City: Willemstad
Top Things to do in Willemstad
Countries
The 10 Best Things to do in Willemstad, Curacao
The lively capital of Curacao is a welcoming, upbeat destination with two distinct historic districts divided by the lovely St. Anna Bay. Punda, site of neat, narrow streets, is crammed with shops and museums. Otrobanda, or "The Other Side," is a maze of twisting residential streets, contrasting with the organized grid across the bay. Willemstad's colorful colonial architecture has won it UNESCO Heritage site designations. Diving and swimming with dolphins are popular activities in the bay.
Restaurants in Willemstad
1. Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6,724 reviews
Swings wide many times daily to allow access to one of the busiest ports in the world. It also separates the two halves of the city.
Reviewed By tsobis - King of Prussia, United States
Queen Emma bridge, popularly known as the “Swinging Old Lady”, is a pedestrian pontoon bridge on the St. Anna bay that opens laterally for passage of ships and boats. It connects the two halves of the capital city Willemstad, Punda and Otrobanda. It’s a major thoroughfare for local pedestrians and tourists alike and has breathtaking instagrammable views from any angle on the bridge. Oops! Stuck on the bridge while it opens? Just enjoy the views and wave at the people on the ship. It’ll close up shortly. If you happen to want to cross while its open, don’t worry there are water taxi’s that will get you across the bay for FREE! Wanna stunt on the gram with minimal photo bombers? Go at sunrise, preferably on a Sunday; the views against the sunrise is phenomenal. The early rise is well worth it - the bridge has amazing backdrops from every angle! You can thank me later!
2. Dolphin Academy Curacao
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,658 reviews
Dolphin Academy offers fun and educational intimate experiences with Coastal Bottlenose Dolphins in a natural saltwater lagoon and the open sea. Different experiences and courses are available for all ages.
3. Handelskade
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 894 reviews
Harborfront street lined with brightly painted 18th century buildings that today, house boutiques, art galleries and sidewalk cafes.
Reviewed By powerjag - Bogota, Colombia
Beautiful buildings and great atmosphere. We enjoyed having drinks/snacks at both Handelskade and Otrobanda (where some places provide great views of Handelskade).
4. Punda
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,407 reviews
Fall in love with the historic neighborhood Punda. Streets that are full of life and colors; fantastic murals and colorful building all over the town. Punda is the location of the world famous Handelskade: the waterfront collection of multi-colored buildings that has become Curaçao’s most characteristic image. But there is so much more to discover!
Reviewed By ReginaL872 - Corpus Christi, United States
Punda offers the old & new markets shopping,dining and easy access to the rest of the island. I highly recommend the Punda Apartments. Do shop the local markets and eat the fresh and homemade food at the old market. Walking the neighborhood you will find great little places to shop and people to talk to.
5. Kura Hulanda Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,261 reviews
Exhibits trace Curaçaoans African roots and the legacy of the slave trade in the region.
Reviewed By dutch_colleen - Boston, United States
This is a must see museum located in Willemstad There is many many artifacts from before BC Middle eastern artifacts and artifacts from the slave trade that used curaçao as a main buy and sell location The slave trade history is told through documents photos and artifacts This museum will leave you with true look at history They also have a wonderful statue garden
6. Shete Boka National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,311 reviews
Reviewed By UniversalTraversal - Oakville, Canada
The Shete Boka National Park contains several viewing areas with different attractions. My two personal favourites were the cave near the entrance - you can see huge waves coming directly towards you (though they always break before they hit the platform) and the Boka Pistol, a nook in a cliff where waves collide and spray upwards. There were even a small herd of goats following me around at one point! Be sure to wear shoes with thick soles - my shoes had fairly thin soles and the path to the Pistol has a lot of thorns on the floor and... yeah, that was painful. The Christoffel National Park is only a 5 min drive away and you can do both in one day if you're quick to move. Do Christoffel in the
7. Kenepa Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,918 reviews
Inlet on the less-developed western side of the island.
