7 days in Curaçao

I must admit I didn’t know anything about Curaçao before I had the chance to go there. But aren’t those the best travel locations? This Dutch Caribbean island has everything for a paradise destination: beautiful beaches, colorful towns, interesting history, and plenty of places to relax or explore. Here’s how I spent 7 days on the island.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Willemstad

I arrived in Willemstad and immediately fell in love with the colorful buildings along the waterfront. The Queen Emma Bridge is a highlight – it swings open to let boats pass. The whole process takes a while, so be ready to wait! I explored the neighborhoods, took lots of photos of the pastel-colored colonial buildings, and had dinner by the water.

Something you cannot miss are the beautiful murals in Curaçao. I loved the style of Francis Sling, who painted the Three o’clock romance mural – it has so many flowers and natural elements, it’s amazing! There are many murals across the city, so I really recommend just walking around, this type of art here is phenomenal.

Day 2 – Klein Curaçao

This was probably my favorite day of the trip. I booked a boat tour to Klein Curaçao, a small uninhabited island off the coast. The boat ride took around 2 hours, but it was worth it. The island has a lighthouse, a shipwreck, and crystal-clear water perfect for swimming and diving.

Depending on the company you choose to come, you may have more or less spots with shade, so be selective with that, as there are no trees and the sun is strong. The company I booked with, had beautiful umbrellas, a restaurant, and optional diving equipment. In the morning, while it wasn’t as hot, I did the short hike to the lighthouse and the shipwrecks. There’s two, an old shipwreck from a large ship, that is almost completely oxidized, and a more recent one, of a smaller ship. As you can figure by the amount of shipwrecks, this is not the part of the island where you swim, but it’s cool to see.

The lighthouse is in the middle of the island (it’s a small island), so it’s on the way to the wrecks. You can go in, and explore. It’s not maintained inside, so be careful where you step.

In the afternoon, I took the diving tour, which was a blast! I’m a beginner diver, so I appreciated any support from the dive master, and the lady who guided us was very professional. She was a great guide, and showed us seeing many species of fishes once down there. Very recommenable!

Day 3 – Hato Caves and North Coast

I started the day driving to the Hato caves. They are one of the most famous attractions of the island, which makes them quite touristy. The caves were easy to walk through and pleasantly cool. They were accessible with a tour guide, who explained us about the formations and even showed some bats!

The next stop was the Aloe Vera Farm. You can visit the farm with a guided tour, where they explain you how the aloe plant is cultured and how we get the preparation from the plant. The lady whi guided us was hilarious, which made the whole experience so much better.

The last stop of the day was the Ostrick Farm. In this farm they raise ostriches for meat and eggs. You drive with a guide on a small train through the farm, where they explain you the typical life of an ostrich in Curaçao. One can also feed the ostrich from your hand for a photo-op or stand on an egg, which resists a lot of pressure.

In the evening I drove to the Tugboat beach, which is famous for the tugboat remains submerged near the shore, making it an ideal destination for snorkeling and diving. The road to the beach is long and a bit winding, but worth it. When I arrived it was quite late, so I was almost by myself at the beach. On the dock there were still some men fishing. Even the bar located at the beach was closing down.

Once you get in the water, the area of the front beach has an anchor that you can see. If you want to see the boat itself, you need to swim to the left side of the shore, past the large columns. To the right side you have the dock, which didn’t seem the best area for snorkeling. The beach was also a great place to see the sunset, as it had a clear and well-oriented view.

Day 4 – Beach Day

Curaçao has no shortage of stunning beaches. I must admit I’m not the most enthusiastic about laying at the beach (I get bored easily), so I visited all the beaches I considered to be key on the island. While each beach had its personality, they are all pretty similar, although some of them had some highlights.

Playa Porto Marie was great for snorkeling, with an easy-access reef right off the shore. The highlight was a couple of pigs that live there and have their own dirt bath. Nearby it had Playa Daaibooi, a beach which I loved even more, as it was smaller but had a lot of sea life to see.

