Willemstad travel guide

Willemstad, capital of the Netherlands Antilles and of the island of Curaçao, is full of charm and colour. The architecture is a tropical adaptation of 17th-century Dutch, painted in storybook colours. Pastel shades are used for homes, shops and government buildings alike. Fanciful gables and bulging columns evoke the spirit of the Dutch colonial burghers. The earliest buildings in Willemstad were exact copies of Dutch buildings of the mid-17th century, high-rise and close together to save money and space. Not until the first quarter of the 18th century did the Dutch adapt their northern ways to the tropical climate and begin building galleries on to the façades of their houses, to give shade and more living space. The chromatic explosion is attributed to a Governor-General of the islands, the eccentric Vice-Admiral Albert Kikkert (‘Froggie’ to his friends), who blamed his headaches on the glare of white houses and decreed in 1817 that pastel colours be used. Almost every point of interest in the city is in or within walking distance of the shopping centre in Punda, which covers about five blocks. Some of the streets here are only 5 m wide, but attract many tourists with their myriad shops offering international goods at near duty-free prices. The numerous jewellery shops in Willemstad have some of the finest stones to be found anywhere.

The Floating Market, a picturesque string of visiting Venezuelan, Colombian and other island schooners, lines the small canal leading to the Waaigat, a diminutive yacht basin. Fresh fish, tropical fruit, vegetables and a limited selection of handicrafts are sold with much haggling. In the circular, concrete, public market building nearby there are straw hats and bags, spices, butcheries, fruit and vegetables for sale, while in the old market building behind, local food is cooked over charcoal and sold to office workers .

West of the city, on the Schottegatweg Nord, is one of the two Jewish cemeteries, Bet Chayim (or Beth Haim), consecrated in 1659 and still in use. There are more than 1,700 tombstones from the 17th and 18th centuries, with bas-relief sculpture and inscriptions, many still legible. It is a little out of the way but well worth a visit. It is also a fine example of what atmospheric pollution can do, as the tombstones have suffered from the fumes from the surrounding oil refinery.

Two forts, Rif Fort and Water Fort were built at the beginning of the 19th century to protect the harbour entrance and replace two older batteries. All that is left of Rif Fort is a guard house dating from about 1840, but you can walk on the walls and eat at the restaurants in the vaults. The Water Fort Arches have been converted to house shops, bars and restaurants.

The swinging Queen Emma Bridge spans St Anna Bay, linking the two parts of the city, Punda and Otrobanda (the latter means ‘the other side’ in Papiamento, and people tend to refer to ‘Punda’ and ‘Otrobanda’ rather than ‘Willemstad’). Built on 16 great pontoons, it is swung aside some 30 times a day to let ships pass in and out of the harbour. The present bridge was built in 1939; while it is open, pedestrians are shuttled across for free by small ferry boats. The bridge is closed to vehicular traffic.

The new Queen Juliana fixed bridge vaults about 50 m over the bay and connects Punda and Otrobanda by a four-lane highway. Taxis will often offer to stop at the bridge so you can get a panoramic view and photo of Willemstad on one side and the oil refinery on the other. Although you can reach it on foot it is not open for pedestrians; the wind and the way it shakes will explain why.

Parts of Otrobanda are being restored and there are many old houses here, both small, tucked away down alleys, and mansions or town houses. Breedestraat is the main shopping street. The Basilica Santa Ana, founded in 1752 and made a Basilica in 1975 by Pope Paul VI, is just off here. The houses fronting on to the Pater Euwensweg, once overlooked the Rifwater lagoon, now reclaimed land. Along St Anna Bay, past the ferry landing, is Porto Paseo, a restored area with bars and restaurants. The old hospital has been restored into the Hotel and Casino Porto Paseo. A cruise ship pier has been built at Otrobanda for liners too big to reach the existing terminal in Willemstad harbour....read more