Travel and Tourism
Curaçao travel and tourism
Curaçao tourism isn’t just dependent on diving and snorkeling, anyone prepared to indulge in a little Curaçao travel by either private or public transport will find an amazing number of things to do around Curaçao island during their vacation. Whilst you’re on the island travel by public transport basically means using the bus, whilst if you prefer to be independent you can get a Curaçao car rental or even hire out bicycles and motorbikes. Although there’s a little over 800 miles of roads on the island, none of them will have you speeding around during your Curaçao travels. Indeed overtaking opportunities are few and far between if you get stuck behind farm traffic, so be prepared to relax and let life proceed at a Caribbean pace rather than the city pace you’re used to.
Curaçao bus travel
By and large the Curaçao public bus services are designed to get the local residents to and from work, the markets and shops.
Having said that, two bus routes are particularly useful as Curaçao travel options. Departing from the Otrabanda Bus Station, behind Sebastopolstraat, the 4B bus has hourly services to the Hato International Airport, about 20 minutes away. A bus very useful for transporting ecologically minded tourists to the Curaçao attraction of Christoffel Park is the number 9 bus that follows the coastal road up to Westpunt. These tourist bus services run from around 7 in the morning to 9 in the evening and most bus fares seem to be $1. Mainly serving the south of the island there’s another, smaller, bus station in Willemstad; in the Punda district near the Post office.
Getting to and from the airport
Having arrived at Curaçao by plane you might not feel like then waiting for the next bus if you’ve just missed one. If you’re staying in a Curaçao hotel they’ll probably be able to arrange a transfer from the airport for you. Alternatively, Curaçao travel by taxi is quite quick and cheap at less than $20 to get just about anywhere and just about at anytime. Not all taxis on Curaçao island have meters – so do check on the tariff for the taxi journey before setting off. Should you arrive at the airport and there are no taxis available – ask at the airport information desk for the central taxi dispatch number and call them on your cell phone. The major international and local Curaçao car rental companies are also represented at the airport. Whilst you might strike lucky and there’ll be a spare car for you to pick up ‘on speck’ on arrival – you’re advised to have pre-booked your Curaçao car rental from the airport before departure.
Independent Curaçao travel
The Curaçao tourism industry organizes plenty of excursions and guided tours, including transport, to all the major Curaçao attractions. If you’re more independently minded you’ve got the options of finding out how to get to places on the local buses, or use the taxis or even rent a mode of transport. As stated above the bus number 4B services the airport, whilst the number 9 is more of a ‘tourists’ one, going up to Westpunt. On its way it also stops at Kunuku Abao and Soto, as well as several other points for island beaches and walks. As for the other bus routes you’ll need to get hold of the Curaçao bus timetable and a detailed Curaçao island map in order to figure out how to get from one place to another. Although this is a small island – be sure to check that the Curaçao travel bus you want to use actually operates on the day you’d like to use it! Most hotels most of the time will have at least one taxi waiting outside them, or at least nearby. If you want to get to most places taking a taxi is less expensive than hiring a car for the day – and much less stressful than worrying about driving a rental car. Having said that Curaçao car rental can be very cheap – from just $30 a day for a small hatchback in the ‘low season’. All manner of other vehicles from motor-bikes, motor-scooters and buggy’s to pedal bikes can also be rented