Versailles Gardens

New Providence

This hushed, symmetrical formal garden is the last thing you expect to find on bling-lovin’ Paradise Island, but here it is. The terraced landscape is lined with statues depicting great men throughout the ages, including Napoleon, Franklin D Roosevelt and a 12th-century Hercules. The garden’s big photo op is the Cloisters, a rectangular stone colonnade built by Augustinian monks in 14th-century France. Huntington Hartford purchased it from newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and had it shipped piece-by-piece to the Bahamas.

Now owned by the upscale Ocean Club, the gardens are technically off-limits, but nobody seems to mind respectful visitors ignoring the 'No Tresspassing' signs.

Contact

Address

Paradise Island Dr

Suggest an edit to this attraction

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Clifton Heritage National Park
15.68 MILES
The scrub forest, wetlands, beaches and historic relics of Clifton Heritage National Park narrowly avoided being bulldozed to make space for new tourist…
National Art Gallery of the Bahamas
2.36 MILES
Anchoring the West Hill St tourist enclave, the National Art Gallery is a welcome oasis inside the stately 1860s-era Villa Doyle and one of the gems in…
Graycliff Cigar Co
2.31 MILES
Wandering into this cigar factory is like falling into 1920s Cuba. In a narrow, smoke-yellowed room with old-fashioned mosaic floors, torcedores (cigar…
Fort Fincastle & the Queen’s Staircase
1.84 MILES
Set on a small hill just south of downtown Nassau, this small fort was built by Lord Dunmore in 1793 to guard the harbor against invaders. Never used, it…
John Watling's Distillery
2.43 MILES
Watling's, relatively new to the Bahamian rum-distilling game, has found a home in the beautifully restored 18th-century Buena Vista Estate, its extensive…
Junkanoo Beach
2.49 MILES
Between downtown Nassau and Arawak Cay, Junkanoo is popular with locals and visitors alike, with beach-shack bars, volleyball nets, sky-juice vendors and…
Fort Charlotte
2.89 MILES
Built between 1787 and 1790 to guard the west entrance to Nassau Harbour, this massive fort was the pet project of Lord Dunmore, who named it after King…
Pirates of Nassau
2.16 MILES
It's hard to ignore the pirate pacing outside and posing for selfies on the pedestrianized strip off George St. The walk-through exhibition space trades…

View more attractions

Nearby New Providence attractions

1. Cabbage Beach

0.4 MILES

While the west end of this stretch of sand – one of the more popular in New Providence – is obscured by the Atlantis resort, there is public access to the…

2. Fort Montagu

0.52 MILES

Dating to 1741, this limestone fort is the oldest on the island, built to guard the eastern approach to Nassau Harbour. It's well preserved and worth a…

3. Cove Beach

0.71 MILES

East of Cabbage Beach, this beach is favored by day-trippers on picnicking and snorkeling excursions from Nassau.

4. Doongalik Studios

0.79 MILES

Offering an eclectic window into modern Bahamian art, Doongalik runs exhibitions on solo artists' work, and everything from quilts to straw crafts and…

5. Discover Atlantis Tour

1.06 MILES

Strolling through a glass tunnel while sharks glide overhead is, simply put, awesome. This thrill is found in the Predator’s Lagoon, one of the exhibits…

6. The Retreat

1.12 MILES

Established in 1977 as the first national park on New Providence, this 4.5-hectare property re-creates a Bahamian hardwood forest and is a refuge for bird…

7. Paradise Beach

1.27 MILES

Another beauty, Paradise Beach curves gently along the northwest shore of the island. The resorts have their own facilities, but nonguests pay for…

8. Bahamas Historical Society Museum

1.76 MILES

Documents, household artifacts, pirate engravings, model ships and more tell the story of 500 years of life in the Bahamas at this small but engaging…

View more attractions

placement: superzone
path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],

targeting:

{
  "url": "the-bahamas/paradise-island/attractions/versailles-gardens/a/poi-sig/1393377/1341696",
  "destination": "New-Providence",
  "continent": "Caribbean",
  "country": "The-Bahamas",
  "region": "New-Providence",
  "position": "superzone"
}