Things to do in Curaçao
Delve into Curaçao's seafaring history at the Maritime Museum or visit Curaçao Museum in a fine Dutch-built 19th-century mansion house. An extensive collection of African artefacts and slave trade items are on display at the Kurá Hulanda Museum. Resplendent Christoffel National Park's wild beauty offers hiking, swimming, fishing and diving in a landscape of cactus plants, bromeliads and orchids.
Jewish Cultural Historical Museum
History and culture explored
Housed in two fine Willemstad buildings built in 1728, this former Rabbi's
residence and mikvah bathhouse houses a display of ritual, ceremonial and
cultural objects. The Jewish Cultural Historical Museum and neighbouring
synagogue are both open to visitors dressed appropriately.
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Cost
US$5 (museum and synagogue); under-15s free
Opening Hours
Mon-Sat 9am-11.45am & 2.45pm-4.45pm; Sun 9am-12pm
Address
29, Hanchi Snoa, Willemstad Curaçao
Telephone
+599 9 461 1633
The Curaçao Museum
Antiques and indigenous art
This collection of antiques and art is housed in a former military hospital,
built in 1853. Carefully restored in 1946-1948, the Willemstad Curaçao
Museum also contains artefacts from the indigenous Caiquetio tribes. A
garden pavilion plays host to regular musical events.
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Cost
US$3; under-13s US$1.75
Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm; Sun 10am-4pm
Address
Van Leeuwenhoekstraat, Willemstad Curaçao
Telephone
+599 9 462 3873
Country House Museum
Rural yesteryear
This small-scale restoration of a thatched 19th-century Willemstad manor
house contains agricultural and fishing equipment and antiques. Other
Country House Museum displays depict bygone rural life with paintings and
tapestries of country scenes.
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Cost
US$2
Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat-Sun 9am-6pm
Address
27, Dokterstuin, Willemstad Curaçao
Telephone
+599 9 864 2497
Transport
Taxi (19km west of Wilemstad)
Maritime Museum
Tales of the sea
Housed in an 18th-century Willemstad mansion close to St Anna Bay harbour,
the Maritime Museum contains 40 displays representing Curaçao's origins in
600BC and its role as the Caribbean's largest slave depot to sea-faring
items from the modern day.
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Cost
US$15; 12-16s US$7.50; under 12s free
Opening Hours
Tue-Sat 9am-4pm, closed Sun (unless a cruise ship docks)
Address
7, Van De Brandhof Straat, Willemstad Curaçao
Telephone
+599 9 465 2327
The Kurá Hulanda Museum
Slave heritage
This unusual Willemstad museum is the life's work of Dr Jacob Gelt Dekker, a
devoted collector of African artefacts. The Kurá Hulanda Museum exhibits
include a full-size reconstruction of a slave ship. Other artefacts range
from fossils and fertility dolls to drums and masks.
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Cost
US$9; children US$6
Opening Hours
Tue-Sat 10am-5pm
Address
9, Kipstraat, Willemstad Curaçao
Telephone
+599 9 434 7765
Shete Boka National Park
Caverns, coral and marine life
The tiny nature reserve of Shete Boka National Park offers views of Curaçao's
rugged north coast, 2km from Christoffel National Park. Explore a scenic
network of walking trails to limestone grottoes and fossilised caves where
sea turtles breed in the protected waters below.
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Cost
US$2
Opening Hours
Daily 9am-5pm
Address
Boca Tabla Z/N, Willemstad Curaçao
Telephone
+599 9 864 0444
Curaçao Liqueur Distillery
Taste of Curaçao
The famed Curaçao liqueur has been made, using dried peel from the
Curaçao "Laraha" orange, at this Willemstad distillery to an
original Senior family recipe since 1886. Guided tours offer a chance to
witness production with tastings in the 17th-century Chobolobo Mansion.
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Cost
Free, includes complimentary liqueur tasting
Opening Hours
Weekdays, 8am-12pm and 1pm-5pm
Address
Senior's Distillery, Schottegatweg Oost 129, Willemstad Curaçao
Telephone
+599 9 461 3526
Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue
Over 350 years of worship
The oldest synagogue in the western hemisphere, Mikve Israel-Emanuel
Synagogue was consecrated on the eve of Passover in 1732. This fine Dutch
colonial building spans an entire Willemstad block with a Spanish-style
walled courtyard, raised balustrades and mahogany detailing.
