Activities Curacao - what you need to do!

Activities Curacao – what you need to do on your first trip. Curacao is a pretty island one that we think is totally underrated against its neighbour Aruba. The C in the ABC islands it is really worth visiting, there is a lot to do on this beautiful island!

drinking cocktails at Landhuis Chobolobo Curacao

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Planning your Curacao Trip-

How to get to Curacao

You will fly into Curacao from either a neighbouring island or internationally. We flew from New York to Curacao with Jet Blue and they were excellent! The airport is easy to navigate and well laid out. From the airport you can take a shuttle, a hire car or jump on the public bus.

Of course we took the public bus from the Curacao Airport to Willemstad. To find the public bus walk out of the airport and turn right. Head past all the paid shuttle buses to find the bus stop sign. Wait here and an older looking bus will pull up, this is the local bus and they will end up in Willemstad, check with the driver when you get on, they take cash only. There are ATMs at the airport to take out local currency. The public buses are actually really easy to use once you get used to it. There is a bus terminal in Willemstad quite close to our accommodation.

Cruise Port Curacao

There are two cruise ports, one is on the outside of Curacao and the other is through the St Anna Bay where you will pass through Queen Emma Bridge. From both you will have access to the heart of Curacao by walking!

Where to stay in Curacao

We stayed in Punda, we wanted to be close to lots of activities and restaurants. We stayed at the San Marco which was really good and reasonably priced! The rooms are being renovated and ours was excellent. Clean, quiet and comfortable. The staff were lovely and there is free tea and coffee in the mornings.

San Marco Hotel Willemstad best place to stay Curacao

All Inclusive Curacao

Mangrove Beach Corendon Curacao All-Inclusive Resort is one of the best all inclusive resorts on Curacao. The food is excellent, the space is huge and it is close to Willemstad. The property is beautiful with lots of activities, this is an excellent choice!

The Rif At Mangrove Beach Corendon All-Inclusive incredible service, beautiful area, amenities and excellent food.

Zoetry Curacao very clean and well organised, food is good and location is beautiful.

Dreams Curacao Resort, Spa & Casino a popular choice on a beautiful beach area. Closer to the airport and great staff

How many days for Curacao?

We booked 4 nights in Curacao which was enough to cover about half of the island. We would definitely come back to visit more of the beaches and take some more of the tours that are available here. It is such a beaitufl island and we can’t wait to return. I would easily spend a full week here.

How to get around the island, do I need a car for Curacao?

You can hire a car that is the easiest way to get around Curacao, however the public buses are actually really good. Once you work out the bus schedule you will find that it is not too difficult or expensive.

The other alternative is the collectives.These are the little mini buses that run around the island. Basically you just flag one down and tell them where you want to go. They will give you the price or if they are not going that way they’ll let you know to wait for another one. There does seem to be a dual pricing system for these however as we were charged almost double what the locals were on one trip and then on another (from the same locations) we were charged the local pricing.

Best activities Curacao

Curacao has so much to do and see, there is a lot to cover. This blog covers all the best activities in Curacao and everything you need to know to plan your Curacao trip.

Curacao to Klein Curacao

This is one of the best day trips from Curacao! The best way to get from Curacao to Klein Curacao is a tour with Mermaid Boat tours. You will spend the most beautiful day out on Kelin Curuacao Island. They are the only company that has an actual building on the island with proper toilets, showers an eating area and shaded palapas & beach chairs to relax on. We really recommend this one! The boat ride earlier than other companies so you get to spend time on the island without others! Check out the tour here.

Landhuis Chobolobo Distillery

Visiting Landhuis Chobolobo Distillery is a must! The home to the famous Blue Curacao spirit it is a great spot to learn about the origin…and taste it as well! We loved our visit, the tour was really informative and afterwards we tasted their new products and a couple of cheeky cocktails! They even have a cocktail making tour!

Mambo and Mood Beaches

This is one of the best activities on your first trip to Curacao. The beach is excellent and there are loads of beach clubs, bars and places to relax. There are signs saying you need to pay to enter the beach but it was only $3 and we couldn’t find anyone to actually pay! We put our towels down and enjoyed the sun here for hours! The water is perfect, it was our favourite activity on Curacao.

Sunset Cruise Curacao

Taking a sunset cruise is a must in Curacao. The sunset is beautiful and by spending the time on the water you will get to really feel like you are part of it! The sunset cruises are all a lot of fun here! The drinks flow and the crew are a lot of fun. We loved our Sunset Cruise with Bluefin, we had a ball.

