Best What to Do Curacao 2023

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Greetings Internet Stranger! I’m Stella Jane, and welcome to a perfect 24 hours of the best what to do Curacao. Curacao is one of the ABC islands, and while it’s not quite as famous as Aruba, it’s becoming much better known. (That’s not only because of its tasty blue liqueur.)

It would be ideal to spend a few days on Curacao, one of the Caribbean’s most charming islands, but sadly we don’t have enough time. However, we do have plenty of time to have an amazing Curacao experience. Let me show you exactly what I mean.

If you are in Curacao as part of a one day shore excursion, like I was on my most recent Royal Caribbean cruise out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, then this itinerary is perfect for you.

However, even if you’re just visiting Curacao on your own, this one day of the best what to do Curacao will be perfect for you! I’ll show you all the most beautiful and delicious spots on the island! Let’s not waste any more time!

Best what to do Curacao

Morning: Driving Tour of the Island

Curacao isn’t a large island, but it’s still difficult to get to all of its wonderful attractions in one day.

That’s why I think any day of the best what to do Curacao needs to include a driving tour of the island. Fortunately, there are several excellent options when you are looking for a fantastic itinerary to take you all over Curacao.

You can book guided tour, like this one, that will take you to the most beautiful and interesting parts of the island. I can’t guarantee that you’ll see exactly the same stops that I did on my shore excursion, but you’ll get to the national park and the beach, which is the most important part.

You can go ahead and book this fantastic tour by clicking here.

Or you can book a custom private tour that will allow you to plan the itinerary.

Then get ready for a stunning experience with…

Approximately Top 5: what to do Curacao

1) Murals of Curacao

Your tour will start in Willemstad, the colorful capital city of Curacao, and one of the first things you’ll notice is that the city contains a large number of colorful murals. Try to find as many as you can because they make great photos so you can remember your wonderful time in Curacao.

The most famous is the “naked chicken” mural, which you can see in my photo above. I hope no one ever paints over this naked chicken, so your grandchildren’s grandchildren can enjoy this glorious testament to the power of the human spirit.

Some people wonder why Curacao is so colorful, and our guide said that it was because there was a former governor of Curacao who made it a law that people had to paint their houses these colors.

Later it turned out that he owned a paint factory, so it seems he had some shady motives for this law. But at least it left us all with gorgeous homes for everyone to enjoy! Thanks, shady governor of Curacao!

2) Shete Boka National Park

Of course it’s fun to spend some of your time in Curacao lying on the beach and going shopping, just like a carefree tourist without a worry in the world. However, I think it’s special to be able to get a bit off the beaten track and see some of the island’s more hidden gems.

That’s why I was so glad this tour took us to Shete Boka National Park. This park has amazing views of the Caribbean ocean, and it’s a great place to go. If you want to take dramatic photos and videos of waves crashing against the shore, this is the spot to do it.

However, make sure to listen to your guide and be respectful while you are visiting Shete Boka National Park. Don’t litter, and don’t go off the path. There were some tourists we saw traveling on their own who left the designated path to take photos. What terrible life choices they were making.

Our guide said we don’t know that the area off the designated path is stable to walk on, so these tourists were risking their lives just for a photo! I hope you can see from my pictures that it’s possible to get fabulous snaps and still stay on the path.

PS. Nothing bad happened to those tourists that I saw, but it is still not worth the risk.

I’m not sure why, but the waiting area near the restroom is home to about a grillion cats. If you are a cat lover like I am, be sure to say hello to these furry friends!

3) Knip Beach

There are tons of beaches in Curacao. As with any Caribbean island, some of them are more popular with tourists, and some of them are more popular with locals. We’re lucky because on this tour we got to go to Knip Beach, which is where a lot of locals go. (I could tell because I heard many people speaking the local language, Papiamentu.)

At this point on our day of the best what to do Curacao, you’ll probably be getting a little snacky. There’s a food truck outside the beach that makes excellent smoothies, but they make everything fresh, so be sure to place your order before you settle down on the beach because it might take a few minutes.

