EPIC SANDBOX

Bahamas vs Seychelles

North America points at the Bahamas; Europe, the Gulf and East Africa point at Seychelles. There is no overlap in their catchments worth speaking of.

If you can reach both, Seychelles has the more distinctive beaches — granite on sand is genuinely unlike anywhere else — and the Bahamas has the shallower, wider water and the easier short trip.

Bahamas compared with Seychelles
MeasureBest monthsDaily budgetCurrencyLanguagePlugsBeaches listed
BahamasDecember – MayUpperBSD (USD accepted at par)EnglishType A / B, 120V1
SeychellesDecember – AprilLuxurySCRSeychellois Creole, English, FrenchType G, 240V2

Bahamas

The Bahamas is a busy gateway at Nassau with a long tail of quiet Out Islands beyond it, reached by domestic carriers. Spring break, late February to mid-April, is its busiest stretch.

Its defining physical feature is the shallow bank — huge areas only a few metres deep, which is what gives the water its colour over distances a reef could not.

Seychelles

Seychelles is three main islands close enough to see in one week: Mahé with the gateway and the capital, Praslin and La Digue reached by domestic flight or ferry.

The granitic inner islands are the draw. The seasonal difference is mainly wind and rainfall rather than temperature, so no month is simply written off.

Cost

Bahamas, checked 7 September 2026: an inexpensive restaurant meal $48.75; a three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant $165; a pint of domestic draught $5. The Bahamian dollar is pegged to and interchangeable with the US dollar.

Seychelles, checked 16 July 2026: an inexpensive restaurant meal SCR265; a three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant SCR1,305; a pint of domestic draught SCR110. From 130 entries by 16 contributors — the same caveat applies.

Both are expensive to eat in by this directory's standards. The Seychelles dataset is thin enough that it should not be used to split hairs between them.

Getting there

Nassau is the principal gateway; several Out Islands have their own airports and some take direct US service in season. The Bahamas needs a passport valid six months, a return or onward ticket, hotel confirmation or an address, and proof of funds. Visa requirements track the period of leave to land, so anyone staying beyond 90 days should check their nationality. US citizens entering as bona fide visitors may stay up to eight months without a visa; Canadian landed immigrants holding Form 1000 may enter visa-free for up to 30 days.

Seychelles International on Mahé is the gateway, with Praslin and La Digue reached by domestic flight or ferry. Seychelles requires no visa, but an Electronic Travel Authorisation is mandatory and must be obtained BEFORE departure — every traveller, including anyone arriving by sea. A Visitor's Permit follows on arrival for up to three months, extendable in three-month blocks to twelve, against a return ticket, confirmed accommodation and sufficient funds.

The Seychelles travel authorisation is the one to note. There is no visa, which is exactly why people forget there is anything to do before flying.

The beaches

This is the clearest difference between them.

Seychelles' granite formations sitting on pale sand are specific and photographable in a way nothing in the Bahamas is, and the best of them are public and walkable on La Digue and Praslin.

The Bahamas' asset is scale rather than composition — shallow water across very large areas, with the quiet sand an Out Island flight beyond Nassau. We have no sourced beach-level data for either yet.

In this directory: Bahamas has 1 beach listed, 0 rated calm for swimming. Seychelles has 2, 1 calm.

When to go

The Bahamas is best December through May, outside a hurricane season that runs June through November. Many Bahamian hotels carry hurricane cancellation policies giving a full refund if a storm disrupts the trip.

The Seychelles inner islands are dry December to April and wet June to October, and the difference between the two is mainly wind and rainfall rather than temperature.

December to April suits both cleanly. June to October is awkward for both — Bahamian hurricane season and the Seychelles wet season overlap almost exactly.

Bahamas

  • January in season
  • February in season
  • March in season
  • April in season
  • May in season
  • June out of season
  • July out of season
  • August out of season
  • September out of season
  • October out of season
  • November out of season
  • December in season

Seychelles

  • January in season
  • February in season
  • March in season
  • April in season
  • May out of season
  • June out of season
  • July out of season
  • August out of season
  • September out of season
  • October out of season
  • November out of season
  • December in season

5 months suit both, and 6 suit neither.

Beyond the beach

Seychelles has a capital on Mahé and three islands to move between, with the moving as part of the trip.

The Bahamas has Nassau at one end and deliberate quiet at the other. Neither is chosen for what is inland.

Choose Bahamas if

  • You are in North America.
  • You want a trip that works in under a week.
  • US citizens: the eight-month visa-free allowance is unusually generous.
  • Shallow pale water across big distances is the image you are after.

Choose Seychelles if

  • You are coming from Europe, the Gulf, India or East Africa.
  • Granite boulders on public sand is what you actually want to photograph.
  • Three distinct islands in one week appeals more than one developed hub.
  • You will remember to get the travel authorisation before you fly.

Beaches in Bahamas

Beaches in Seychelles