Things to do in Willemstad Curacao

Willemstad has some very well preserved historic districts that are all worth exploring, Pietermaai, Punda, and Otrabanda. We stayed in Punda at the San Marco Hotel and it was a great spot, easy to walk to lots of activities in Curacao and other districts. This Curacao’s Colorful History Walking Tour will help you find everything in this area!

Punda Activities Curacao

Punda is one of the oldest districts in Curacao and has lots of activities. Some of the best are:

Serena’s Art Factory

Serena’s Art Factory is the art studio of local artist, Serena Janet Israel. This is one of the most lovely activities in Curacao. The art factory gives a history of the famous Chichi Dolls. They were created as a symbol of femininity, strength, self confidence and to celebrate women and the older sister. Each Chichi doll is handcrafted and painted by local artisans, often with bright colours representing the island.

Walking the streets and shopping in Punda

You will find loads if stores here, lots of souvenirs, duty free and local artisan style crafts. It is a great spot to stroll through the beautiful colourful Colonial buildings that have been transformed in to shops and browse away. There are some great unique clothing stores as well. You can join this Punda Shops and Kokomo Beach City Tour to make sure you don’t miss any of the best!

There is a big round market across from the bus transit area which has loads of fresh produce and knick knacks as well as a floating fruit and veg market on the water there. The street art is awesome here also, just wander the streets to discover it all.

The Queen Emma Bridge

The famous floating Queen Emma Bridge connects Punda to Otrabanda. The bridge floats and when boats come through the canal it opens up to allow them passage. It really is a unique experience to watch! You will hear a beeping sound and sometimes see flashing lights to indicate the bridge will open, try not to get caught on it when it does or you could be stuck there for an hour! It sometimes opens for the large cruise ships coming to port so will remain open for a long time! Otherwise for the smaller boats it can be shorter. There is a ferry you can take to cross back over the river when the bridge is stuck open for too long.

The bridge is lit up so beautifully at night! It is worth going to check it out or having drinks along the waterfront watching the show.

Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue

This is the oldest synagogues in the Americas. It provides a glimpse in to the history of the island through information cards, it is very pretty and there is a gift shop attached. To learn even more about the Jewish history of Curacao you can take this 3-Hour Jewish Heritage of Curacao which will give more in-depth detail about the sights and history.

Handelskade

The Handelskade is one of the most well known places in Curacao. It is the heart of Willemstad and a very picturesque stretch of pier, Probably on every single Curaçao postcard ever seen! It is made up of beautiful 17th-century colonial Dutch buildings painted in very pretty pastel colors lined up along the water. The buildings are almost all cafes and restaurants and some of the best places to sit and watch the Queen Emma Bridge and the ships coming through the water way, one of the most popular cafes is the Iguana.

The big Curacao and Dubai signs

Found in Wilhelminaplein the big Curacao sign is a photo op that also lights up at night. There is also a big Dushi sign very close by.

Chichi Doll

Right near to these big signs is a giant Chichi Doll. You can stand to have your pic with it as well.

Kura Huland Village

Kura Huland Village is a must visit! There is a museum dedicated to African art, history & the local slave trade, it is a great place to learn about the history of the island. It is an important place to assist in your understanding of the islands people.

You will also find beautiful architecture left behind by the Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch. There is a thriving restaurant and cafe scene as well as really cute little artisan stores that make unique souvenirs.

Kura Huland Village is full of cafes and restaurants

Pietermaai

While in Wilhelminaplein checking out the big signs walk along Pietermaai street and you’ll come across bright coloured buildings in purple, yellow, turquoise and pink. The most photogenic ones are Scuba Lodge, BijBlauw, Ginger and houses at the end of Nieuwestraat. They are all worth a pic and there is also a great evening scene here in Nieuwestraat. You will find the cute restaurants and bars full of people especially on a Friday night!

Street art and murals

Scharloo district is full of mural art and worth walking around to check out. We also loved the street art in Breedestraat and Punda. There is street art all over Curacao and it is really good! Take a Colourful Walking Tour to check out the best.

Best places to eat in Willemstad Curacao

There is a great bakery in Punda where you will find all the locals grabbing breakfast in the mornings. Mike tried jam donut and sweet rolls and loved them it is called Panaderia Anarisa.

There are so many restaurants in Punda that you can eat somewhere new overnight, we just loved the Worlds Best Mojito Bar and La Boehme. They are right next to each other and our accommodation at the San Marco Hotel. The food and drinks are good and they are always busy!