Then just take your smoothie (I chose passionfruit) down to the beach and enjoy the sweet taste and sweet views while you relax. (I hope you don’t need me to tell you how to relax, Internet Stranger! If you do, you might need more help than this blog can provide.)

4) Nena Sanchez Gallery

Our final stop on this tour of the best what to do Curacao is the Nena Sanchez Gallery. I was glad to stop here because I am an absolute museum junkie, and it’s often hard to find a Caribbean tour that will take you to a great museum.

Well, the Nena Sanchez Gallery isn’t exactly a museum, as it’s more of an art gallery. You’ll learn all about the late Curacao artist Nena Sanchez. She was a self-taught artist who became famous for her paintings and sculptures of blue-skinned people and her use of bright colors.

You can buy some of her work at the gallery, but there’s no pressure to buy anything, and you can also just explore and admire her paintings.

It’s not allowed to take pictures inside the art gallery for obvious reasons, but you can take all the pictures you want outside the gallery, where her sculptures are.

See what I mean about the blue-skinned people? Her paintings look like this, only flatter and smaller.

5) Slave Revolt Monuments

You’ll notice these statues that look like raised fists, which have been placed at various points all over the island. These statues are monuments honoring the slave revolt in Curacao back in 1795. This revolt was led by an enslaved man named Tula. Though slavery wasn’t ended in Curacao until 1863, people in Curacao still remember and honor this rebellion today.

Our guide said that the Kura Hulanda Museum documents the history of the slave trade in Curacao. It wasn’t open when I visited, but hopefully it will be when you visit Curacao.

24 Hour Tip

Those are all the secrets I can share with you for now, so go ahead and book this great tour for yourself to experience the rest!

Check rates and availability right here!

Best what to do Curacao

Afternoon: Explore Willemstad

After the tour ends, you’ll have some time to explore Willemstad, Curacao’s capital city, on your own. I have been to all the ABC islands, and I think Willemstad is the prettiest and most interesting city in the region. I strongly suggest setting your afternoon aside to explore. There will be more than enough to keep us occupied!

So follow me on a romp of some more of the best what to do Curacao with…

Approximately Top 5: Willemstad

1) Lunch at Maira’s Kitchen

At this point in our day of the best what to do Curacao, we’re going to want some lunch. If you’re looking for a tasty bite of local cuisine, stop at the adorable Maira’s Kitchen. If you really want an authentic Curacao lunch, join me in a bowl of spicy goat curry.

Goat meat is very popular in the Caribbean, and I enjoy its rich and powerful flavor. However, if you want to be basic, Maira’s also serves chicken, fish, and other normy foods.

If you’re into day drinking, and this is your Caribbean vacation, so why not, get a drink with the local blue Curacao liqueur. (It tastes like orange, though its color is not.) No one drinks Curacao neat, so get it mixed with Sprite for a gorgeous afternoon drink.

2) Queen Emma Bridge

Obviously, you can see that my photo is not of any sort of bridge, much less the Queen Emma Bridge. However, it does give you a glimpse of what you can expect to see when you cross the Queen Emma Bridge, which is definitely one of the best what to do Curacao.

Willemstad is divided into two halves, Punda and Otrobanda, by the bay that you can see in my photo above. Naturally, we need some way to cross from one half to another, which is where Queen Emma’s Bridge comes in.

But there’s one catch: this is a hinged bridge, and it sometimes opens up to let boats go through. That’s why you should try to time your crossing so that you don’t get stuck on one side. However, if you do, don’t worry! There’s a ferry that will take you across, no problem.

3) Explore Punda

We had lunch in Otrobanda, which seemed to have plenty of restaurants, but from what I could tell, Punda had more shops and galleries.

So if you think shopping is one of the best what to do Curacao, you’ll definitely want to stop here. (There’s tons of galleries selling work from local artists, and there’s plenty of beautiful murals if you don’t want to spend money.)

If you prefer historic buildings, don’t miss Fort Amsterdam, also on the Punda side. This is where the governor of Curacao works, so ordinary tourists like us can’t go inside.

