You want turquoise water, warm weather, and a complete mental reset. You're choosing between Key West and the Bahamas. Both are technically in the same part of the world — subtropical, Caribbean-adjacent, and designed for people who've had enough winter. But they're dramatically different experiences.
I've spent real time in both. Here's the honest comparison.
Key West: Fly into EYW (tiny airport, limited direct flights, expensive) or fly into Miami and drive US-1 — the Overseas Highway, 113 miles across 42 bridges over turquoise water. The drive is 4-5 hours with stops and it's one of the world's most scenic routes. Must-stop: Bahia Honda State Park (mile marker 37) for swimming and the old bridge photo.
Bahamas: Fly into Nassau (NAS) — 3 hours from New York, 1 hour from Miami. Direct flights on most major carriers. Budget airlines (Frontier, Spirit) run cheap seats. Getting to the Out Islands (Exumas, Eleuthera, Harbour Island) requires a puddle-jumper connection ($150-300 round trip).
Winner: Bahamas for ease of flying. Key West if you want the Overseas Highway drive (and you should — it's spectacular).
Key West is a party town that also does culture. Duval Street bars never close. Hemingway's ghost haunts every corner. The sunset celebration at Mallory Square is a nightly ritual with sword swallowers and tightrope walkers. It's quirky, boozy, and unapologetically itself. The Conch Republic "seceded" from the US in 1982 as a joke and never fully let it go.
Bahamas offers a range. Nassau is resort-heavy and cruise-port busy. Paradise Island (Atlantis) is a mega-resort experience. But the Out Islands — Exumas, Eleuthera, Harbour Island — are quiet, exclusive, and genuinely remote. Pink sand beaches. Swimming pigs. Crystal-clear water with nobody in it.
Winner: Key West for personality and nightlife. Bahamas for seclusion and pristine beaches.
Key West's beaches are... fine. Smathers Beach is the main one — serviceable but not spectacular. Fort Zachary Taylor Beach ($6/vehicle + $2.50/person) is the best in town with decent snorkeling off the rocks. But Key West doesn't win on beaches. It wins on character.
Bahamas beaches are world-class. Harbour Island's Pink Sands Beach is exactly what it sounds like — 3 miles of pink sand from crushed coral. The Exumas have private island beaches that look Photoshopped. Cable Beach in Nassau is wide and beautiful.
Winner: Bahamas, decisively. Key West can't compete on sand.
Key West sits near North America's only living barrier reef. Snorkeling trips ($45-65, half day) put you over elkhorn coral, parrotfish, sea turtles, and nurse sharks. The Dry Tortugas — a remote island fortress 70 miles west — offers the best snorkeling in the region. Ferry: $200 round trip (Yankee Freedom, full day). Fort Jefferson on Dry Tortugas is a massive, unfinished Civil War hexagonal fort surrounded by crystal water. It's extraordinary.
Bahamas has Thunderball Grotto (swam through in a James Bond film), the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, and world-class diving on Andros Island's barrier reef. The swimming pigs at Big Major Cay are gimmicky but genuinely fun. Dean's Blue Hole on Long Island is the world's deepest blue hole.
Winner: Draw. Key West for reef snorkeling and the Dry Tortugas experience. Bahamas for diversity and adventure.
Key West: Conch fritters ($12-15 a basket), key lime pie ($6-8/slice — Kermit's or Joe's), Cuban mix sandwiches, and fresh-catch seafood. Sloppy Joe's is the mandatory tourist stop (Hemingway's favorite). The food is good but not groundbreaking. Prices are high — $20-50 per person at restaurants.
Bahamas: Conch salad (fresh, marinated, $10-15), cracked conch ($15-20), johnnycake, and guava duff dessert. Fish Fry at Arawak Cay in Nassau is the local dining experience — picnic tables, Kalik beer, fresh seafood for $12-20. The Out Islands have limited options but what exists is fresh and local.
Winner: Slight edge to Key West for variety and character. Bahamas wins on value.
| Category | Key West | Bahamas (Nassau) | Bahamas (Out Islands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel/night | $250-500 | $150-400 | $200-800 |
| Dinner | $25-50 | $20-40 | $30-60 |
| Beer | $6-8 | $5-7 | $6-10 |
| Snorkeling trip | $45-65 | $50-80 | $60-120 |
| Transport | Walk/bike | Taxi/jitney | Boat/car |
Winner: Nassau Bahamas for budget. Key West and Out Islands are both expensive.
Key West only:
Bahamas only:
Key West is a 3-4 day destination. Old Town is 1 mile by 4 miles. You can see everything in 3 days and start to feel antsy by day 5.
Bahamas can fill a week easily if you island-hop. Nassau: 2-3 days. Exumas: 3-4 days. Harbour Island: 2-3 days.
Choose Key West if: You want personality over perfection. You want walkable/bikeable convenience. You want literary history, quirky culture, epic sunsets, and a bar scene that never sleeps. You're driving from Florida anyway and the Overseas Highway is on your list.
Choose Bahamas if: You want pristine beaches. You want seclusion (Out Islands). You want underwater adventures beyond reef snorkeling. You're traveling with family and want a resort experience.
The real answer: They're not competitors. Key West is a town with character. The Bahamas is a country with variety. One is a long weekend. The other is a full vacation. If you're in South Florida, do Key West for 3-4 days. If you want a proper island escape, go to the Bahamas.
And if you can swing it — drive to Key West, fly from Miami to Nassau on the way back. Get both.
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