The rock walls
A shady passage.
Banja-Frans Mulder — CC BY 3.0 · Oscar Flowers — CC BY-SA 3.0 · JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD — CC BY-SA 3.0 · JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Taugenichts80 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · BrokenSphere — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Queen's Staircase is a flight of 65 steps cut into limestone in central Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, known locally as the 66 Steps. It climbs between high rock walls draped in tropical plants, with water running down beside it into a pool below. About 600 enslaved people carved it between 1793 and 1794, with simple tools in solid rock, to link Fort Fincastle on the hill with the town below. In the 19th century it was named after Queen Victoria, in whose reign slavery was ended in the British Empire. Some guides say the number of steps matches the years of her reign, but that is not true. The staircase rises about 31 m in all. You walk a shady passage between tall rock walls and trees, then climb the steps to the top. Above is the small Fort Fincastle, finished in 1793, an old white water tower and a view over the town and harbour. The fort may be closed for maintenance. The staircase is in central Nassau, 600 m from Parliament Square. It is free. The steps can be damp, so take care. Do not walk alone outside the main tourist areas, especially after dark.
A shady passage.
A small fall into a pool.
At the top.
Fort Fincastle Historic Complex, Bennet's Hill, central Nassau
No, that story is not true.
It may be temporarily closed; the staircase is open.
