Willemstad, Curaçao: The Painted City on St. Anna Bay

Why Go

Willemstad is the reason Curaçao does not look like anywhere else in the Caribbean. A deep shipping channel runs straight through the middle of it, with Punda on one side and Otrobanda on the other, and along the Handelskade the Dutch gabled houses stand in a row of ochre, blue and green that has been photographed more than anything else on the island. It is a real city with a real port, listed by UNESCO and still working, and it rewards a day on foot far more than it rewards a bus tour. Base yourself here if you want streets and dinner; go east or west if what you want is sand.

The Experience

The two halves face each other across the water and the Queen Emma pontoon bridge joins them — it floats, and it swings open whenever a ship comes through, which happens often enough that you will eventually be caught on the wrong side and have to take the free ferry instead. Punda is the older, tighter half: shopping streets, the Handelskade waterfront, the small remains of the floating market where Venezuelan boats once tied up in numbers, and Fort Amsterdam with its church inside. Otrobanda across the channel is bigger and rougher, with the cruise pier, the Rif Fort and steep lanes climbing away from the water. Pietermaai to the east has been restored into the city's eating and drinking quarter and is where the evening happens; Scharloo to the north-east has the mansions and the murals. The whole thing is walkable, hot in the middle of the day, and considerably livelier after dark than most Caribbean capitals.

What to Try

Eat in Punda and Pietermaai rather than at the hotels: Ginger, BOHO6 Restaurant, Bluebird Gastro Pub and Dal Toro Restaurant cover the range, Mar & Tierra 91 and Amor Y Sabor Eva bring the Venezuelan and Latin thread that runs through this island, and The Grill King and Bar de Copa 26 handle the late end. The Mikvé Israel-Emanuel synagogue and the Jewish Museum Curaçao are the single most remarkable thing in the city — the congregation is the oldest continuously active in the Americas and the sanctuary has a sand floor. Fort Church and the Postal Museum fill out the historic circuit. For art, Nena Sanchez Gallery, Zanolino Gallery & Atelier and Happy Paintings are all in the centre and all recognisably of this island. Shopping runs from Penha Duty Free in Punda and Milano Jewelry to the AnnaBay Club rum store, and Iguana Ride Curacao is the guided way round if walking in the heat is not for you.

Insider Tip

Cross the bridge on foot at least twice, once in each direction, and once after dark when the buildings are lit. Then walk east into Pietermaai for dinner instead of eating on the Handelskade — the waterfront restaurants charge for the view, and the restored quarter ten minutes away has the better cooking at lower prices. If the pontoon bridge has swung open, the ferry beside it is free and takes two minutes.

The Practical Stuff

Hato airport is about fifteen minutes from the centre and the cruise megapier is in Otrobanda, so ships put passengers directly into the city. Willemstad is walkable end to end, but the two halves are joined only by the pontoon bridge, the free ferry and the high Queen Juliana road bridge, so plan on foot and not by car; parking in Punda is difficult and mostly paid. Beaches are a drive — Mambo Beach and Jan Thiel about ten minutes east, the good western coves up to forty-five minutes north-west. Papiamentu and Dutch are the local languages with English and Spanish widely spoken, the Caribbean guilder is the currency and US dollars are taken almost everywhere, and driving is on the right. Curaçao sits outside the main hurricane belt, so the season is far less of a planning factor than it is further east; the city is busiest on cruise days and quietest on Sundays.

Common Questions

Is Willemstad worth staying in?

Yes, if you want a walkable city, a proper restaurant scene and history at your door. You will drive ten to forty-five minutes to a beach, which is the trade — resort areas east and west reverse it.

Why is Willemstad a UNESCO site?

For its historic inner city and harbour — a surviving Dutch colonial trading town of unusual completeness, with Punda, Otrobanda, Scharloo and Pietermaai all part of the listed area.

How do you cross between Punda and Otrobanda?

The Queen Emma pontoon bridge on foot, the free ferry beside it when the bridge has swung open for a ship, or the high Queen Juliana road bridge by car. The bridge opening is frequent and worth planning around.

Is there a beach in Willemstad?

Not a real one in the city itself. Mambo Beach and Jan Thiel are about ten minutes east, and the quieter coves people rate most highly are up to forty-five minutes north-west.

Where should you eat in Willemstad?

Pietermaai for the concentration of restaurants and bars, and Punda for lunch between the sights. The Handelskade waterfront charges for the view, and the better cooking is a few streets back.

Is Willemstad safe at night?

Punda and Pietermaai are busy and comfortable in the evening and are where visitors go. Ordinary city sense applies, particularly in the quieter lanes of Otrobanda away from the restored streets.

Pair It With

Jewish Museum Curaçao — The sand-floor synagogue, and the city's most remarkable interior.
Ginger — Dinner in the old town rather than on the waterfront.
Nena Sanchez Gallery — Curaçao colour, from the painter most associated with it.