Plasa Bieu in Willemstad îs a market hall with lots of local food vendors. There are about 10 or so stalls to choose from. We went to the one at the very end. It was serving lots of locals and had lots of options to try. We went with a kingfish stew and a beef stew. They were both great! We really recommend trying this taste of local life!

More Activities Curacao

Plantation houses

The many colourful Plantation Houses have been preserved and are now some of the best activities on Curacao. Here you can learn about the island’s colonial past. One of the best is Landhuis Knip in the north of the island, it is a museum showcasing the history and culture of Curacao’s Afro-Caribbean heritage.

Christoffel National Park

In Christoffel National Park you’ll find stunning viewpoints, wild landscapes, historical sites and great hiking. Near the entrance of the park is a Museum. It’s housed in a restored plantation house, offering a glimpse into the island’s cultural and historical heritage.There are multiple hiking trails in Christoffel National Park that lead you to enjoy stunning views over the island and park itself. Climbing the Christoffel Mountain in the park is one of the most popular things to do, taking about an hour to get to the top. It is not difficult by all accounts and we can’t wait to return to do this!

Hato Caves

Near the airport are the Hato Caves. These can only be visited on guided tours. The guide will talk about stories of the stalactites and stalagmites. Open every day from 9 AM to 3 PM, there’s a small entry fee. Usually the tour is only about 40 minutes long, you can stop by before returning your rental car at the airport, it is almost right across the road from the airport! Alternatively this Hato Caves Flamingo & Kokomo Beach Tour takes you to the caves amongst other great locations so you won’t need a car!

Beaches on Curacao

While we didn’t make it here there are so many beaches to visit on Curacao we can’t wait to come back, hire a car and see more of them! A really popular area to visit and stay is Jan Thiel, there are regular buses running from Willemstad here so it is not too hard to visit by public transport either. It looks like a great sandy beach, palm trees, beach clubs as well as lots of water sports.

Beaches that will be easier to visit with a car:

Playa Kalki a beautiful calm beach for snorkeling.

Westpunt is a rugged area that has beautiful beaches, we really needed a car to go here. But it is high on my next visit list!

Playa Forti is a quiet beach.

Playa Grandi is a quiet cove beach where you could also see turtles when snorkelling, close to Playa Piskado.

Grote Knip is a cute beach where there are meant to be a couple of local pigs running around! Lots of people recommend this one as one of the nicest on Curacao.

Playa Piskado is a great beach to try see turtles. There are fishermen here cleaning their catch so the turtles come for the scraps!

Kokomo Beach is a rocky little beach but it has a swing to get pictures on!

Jump on this Guided Beach Hopping Tour by Bus or Jeep to visit the best beaches without needing your own vehicle.

Another great way to get out on the water is by going kayaking or jetski, check out this 2-Hour Kayak Tour in Curacao or 1 hour Curacao Coastal and Spanishwater lagoon jetski tour.

Best Snorkelling on Curacao

Playa Kalki is a great snorkelling spot, you will see mushroom coral and two underwater sculptures in the coral reef.

Tugboat Beach is a great beach with snorkeling, there is a sunken tugboat which has been turned into a coral sanctuary that you can snorkel.

Cas Abao Beach is a pretty white sandy beach perfect for a beach day! Try to get here early so you get a spot under an umbrella, but you do need to pay for it. There is good snorkelling here also.

If you want to see turtles then the Turtle Bay & Blue Room Boat Tour with Snorkeling is the best bet, it will get you out in to the right areas.

Taking a snorkelling tour is also one of the best ways to get amongst the best of the snorkelling on Curacao. This Curacao Speedboat, Beach, Blue Room and Snorkel Adventure is one of the best.

Another cool snorkelling option is to try this Guided Underwater Walking Experience, where you will be underwater and closer to the marine life! It really is a cool experience.

For those that want a private experience then this Private All west Beach Boat tour (Snorkel with turtles) is for you!

Flamingos

You can drive to the salt lakes of Jan Kok where loads of flamingos like to huddle. There’s a place to stand and watch them without getting dirty. Jump on the Curacao Atv Tour West Adventure and you will get to visit the flamingoes, caves and more without any hassle at all!

Aloe Vera Farm

The Aloe Vera Farm Curacao is where you can learn about the island’s aloe vera and its medicinal properties. Open every day you can just show up and walk the fields or look in the shop full of aloe-based products. They also run a tour for a small fee.