from the beach. Dozens of stalls and shops sell Bahamian handicrafts, jewelry, duty-free goods, local rum, straw work and souvenirs, while a string of waterfront restaurants and bars keeps the energy going well into the evening.

At the center of the Marketplace is Count Basie Square — an outdoor stage named after the jazz legend who had ties to the island. On most evenings local musicians perform live Bahamian music, from rake-and-scrape to junkanoo rhythms, turning the square into a spontaneous open-air party that's free to all. Every Wednesday from 6 p.m., nearby Smith's Point hosts the legendary Fish Fry — Grand Bahama's most iconic weekly tradition, serving freshly caught conch salad, fried grouper, peas 'n' rice and the local beer Sands alongside dancing and live music.

The Marketplace is also the departure point for water taxis to Taino Beach ($3 per trip, hourly) and the gateway to booking snorkeling trips, dolphin encounters, kayak tours and deep-sea fishing charters. Lucayan Beach is directly across the street, with water sports rentals and Grand Lucayan Resort day passes. Just a short walk away, the Freeport Perfume Factory — housed in a bubblegum-pink Bahamian mansion — lets you blend and bottle your own signature island fragrance, one of the most memorable activities on the island.

 

Lucayan National Park

Lucayan National Park is Grand Bahama's crown jewel — a 40-acre protected sanctuary about 25 miles east of Freeport, managed by the Bahamas National Trust and open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The park packs all six of the Bahamas' ecosystems into a single walkable area: pine forest, mangrove swamp, rocky coppice, whiteland coppice, strand and beach. Beneath the surface lies one of the world's longest underwater limestone cave systems, with over 6.4 miles of surveyed passages.

Two caves are accessible by elevated boardwalk: Ben's Cave — a freshwater inland blue hole reachable by certified cave divers with an authorized instructor — and Burial Mound Cave, where Lucayan artifacts have been found, offering a window into the island's pre-Columbian inhabitants. The boardwalks wind through mangroves (where guided kayak tours are available), into pine forest and all the way down to the shoreline.

At the end of the trail waits Gold Rock Beach, the park's star attraction: a vast expanse of powder-white sand and crystal-clear turquoise water. At low tide, enormous shallow sandbanks extend nearly 75 yards into the sea — Grand Bahama's famous "welcome mat." The beach was a filming location for Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean II and III, and was named the Caribbean's best beach by USA Today in 2018. Bring water and a packed lunch — there are no restaurants or shops inside the park. Best visited 2 hours before to 2 hours after low tide.

 

Freeport & Grand Bahama Beaches