Curaçao: UNESCO Willemstad, World-Class Diving, and the Most Colorful Capital in the Caribbean

Willemstad (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997) is the most architecturally extraordinary capital in the Caribbean — a city of Dutch colonial merchant houses painted in remarkable colors (ochre, terracotta, coral, turquoise, gold, and every combination) facing the Sint Annabaai harbor. The city divides into two historic neighborhoods: Punda (the original commercial district — oldest architecture, Floating Market of Venezuelan schooners, Mikveh Israel-Emanuel synagogue dating to 1732, the oldest still-functioning synagogue in continuous use in the Americas) and Otrobanda ('the other side' — more residential, equally colorful, site of the Kura Hulanda Museum of African slavery). The Queen Emma floating pontoon bridge connects them — a swing bridge that opens for ships, sending pedestrians to water taxis. The entire waterfront is best photographed from the Otrobanda side in the late afternoon when the sun lights the Punda facades.

The western coastline of Curaçao is a continuous protected marine park of 65+ named dive and snorkel sites. The most celebrated: the Mushroom Forest (an otherworldly shallow dive of giant star coral mushroom formations in 8 to 16 meters — the most unique single dive in Curaçao), the Tugboat wreck (a small accessible wreck in Caracasbaai Bay, one of the most photographed dives in the Caribbean, depth 5 to 9 meters, snorkelers can reach the upper sections), the Superior Producer wreck (73-meter freighter at 28 to 32 meters — advanced dive, extraordinary coral colonization), and Blue Room (a shallow cave accessed by swimming under a rock ledge, interior lit by the blue refraction of Caribbean light — one of the most magical snorkel experiences in the Dutch Caribbean).

Playa Knip (Grote Knip) on the northwestern coast is Curaçao's most celebrated beach — a wide crescent of very fine white sand in a sheltered bay, crystal-clear turquoise water, excellent snorkeling directly from the beach, backed by rocky hillside, and accessible via a paved road from Willemstad (approximately 40 minutes by car). The beach has a small restaurant and basic facilities. Playa Lagun (a narrow fjord-like beach in a limestone gorge — the most intimate and most dramatic beach setting in Curaçao, excellent snorkeling at the entrance to the gorge) and Cas Abao (a private beach with excellent facilities, the most organized swimming beach on the island, entry fee) are the other most praised.

Curaçao's food culture is the most diverse in the ABC islands — reflecting the island's extraordinary multicultural heritage (35 nationalities, 500 years of trade crossroads, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, African, and indigenous Arawak influences). The most specifically Curaçaoan dishes: Keshi yena (stuffed Edam cheese, shared with Aruba — also the local national dish), stoba (slow-braised stew of goat, beef, or fish with local vegetables — the most everyday Curaçaoan cooking), funchi (cornmeal polenta, the universal starch accompaniment), and Sopi di pisca (fish soup, the most traditional daily meal of the fishing communities).

The Floating Market in Punda is the most atmospheric food experience in Willemstad — Venezuelan schooners moored alongside a waterfront street, selling fresh tropical fruits, vegetables, fish, and provisions brought directly from the Venezuelan coast. The market is most active in the early morning. Plasa Bieu (the old market — a covered food court near the Floating Market where local cooks serve traditional Curaçaoan dishes of extraordinary authenticity at prices that are genuinely low by any standard) is where locals eat lunch.

Blue Curaçao liqueur (produced at the Landhuis Chobolobo distillery by the Senior family since 1896 — the only authentic source of the bright blue liqueur made from dried laraha citrus peel, a bitter orange that grows only on Curaçao) is the island's most internationally recognized product. The free distillery tour includes a tasting and a walk through the historic landhuis (plantation house) with its famous resident cats. Blue Curaçao cocktails (the Curaçao Sling, the Blue Lagoon) are available at every bar on the island.