Home › Travel Guides › Caribbean Travel Guide › Curacao › Things to see and do in Curacao
Image gallery

Willemstad, Curacao

© Photodisc / Thinkstock

Things to see and do in Curacao

Curaçao Museum

Pop into Curaçao Museum and browse a fascinating collection of antiques and art. Carefully restored in 1946-1948, the museum also contains artefacts from the indigenous Caiquetio tribes, with a pretty garden pavilion used to host regular moonlit musical extravaganzas.

Drink Curaçao

No visit to the island is complete without tasting Curaçao's famous eponymous liqueur, made using dried peel from the Laraha orange. For a complimentary tipple, head to the Willemstad distillery and sample a glass of the original Senior family recipe, dating back to 1886.

Explore St Christoffel National Park

This nature reserve in the north-western part of the island is dominated by the St Christoffel Mountain. Visit several caves decorated with Arawak Indian paintings and wonder at the park's unusual rock formations, exotic birdlife, iguanas and timid Curaçao deer.

Go golfing

At Blue Bay Golf Club, mischievous sea breezes make the par-72, 18-hole course a battle of wills, with lagoons, small lakes and a plunge ravine into the sea. Have a camera ready for the signature fifth hole, with a setting of rugged clifftops and open skies.

Hike in Shete Boka National Park

Delve into a string of hiking trails in this compact bird-filled nature reserve that boasts gasp-inducing views of Curaçao's rugged north coast. Sea turtles breed in the protected waters below, and the conservation zone is renowned for its other-worldly limestone grottoes and fossilised caves.

Impressive bridges

Watch the Queen Emma Bridge part to allow the stream of large ships pass by, and head over the Queen Juliana Bridge - at 200ft (60.5 metres) above the water it is the highest bridge in the Caribbean - for stupendous views.

Jewish Cultural Historical Museum

Visit the Mikvé Israel Emanuel Synagogue and learn more about the sacred building's history at the nearby Jewish Cultural Historical Museum.

Museum Kura Hulanda

This fascinating anthropological museum (www.kurahulanda.com/museum) includes an exhibition on the history of the slave trade in the Americas.

Party at carnival

Costumed partygoers fill the streets during Curaçao's Carnival season, when ancient Catholic rites and African-Caribbean traditions fuse, creating a riot of colour, pomp, and revelry. One of the largest and longest lasting carnival spectacles in the Caribbean, merrymaking begins early January and continues until late February/early March.

Relax in a beach bar

Kick back and relax Caribbean-style at a beach bar. Try Hooks Hut on Piscadera Bay (www.hookshut.com) for chilled drinks, wooden decking and fresh seafood.

Schottegat

Historic Willemstad is edged by the island's natural harbour, Schottegat, where Curaçao's famous floating market takes place. Observe dozens of colourful barges full of Venezuelan wares and agricultural produce with plenty of opportunity to haggle and barter for a deal.

Submerge in a submarine

On a journey to the sea's depths in a semi-submersible Seaworld Explorer submarine, passengers of all ages will enjoy a magnificent hour-long underwater voyage through offshore wrecks and coral reefs. Huge shoals of rainbow-hued tropical fish dart around the windows, allowing privileged views of sponge gardens and marine life.

Take a tour

To get the best overview of the island take an organised tour from a main tour operator, or, for a group, try arranging a sightseeing tour through a taxi company. For more information see Curaçao Tourism (www.curacao.com) for more details.

Try some waterports

Try your hand at Curaçao's array of watersports - from swimming off the sheltered beaches on the island's south-western coast, to windsurfing, sailing, snorkelling, scuba-diving, deep-sea fishing and waterskiing.

Willemstad Seaquarium

Top up your marine knowledge and gaze at large aquariums filled with colourful fish; as well as 400 species of fish, crab, anemone, sponge and coral, the Seaquarium features larger creatures such as sea-lions and dolphins

Willemstad trolley tour

See historic Willemstad on an hour-long narrated trolley tour aboard an open-sided 'locomotive' - a clanging bell signifies the off at Fort Amsterdam near the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge. The train then journeys downtown through Willemstad's pretty pastel-coloured, red-roofed Colonial streets for stunning views of this fine UNESCO-listed historic centre.

Recommended Sites:

Protect yourself from malaria
Before you travel, find out if your holiday destination is in a malaria zone.
(An educational initiative organised and funded by GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health. UK/MARK/0173/10 September 2010)
Travel insurance
For residents of over 150 countries. High levels of medical, evacuation, emergency & most adventure activities covered.