However, it’s still interesting to see a government building that has been around since the 16th century. (I assume it was designed by Colonel Mustard, but I haven’t bothered to fact-check that.)

4) Don’s Ice Cream

I know that we already had lunch, but that was a whole hour ago at least, and we didn’t have dessert, just Curacao mixed with Sprite.

So we need to stop in and get some proper dessert at Don’s Ice Cream, back on the Otrobanda side. I recommend their Pub Crawl flavor, which is made with chocolate, peanut butter, and Stout beer. It’s like eating a boozy Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

Just one tip! As you can probably tell from my photo, this is an extremely messy treat, so take lots of napkins from Don’s. I forgot to do this and I had to use my beach towel and a whole bunch of old receipts to wipe my face.

5) The Baseball Stadium

If you’re not a baseball fan, you might be surprised to hear me recommend the baseball stadium. But actually tiny little Curacao has produced more Major League ballplayers per capita than any country in the world.

And since I am an Atlanta Braves fan, I was especially excited to visit because many players from Curacao have played for the Braves, including future Hall of Fame centerfielder Andruw Jones.

Other notable ballplayers from Curacao include World Champion Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies, shortstop Andrelton Simmons, outfielder Jurickson Profar, and Kenley Jansen, one of the all-time great closers.

You probably won’t be able to see a game when you’re in Willemstad, but still go by and check out the stadium where all the players from Curacao play. It’s an important part of baseball history.

Best what to do Curacao

Evening: Cruise Ship Fun!

If you’re like me, and you’re enjoying this day of the best what to do Curacao from a cruise ship, now will be the time to head back to your ship. Enjoy the sun setting over Curacao as you kick back and relax with a cocktail. Naturally you should pick one with Curacao in it!

Just kick back on the balcony and think about your amazing day filled with blue-faced people, goat curry, and baseball statistics.

Speaking of goat curry, you’ll probably be ready to head down to the main dining hall for dinner. I usually suggest going with the waiter’s suggestions for the evening. In my case that meant starting with these little deconstructed pork buns for an appetizer.

And for a main course, I got the lamb chop, which was actually moist and not overcooked. That’s not always the case on cruise ships because it’s hard to cook lamb chops for that many people and have them turn out perfectly.

Normally I say to go with chocolate desserts because who doesn’t love chocolate? However, this tres leches cake was light and hit the spot just as well.

Best what to do Curacao

Where to Stay?

Curacao is an entire island, so you can stay pretty much anywhere. However, if you want to explore, I suggest staying in Willemstad, which is the capital of Curacao. You’ll be centrally located, and if you want to take a tour around this island, this is going to be the best starting point.

That’s why I recommend staying at the Wynwood Boutique Hotel. It’s right in downtown Willemstad, so it’s easy to get to the restaurants and beaches from here. Plus, the hotel has its own swimming pool, so you don’t need to relax. If you want a charming Caribbean hotel without all the overload of a resort, this is the place for you.

If you want a great deal on this hotel, click here.

And if you’re looking for great deals on tons of other hotels in Willemstad, click here. This search engine will help you find the perfect place to stay for your day of the best what to do Curacao. With plenty of options to choose from, I’m sure you’ll find something for your schedule and budget.

That’s the Best what to do Curacao

If you thought this article was funny, check out my travel guide Get Lost.

What would you do on a day of the best Curacao things to do? Are you ready to start booking your hotel in Curacao right now? Please email me at stellajane@aroundtheworldin24hours.com and let me know!

Note: If you want to know how I put my travel itineraries together, just click here. Keep in mind that while each article is about how to spend 24 hours in a place, that doesn’t mean you should ONLY have a day in Curacao.

Why not add a what to do in Aruba cruise excursion? You can experience a what to do on Bonaire day. Go for the most fun things to do in Playa del Carmen. Check out the best things to do at Roatan Honduras. Let’s head out on what to do at Riviera Maya. Find the best things to do on Allure of the Seas. Experience the best day tours in Aruba. Enjoy the best tours in Curacao.