Travel to the Caribbean Island of Curacao
♦ Routes (free): Detailed travel itineraries in USA
General Information
Curacao is the largest and most populous of the Dutch Caribbean islands. It is located only 56 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 68 km east of Aruba. The island is sunny year-round, but thanks to the constant trade winds blowing through it, the heat load is not heavy and is certainly tolerable.
The island was first discovered by the Spanish in 1499, but since 1634 it has been under Dutch control. To this day, the Dutch influence is clearly visible, especially in the capital city of Willemstad. In the city center, there are preserved pastel-colored houses, each a different color.
The island's residents speak Dutch, Spanish, English, and Papiamento. The official currency is the Netherlands Antillean Guilder.
Book tours in Curacao from GetYourGuide.com:
Recommended Hotels in Curacao
5-star hotel with family rooms for up to 4 adults and 3 children. Located in Willemstad near the recommended Parasasa beach. The hotel has 2 pools, a restaurant, a gym, free Wi-Fi, and free parking.
Mangrove Beach Corendon Curacao All-Inclusive Resort, Curio
5-star all-inclusive hotel. Located in the city of Willemstad. The hotel features a restaurant, bar, pools, beach, gym, free Wi-Fi, and free parking.
5-star suite hotel where every suite includes a fully equipped kitchen or kitchenette. Located on a private island (with a bridge to the rest of the island) with a private beach near the Curacao Aquarium. The hotel also features a pool, jacuzzi, and restaurant.
Dreams Curacao Resort, Spa & Casino
5-star casino hotel located in Willemstad. The hotel features a restaurant, bar, kids' club, tennis, billiards, pool, beach, gym, and evening entertainment. Free Wi-Fi included.
Google Map of Curacao Island:
Book recommended tours and excursions in Curacao from Viator:
Water attractions:
Land attractions:
Willemstad - The Capital City
Cruise ships dock at the central pier of the capital, Willemstad, which is close to the city center and its famous floating market. A small floating bridge named "Queen Emma Bridge" opens to the side to allow the ship to pass through the narrow channel to the pier. The first sight you see is a row of colorful colonial-style pastel houses with red Dutch roofs reminiscent of dollhouses.
The walk to the city center from the pier is less than ten minutes. You can, of course, take a taxi for a very short ride.
The main attraction on the island is a walking tour of the capital city, Willemstad, which, thanks to its compact center, is easy and convenient to explore on foot. It’s nice to wander through its narrow streets and tiny alleys and visit one of the city's many museums. In two to three hours you can see the best of the city, and afterwards you can go shopping or experience water sports.
A narrow channel called "St. Anna Bay" divides the city into two parts: "Punda," where the main shopping area including shops, restaurants, markets, and several monuments is located, and "Otrabanda," with its narrow, winding streets and a wealth of colorful colonial houses. The Queen Emma Bridge connects the two parts of the city. When the bridge is open, you can take a free ferry between the two parts. The bridge opens at least thirty times a day.
Sellers from Venezuela, Colombia, and neighboring islands arrive every morning at the Floating Market located in "Punda" and sell their fresh wares, which mainly include tropical fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants, spices, and fish.
One of the most famous historical attractions on the island is the Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, considered the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Western Hemisphere. It was built in 1651 and attracts thousands of visitors annually. Adjacent to it is The Jewish Cultural Museum.
There was once a large Jewish community on Curacao, and there are several sites on the island worth visiting: the synagogue, the cemetery, and various buildings.
Short video about Curacao:
recommended attractions outside of Willemstad:
Christoffel National Park - an expansive national park located in the north of the island, about a 45-minute drive from the port. You can go on jeep tours, horseback riding, and of course hiking on many trails. The park features diverse vegetation from cacti to rare orchids, and a variety of animals, mainly iguanas, wild goats, donkeys, and plenty of birds. In the center of the park is the highest mountain on the island, Mount Christoffel, which is 369 meters high.
Curacao Seaquarium - considered the largest aquarium in the Caribbean. It has forty saltwater pools and aquariums featuring over 400 types of marine life. Interactive programs are held there including feeding sharks, stingrays, or sea turtles, swimming and snorkeling with a variety of marine animals including stingrays and sea lions, underwater observation from a "semi-submarine," and more.
Hato Caves - stalactite caves with underground pools, plenty of stalagmites and stalactites, and also petroglyphs. A guided tour of about an hour is held in the caves. Phone: 599-9868-0379, Address: Rooseveltweg, Hato.
Curacao Aloe Plantation and Factory - a tour of the factory for extracting aloe vera and producing various products from it, from soap to various creams and even drinks. The tour starts in the plantations and follows the production stages to the final product. On-site is a factory shop where you can purchase a variety of products based on the aloe vera plant.
Beaches
Curacao has 38 beaches, some long sandy beaches with hotels and resorts built on them, and others isolated bays. Water temperature is constant year-round (due to proximity to the equator) and is around 24 degrees Celsius.
The beaches are relatively far from Willemstad port. You can book round-trip transportation from the cruise pier to an arranged beach here through Viator:
♦ Visit to a cave and time at a beach - Curacao Beach and Hato Caves Tour Includes round-trip transportation to the cruise port.
Recommended Guided Tour
It is worth starting your visit to the island with a recommended and inexpensive guided tour by Irie Tours. The company offers an effective three-hour tour of the eastern part of the island, which includes various viewpoints of Willemstad and a drive over the tall and impressive Juliana Bridge, which offers a full view of the harbor and the city,
A visit to the old Jewish quarter among impressive estates, a visit (including tastings) to the Curacao Liquor distillery where they produce the famous popular liqueur: "Blue Curacao," a visit to the beautiful residential neighborhood of Spanish Water Bay, and a swim at Mambo Beach near the aquarium. This is an arranged, well-maintained beach with clear, calm waters, ideal for swimming and offering a variety of water sports (including inflatable water installations and snorkeling). Reservations for the tour must be made in advance!
Mambo Beach:
Free Internet
It is important to know that in the port and city center, there is free Wi-Fi without the need for a password. Therefore, after you have exhausted your tours and recreation, you can browse for free comfortably almost everywhere.