Why Go
Most Caribbean islands have a town. Curacao has a city, and it is the reason to come. Willemstad is a working capital of pastel warehouses, a floating bridge that swings aside for passing ships, and a Jewish community that has been there since the seventeenth century — all of it a UNESCO site, none of it built for visitors. Then the island does the other thing too: an arid, cactus-covered interior that drops into a west coast notched with small coves, several of them among the best shore diving anywhere. You do not have to choose between a city break and a beach week here, which is rarer than it sounds.
What It's Like
The island runs long and narrow, with Willemstad about a third of the way up the southern coast and everything else strung out from there. The city splits in two across St Anna Bay: Punda on one side, Otrobanda on the other, joined by the pontoon bridge that swings open several times a day and strands pedestrians mid-crossing in a way nobody seems to mind. Behind them, Scharloo is a district of enormous restored merchant houses in colours that should not work together and do. South-east of the city the coast turns resort-shaped at Mambo Beach and Jan Thiel Beach, both busy and both easy. Go the other way, north-west past Piscadera Bay and Blue Bay, and the road thins out until it reaches Westpunt at the far end, where the coves are smaller, the water is clearer and the crowds mostly are not. A day can be museums and a long lunch, or it can be three coves and a tank of air.
What to Do
Walk Punda and Otrobanda in the same morning, crossing the pontoon bridge at least once on foot. The Jewish Museum Curacao sits beside the synagogue that has been in continuous use longer than any other in the Americas, and it is the single most surprising thing on the island. Landhuis Morgenster is one of the plantation houses that dot the interior, and worth the detour to understand what the countryside was built for. For water, TwinDivers and the shore entries along the south-west coast are why divers keep coming back; Curacao Tours or Caribbean Lifestyle Cruises Curacao will get you out on the water without a tank. Eat in the city rather than at the resorts: Ocean House 19 - Seafood Bistro & Bar, BOHO6 Restaurant, Ginger and Mar & Tierra 91 are all reasons to drive back into Willemstad in the evening.
Insider Tip
The best beaches are not the ones nearest the hotels. Mambo Beach and Jan Thiel Beach are where most visitors stay and they are genuinely fine, but the coves up towards Westpunt are a different order of clear, and the drive is under an hour on good road. Go early: they are small, parking is limited, and by mid-morning in high season the good ones have filled.
The Practical Stuff
Hire a car. Willemstad is walkable once you are in it, but the island is long and the beaches worth reaching are at the far end, and taxi fares add up quickly on that run. Driving is on the right. The local currency is the Netherlands Antillean guilder, though US dollars are accepted almost everywhere and cards are normal in the city. Papiamentu is the everyday language and Dutch is official, but English is spoken throughout the tourism economy and Spanish is common given how close Venezuela is. Curacao sits south of the main hurricane track, so the season that closes islands further north is much less of a factor, and the weather is dry and windy year-round rather than seasonally wet. High season runs roughly December to April; outside it the island is cheaper and no less pleasant.
Things to Do in Curacao
- Willemstad — A UNESCO capital that is a working city first and a sight second.
- Punda — The waterfront side, with the pastel Handelskade frontage everyone photographs.
- Otrobanda — The other half across the bay, less polished and more lived-in.
- Scharloo — Restored merchant mansions in colours that should clash and do not.
- Westpunt — The far north-west, where the coves get small, clear and quiet.
- Jan Thiel Beach — The easy resort beach, with everything laid on.
- Mambo Beach — The busiest strip, and the one closest to the city.
- Santa Barbara Beach — A sheltered bay on the south-east, calm enough for a lazy day.
- Blue Bay — Shore diving and a beach in the same place, close to Willemstad.
- Jewish Museum Curacao — Beside the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Americas.
- Landhuis Morgenster — One of the interior plantation houses, and the clearest window into the island's other history.
- TwinDivers — Curacao's shore diving is the reason a lot of people come back.
Common Questions About Curacao
How many days do you need in Curacao?
Six or seven works well, because the island really is two trips: Willemstad and the museums, then the beaches and diving out towards Westpunt. Four days is enough for one of those, not both.
Do you need a car in Curacao?
Yes, if you want the good beaches. Willemstad itself is walkable and the resort strips at Mambo Beach and Jan Thiel are self-contained, but the clearest coves are at the far north-west end of the island and taxi fares on that run add up fast.
Is Curacao in the hurricane belt?
It sits south of the main hurricane track, so storms are far less frequent than on the islands further north. That is a matter of odds rather than a guarantee, but it is why the island stays open and dry through a season that disrupts much of the region.
Is Curacao good for diving?
It is one of the better shore-diving destinations in the Caribbean. Much of the south-west coast can be entered directly from the beach, which keeps costs down and means you are not tied to boat schedules.
What language do they speak in Curacao?
Papiamentu is the everyday language and Dutch is official, but English is spoken fluently across the tourism economy and Spanish is widely understood. You will not need any Papiamentu to get around.
Curacao or Aruba?
Aruba has the better beaches and the easier, more packaged trip. Curacao has the far more interesting city, better diving, and more to do that has nothing to do with a resort. If you want to lie on sand, Aruba. If you want somewhere to explore, Curacao.