I then drove to Kleine Knip and not much further north to Grote Knip. Grote Knip had a lot of people, with some of them jumping from a cliff into the water. I had a pig approaching me to my towel to say hello, but I try to avoid feeding animals, so it lost interest pretty quick.

Day 5 – National Parks

For me that was the highlight of the trip. I drove to Christoffel National Park early in the morning to beat the heat. The park has several hiking trails, including a climb to the island’s highest point, Mount Christoffel, which is the most popular hike. It’s not a long hike, and not very complex (there’s a small climbing area, but it’s not too hard), but you’ll want to start early to beat the heat. I was a bit worried initially, as I even had to sign a document stating that if you die that’s on you, but really, the main danger is the heat – the hike is pretty straightforward if you’re moderatly fit. Start early enough and you’ll be fine.

I then drove to Shete Boka National Park, known for its sea caves and wave-carved inlets. I loved it! It’s one of those parks that may not look impressive on photo, but it’s stunning to see the force of the ocean beating the rocks. There are four main points to see in this hike. Boka Pistol, where the waves break into a small opening, creating a huge splash that elevates above ground, Boka Wandomi, where you can see a natural bridge, Boka Tabla, where you come in a small cave with waves breaking into it, and Boka Kalki, where strong waves break into land.

Day 6 – Diving in Westpunt

In the morning, I drove to Playa Kalki to do some diving! I went with Go West Diving, as I wanted to see the famous Mushroom forest, for which you needed to take a boat, as it’s not that close to shore. The experience was amazing! The experience included 2 dives – on the first one I saw the Mushroom forest, while during the second we saw the Miguel’s reef and the Elvin’s plane remains. These are not from a real crash, but remains from an old plane that were added to the water for tourism.

This area of the island is less developed and has some of the most beautiful, wild beaches. I headed to Playa Grandi, another great snorkeling spot. At Playa Grandi, I saw turtles just a few meters from the shore! I must say, most of them are there because the fishermen feed them, but nonetheless, it was a nice experience.

I then had a late lunch at a cliffside restaurant overlooking the ocean in Playa Forti – the views were amazing and I saw several people jumping to the water (although the restaurant made it really clear that it was at their own risk).

Day 7 – Willemstad (Again!)

As I had done everything that I wanted already, I spent the last day in Willemstad, enjoying the little stores and restaurants, and just strolling through the city to take in the cityscapes. In particular, I focused on catching the murals that I had not seen on the first day, as I really loved the style they had – they really seemed to convey the Caribbean spirit as I imagined it.

How safe is Curaçao?

My experience in Curaçao was safe, and I traveled by myself. However, after dusk the streets were very quiet and also pretty dark. While I did come back after dinner by foot, I wouldn’t necessarily feel comfortable enough to walk for long stretches at night. Again, common safety measures are necessary.

What is the dress code?

Typical beach and summer attire are widely seen both in tourists and locals. Keep in mind that many restaurants may not let you in if you’re only wearing a swimsuit.

Practical tips

Connectivity

Like many people nowadays, I cannot live without data. I’ve been using maya.net for my eSIM travel, and I’m really happy with it! It has reasonable prices, it’s easy to use and top up if needed, and woks really well overall.

Cash or card?

The currency in Curaçao is the Caribbean Guilder (Cg). While having cash is useful for small purchases, most places accept card.

To avoid exchange fees from my bank, I use the wise.com card. It costs only 7 € to get one, and then you can use it as a standard debit card. Another advantage is that, if your card gets lost or stolen, you only lose the amount you put in there. I always travel with it!

Is 7 days enough for Curaçao?

Curaçao is a very small island, and all attractions are within a few hours drive from each other. If you’re only interested in the highlights of the island, 2-3 days will let you get the spirit of the island. However, if you really like beaches or are into diving, you may wish to extend your stay to fully enjoy the sights.

Where to eat in Curaçao?

Curaçao is a great place for foodies. If you need some recommendations of restaurants, check out my guide on the best restaurants in Curaçao.