Reviewed By 8-drank-was-merry - Naples, United States
It is one of the top rated beaches in the Caribbean for a reason. Just a note. Because of the mix of cultures and languages, many of the beaches have more than one name. There are two Kenepa beaches, the larger is Playa Kenepa Grandi or Grote Knip and the smaller more rustic beach is Playa Kenepa Chiki or Klein Knip. Grote Knip is a relatively large, nice sandy beach with great snorkeling and cliff jumping. Although the cliff jumping at Playa Forti is probably better. At least for cliff jumping. Admission is free, and lounge chairs, umbrellas, snorkeling equipment, kayaks and paddleboards are available for rent. Overall, we enjoyed Play Porto Mari more, but this is an amazing beach, as well.
8. Hato Caves
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,689 reviews
Old coral reefs exposed when the sea receded.
Reviewed By 500dank - The Hague, The Netherlands
We had a vert and educational Sunday morning in the Hato caves, which are rather located up (a plateau) than down (under the ground). Our guide was a very nice guy and thought us more about the history of Curaçao that lead to the forming of the caves (including some awesome stalactites and stalagmites). Also, slaves from the Hato plantation fled and hid in the caves, until they where caught and recaptured while steeling food. You can still see the soot of their fires on the caves roof. Furthermore, you can expect bats and the occasional cockroach. But no other creepy crawlies. We brought our one year old and the first thing we wanted to know is: can you visit with a small child? The answer is yes! We parked our buggy at the bar (which was closed due to Covid-19) and carried him in (you do have to navigate 49 steps up and down. And although the inside of the cave is paved, there are still some steps. Alternative option would be a baby sling). And finally, there were appropriate social distancing measures and group size was very small (we were with one other family of three and a solo man).
9. Curacao Sea Aquarium
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,708 reviews
The Curaçao Sea Aquarium belongs to one of the most unique aquaria in the world. The reason being that, from the very beginning of the aquarium in 1984, the Sea Aquarium managed to create natural habitats for all its marine creatures without using sophisticated technical equipment. Due to an open-watersystem all the aquaria are in immediate contact with the open sea. It is this advanced pump system that continuously pumps fresh seawater directly in all the aquaria. Openings in the roof allow natural sunlight to fall directly on the aquaria, so there is no need to use artificial light sources. The combination of the open-watersystem and the natural sunlight create the natural circumstances that are needed to replicate the underwater world outside the aquarium. Everything in the aquaria, from the fish and corals to the sand on the bottom of the exhibition tanks, originates from the seas surrounding the island of Curaçao. Nothing in the displays is artificial, everything is 100% real. The same conditions apply to the lagoons in which the dolphins, sealions, sharks, rays and turtles are kept. The only thing that separates these lagoons from the open ocean are breakwaters built out of big rock boulders and an occasional fence, allowing fresh seawater to freely flow through all the lagoons. The Curaçao Sea Aquarium operates according to the principle that all animals need to be kept in circumstances that as much as possible mimic their natural living conditions. This goal is accomplished by employing all the available natural sources and resources surrounding the aquarium.
Reviewed By AmyH818 - Greensboro, United States
We enjoyed this experience in Curacao on a cloudy day. We enjoyed the dry land dolphin experience, feeding sharks, dolphin show, flamingo feeding, sea lion show, etc. Seeing animals in ocean habitats was fantastic.
10. Blue Bay Beach
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 712 reviews
Reviewed By Todd3544 - Jacksonville, United States
Blue Bay is an excellent place to visit as part of your vacation. A quick trip from the cruise port ($30 UsD) - Blue Bay is a hidden gem. An excellent beach for the whole family. Great snorkeling for first timers or any others of the like. The underwater life seen varied from crabs to blue tangs to pencil fish to puffers. The Amenities are excellent as well. Lounge chairs, fresh water showers, and shade can all be had for the $8 entry fee, $4 for kids. There are a few restaurants and bars on premise and prices are reasonable with a very pleasant wait staff. Save your money and take a cab to Blue Bay vice the $100 plus per person cruise ship excursions. A better deal and you can spend all day here!
