Curaçao
Gabled merchants’ houses painted in bright colours on the waterfront, a floating bridge between the two halves of the old town, and a dry season that lasts most of the year.
- Arrival
- Curaçao International (Hato) · CUR
- To the city
- About 12 km to Willemstad
- Private jets
- Dedicated jet centre at CUR
- Best time
- December to October
The city
Two banks of one harbour.
Willemstad is split in two by the water. On one side, Punda holds the Handelskade, the row of brightly painted gabled facades that appears on almost every postcard; the story goes that an early Dutch governor, tired of the glare off whitewashed walls, ordered them painted. Across the floating bridge lies Otrobanda, Papiamento for “the other bank”, its streets now protected by UNESCO.
Rain is scarce for most of the year; only from October to December do showers become frequent, and even then November is the one month that tips over a hundred millimetres.
- Handelskade The painted waterfront of Punda, photographed from the bridge more than anything else on the island, with its curved clock gables.
- The pontoon bridge A walkway on floats that swings aside for ships, linking Punda and Otrobanda across the harbour entrance.
- Otrobanda Once as large and prosperous as Punda, then left to decay, its old lanes are now protected as part of a World Heritage site.
Arriving
Hato, on the north coast.
The airport is still called Hato after the nearby village, about twelve kilometres from Willemstad on the north coast. Its single runway is 3,410 metres long.
- Punta Cana 1 h 15
- St Maarten 1 h 30
- Palm Beach 2 h 55
- Boston 4 h 40
- Ibiza 9 h 55 long-range jet
When to go
December to October.
Highs move only between 29 and 32 °C, and the sea stays at 26 to 28 °C. From February to September the island rarely sees more than forty millimetres of rain a month. November is the wettest, at about 106 mm, with October and December not far behind.
- 29° J 52 27°
- 29° F 25 26°
- 30° M 19 26°
- 30° A 27 26°
- 31° M 22 27°
- 31° J 25 27°
- 31° J 38 27°
- 32° A 33 28°
- 32° S 30 28°
- 31° O 94 28°
- 30° N 106 28°
- 29° D 96 27°
Where to stay
A lagoon and a restored quarter.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
-
Baoase Curaçao Twenty-three rooms, suites and villas in a Balinese style around a private beach and lagoon, with a retreat on its own islet.
- Kura Botanica An adults-only hotel inside Kurá Hulanda Village, the restored quarter of colonial houses beside its museum, reopened under this name in 2022.
Where to dine
Where to book on the island.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Curaçao. These are a Fodor’s Choice restaurant and the best rated fine dining tables on Tripadvisor.
- Fort Nassau Fodor’s Choice International $$$$ Fort Nassau hill, above the harbour
- The Wine Cellar Rated 4.7 on Tripadvisor French, seafood $$$$ Willemstad
- Mar & Tierra 91 Rated 4.9 on Tripadvisor Steak, seafood $$$$ Willemstad
- Baoase Culinary Beach Restaurant Rated 4.6 on Tripadvisor Seafood $$$$ Baoase, near Jan Thiel, about 10 minutes away
Elsewhere in Curaçao
More reasons to come.
Flying to Curaçao?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.