Historic Willemstad: Punda, Otrobanda and Queen Emma Bridge

Willemstad, Curaçao

A walk through historic Willemstad is the island’s essential urban experience. Rather than one monument, the attraction is the connected cityscape itself: Punda’s colourful facades and harbour edge, Otrobanda’s revived streets and murals, and the Queen Emma Bridge stitching the two sides together across St Anna Bay. It is the clearest reason Curaçao feels unlike a standard beach destination. This stays in the top tier because it works for almost every kind of visitor. First-time travellers can cover the highlights in a few hours, while repeat visitors can slow down for courtyards, museums, food stops and street life. Just as important, it balances the list by showing Curaçao as a lived-in historic city as well as an island of parks and coastlines.