Curacao
Curacao
Dutch gabled houses in sherbet colours, and coral a few metres offshore
Photo by Karl Moore on Unsplash
Photos by D. Lok, Jamie Tudor, Mohamed Osama and Alex Bello on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Curacao
All year — outside the hurricane belt, driest February to June
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 95mm in Nov
Where it is
12.11°N, 68.93°W Open in Google Maps
Things to do
Several days- Walk Willemstad across the swinging pontoon bridge
- Snorkel straight off the beach at Playa Porto Mari
- Drive the west coast beach by beach in a day
- Dive the Tugboat wreck in shallow water
- Watch the sea blow through the caves at Shete Boka
Curacao travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Curacao
ExpensiveThe guilder is pegged to the dollar and US dollars are accepted almost everywhere, usually with change given in guilders. Euros are not. Cards are widely taken; keep small dollars for beach bars and bus fares.
ATMs & cards
Maduro & Curiel's Bank and RBC machines are common and dispense both guilders and dollars — choose dollars if you are moving on to Bonaire. Decline conversion.
Avoid these
- standalone machines in the cruise terminal
Use these instead
- Maduro & Curiel’s Bank
- RBC
- Banco di Caribe
Machines offer guilders or US dollars. Take dollars if you are island-hopping — guilders are worthless the moment you leave.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Curacao
SafeGenerally safe and quiet. Willemstad has areas best avoided after dark just north of the centre, and cars left with anything visible are opened on beach car parks. The north coast has powerful swell and no swimming.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (7 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
Worth more attention
- Otrobanda — the back streets after dark
- Currents at Playa Kenepa and the north coast, which is open Atlantic
- Leaving anything in a hire car at a beach car park
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Curacao visa rules
No visa neededup to 90 days
Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire are outside Schengen and admit visitors in their own right. A return ticket and proof of accommodation are asked for at the desk, and on Aruba an online ED card must be filed before arrival.
Other passports
Visa required in advance
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of Curacao
Good and affordableRequired to enter
- Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Hepatitis A
- Tetanus up to date
- Typhoid for a longer or rural stay
Getting treated
Good, and Dutch in standard. Curacao has the largest hospital in the Dutch Caribbean and a hyperbaric chamber; Aruba has a modern general hospital; Bonaire is smaller and sends serious cases to Curacao. Diving injuries are treated on Curacao and Aruba. Bring the European Health Insurance Card if you have one — it does not apply here, which surprises people.
Dengue and chikungunya appear in outbreaks. The bigger risk is the water: strong undertow on every north coast, and on Bonaire the diving is unguided by design, so your own limits are the limits. Manchineel trees line some beaches — do not shelter under them in rain.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
GoodLook for keshi yena, a whole cheese stuffed with spiced meat, and stobá stew. The Marshe Bieu — the old market in Willemstad — does the local version of a set lunch for a few guilders. Blue Curacao is made here and is better with the local Amstel Bright.
Nightlife
Willemstad's waterfront and a beach-club scene that is bigger than the island's size suggests, plus Dutch beer everywhere.
- Pietermaai — the restored district, and its bars
- Punda — the waterfront, and the floating market
- Jan Thiel — the beach clubs, and Sunday afternoons
Closing: 02:00–04:00.
A beer in a bar: ANG 6–12
Getting around
Limited- UberNot here
- BoltNot here
No ride-hailing on any of the three islands. Taxis run on published government rates rather than a meter — ask the driver to name the rate before setting off — and almost everybody hires a car.
Time zone and your working day
America/Curacao — the same time as you
8 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–17:00 your time, 09:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 09:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 09:00–17:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
Getting online
Getting online: Airalo or Holafly — a data eSIM for Curacao, installed before you fly and working the moment you land.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index · measured June 2026
Must-see
Nearby day trips
Say a few words
Papiamento
- Good morningBon diabon DEE-ah
- Good afternoon / eveningBon tardi / Bon nochibon TAR-dee / bon NO-chee
- PleasePor faborpor fa-BOR
- Thank youDankiDAHN-kee
5 more phrases
- Yes / NoSi / Nosee / no
- Excuse meDespensades-PEN-sa
- How much is it?Kuantu ta kosta?KWAN-too ta KOS-ta
- Cheers!Salu!sa-LOO
- GoodbyeAyoah-YO
The first language of all three islands, and a creole of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and West African. Everyone will answer you in English or Dutch, which is exactly why two words of Papiamento land so well.
Religion
Roman Catholic, with Protestant and small Jewish communities
Curacao’s Mikve Israel-Emanuel is the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Americas, and its sand floor is worth the visit. Sunday morning is quiet everywhere; some shops do not open at all.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Greet before you ask — bon dia, bon tardi, bon nochi will do more than any Dutch
- Dress up a little for dinner; beachwear away from the beach reads as rude
- Take the pace as it comes: things open late and close for lunch
- Ask before photographing people, particularly in the older streets of Willemstad
Don't
- Do not assume everything is American — this is the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Papiamento is the first language
- Do not stand on or touch coral, which is protected and, on Bonaire, prosecutable
- Do not haggle in shops; prices are fixed
- Do not wander residential streets in swimwear
Where to stay in Curacao
No Holistay rentals in Curacao yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Curacao on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Hato CUR
15 minfrom the airport· 9 km as the crow flies
15 min to Willemstad.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
