Attractions - Things to see and do
Curaçao attractions – things to see and do
For such a small island, Curaçao attractions worth seeing and doing are numerous indeed. Whilst many of the Curaçao
tourism trails immediately take you off to the beaches or inland scenery; spending a couple of days just walking around the island capital – Willemstad, gives you the opportunity to see the Old Dutch Colonial plantation mansions, the town’s museums and watch in awe as the huge ocean going container ships pass through the Queen Emma Bridge, a swing-bridge, across the Sint Annabaai. Architecture in Willemstad is heavily influenced by the Dutch with Dutch gables appearing everywhere while pastel colored plasterwork is to be expected on exterior walls. Don’t be one of the Curaçao tourists who are only interested in the duty free shops that the capital has to offer – take a moment to appreciate that the streets of Willemstad are now on the World Heritage List.
Island of Curaçao attractions to see
If your Curaçao vacation accommodation is in or around Willemstad you can take in a historic tour of the town starting on the Handelskade at Fort Amsterdam. Originally the Dutch West Indies Company headquarters it is now the seat of the islands government. However, by entering the courtyard you can access the Fort Church (Fortkerk) museum which houses antique silver and maps. Inside this Curaçao attraction notice the yellow and red bricks that the water cistern is made from. You’ll see these on many of the islands buildings – they were originally ballast in the Old Dutch sailing ships. A surprising Curaçao attraction is the oldest Synagogue in the western hemisphere. The current Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue has been in use since 1732 and was originally founded in 1674 by Sephardic Jews escaping persecution from Spain. North of the city center is one of the main island of Curaçao attractions, its museum. Occupying a building that was originally a seaman’s hospital it now contains exhibits by local artists, colonial furniture and pre-Columbian relics. However, the Museum Kura Hulanda, on Klipstraat not far from the west bank of the Sint Annabaai, is said to be the best museum on the island. Its main focus is a superbly documented and exhibited history of slavery on the island of Curaçao and the Caribbean in general. To the north of the island of Curaçao is the Sint Christoffel National Park, incorporating the highest point in the ABC islands – Mount Sint Christoffel at 372 meters. A network of trails takes you through some interesting and unusual geological features, flora and fauna; including the rare Curaçaon deer; and most trails culminate with views over of the Playa Grandi cliffs. Back down to the southern end of the island is the Curaçao Seaquarium. Probably not of any interest to serious Curaçao scuba divers, its outdoor lagoons offer everything from sea lions, to sharks, eels and tropical fish – all of which can be viewed from an underwater observatory.
Island of Curaçao attractions to do
One of the truly big Curaçao attractions is the opportunity the island of Curaçao gives to scuba divers and snorkelers. The Curaçao weather means that all around the year the sea temperature is suitable for diving with only a minimal threat from high winds. We’ll look again at Curaçao diving opportunities in more detail later on; for the time being the extreme south of the island of Curaçao is home to the National Underwater Park, an area of protected coast and reefs. Curaçao scuba diving schools offer introductory lessons here as well as being able to organize guided dives for more experienced divers. If the idea of diving doesn’t appeal that much just doing some Curaçao snorkeling in these clear and warm waters can be very gratifying. Fish you’re likely to see in the waters around the island of Curaçao include; trumpetfish, bridled burrfish, yellow goatfish and reef octopus. Not that you’ll need it to see these things and the 60 odd different species of coral, but if you go Curaçao diving you can expect to have up to 30