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Cost
US$5 (includes admission to Jewish Cultural Museum)
Opening Hours
Mon-Sat 9am-4.45pm; Sun 9am-12pm (closed to visitors if a cruise ship has docked in town)
Address
29, Hanechi di Snoa, Willemstad Curaçao
Telephone
+599 9 461 1067
Seaquarium
Underwater wonders
There are over 400 species of fish, crab, anemone, sponge and coral with
attractions that include sea-lion and dolphin encounters, at the Willemstad
Seaquarium. Diving, snorkeling, swimming and interacting with lots of marine
life are all on the menu.
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Cost
US$18.50; 5-12s US$9.50
Opening Hours
Daily 8am-5.30pm (last admission 4.30pm)
Address
Bapor Kibra z/n (off Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard), Willemstad Curaçao
Telephone
+599 9 461 6666
Christoffel National Park
Trails, beaches, caves and wildlife
A cactus-flanked dirt track weaves through bromeliads, orchids and arid scrub
below the towering peaks of St. Christoffelberg to Christoffel National Park
in Westpunt. Marvel at a landscape dotted with goats, iguana, deer and
numerous birds as well as caves and beaches and miles of leafy trails.
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Cost
US$10 (including museum entrance)
Opening Hours
Mon-Sat 8am-4pm; Sun 6am-3pm
Address
Westpunt Curaçao
Telephone
+599 9 864 0170
Handelskade
Waterfront pastel-coloured houses
An iconic 300-year-old anchor sits at the heart of the charming harbourfront
street of Handelskade. Pastel-coloured buildings look out on St Anna Bay, a
waterside stretch said to resemble Amsterdam. Look out for the handsome
former merchant's house, Penha House.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily all day
Address
St Anna Bay, Punda, Willemstad Curaçao
Transport
Bus to Punda terminal
Seaworld Explorer
Submarine adventures
The semi-submersible Seaworld Explorer submarine at the Willemstad Seaquarium
takes passengers on a magnificent hour-long underwater journey, through
offshore wrecks and coral reefs teeming with rainbow-hued tropical fish.
Wide glass windows allow views of sponge gardens and marine life.
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Cost
US$39; under-12s US$35
Opening Hours
Daily (times vary)
Address
Hilton Hotel , Piscadera Bay, Willemstad Curaçao
Telephone
+599 9 461 0011
Willemstad Walking Tour
Journey through time
A Willemstad Walking Tour takes visitors around Willemstad's UNESCO-heritage
historical zone through colourful Colonial streets and leafy plazas. Learn
about early construction techniques from local architect Anko van der Woude
and of social history from historian Jopie Hart.
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Cost
From US$15
Opening Hours
Daily
Address
Queen Wilhelmina Bridge, Willemstad Curaçao
Telephone
+599 9 461 3554 or 767 3798
Transport
Taxi to Queen Wilhelmina Bridge
Willemstad Trolley Tour
Historic journey
An hour-long narrated Willemstad trolley tour by open-sided 'locomotive'
begins at Fort Amsterdam near the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge. Journey through
downtown Willemstad's pretty pastel-coloured, red-roofed Colonial streets, a
UNESCO-listed historic centre edged by the island's natural harbour,
Schottegat.
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Cost
US$25; 2-12s US$20
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-11am (on request)
Address
Fort Amsterdam, Willemstad Curaçao
Telephone
+599 9 628 986 (booking essential)
Blue Bay Golf Club
Lake-filled course
Hazardous sea breezes make the par-72, 18-hole Blue Bay Golf Club course a
true test of golf. Several small lakes, lagoons and a sheer drop into the
sea make retrieving errant balls tricky, and the signature fifth hole is
stunning - it plays out over a cliff.
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Cost
From US$50 for 9 holes
Opening Hours
Daily 7am-7pm; tee-times vary
Address
Blue Bay Golf & Beach Resort Curaçao, Landhuis Blauw z/n, Willemstad Curaçao
Telephone
+599 9868 1755
