Taking a Curacao Walking Tour is a fun and interesting way to explore Willemstad, especially if you have limited time. We share highlights of the Curacao walking tour of Willemstad from our recent vacation!
As the Historic Area of Willemstad is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, I wanted to learn about the city and not just wander aimlessly!
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Curacao Walking Tour: Overview
We booked a Curacao walking tour which was an ideal, affordable, and convenient guided tour for us!
- guided tour:
- our guide was a local who was passionate to share information and what they loved about their city!
- time efficient
- our tour was approximately two hours, which we thought was ideal!
- the length of the tour let us plan other activities for the rest of the day
- no other transportation (e.g. car, bus) is required
- learned interesting facts and history!
We always take at least one guided tour when we travel to another country and highly recommend it in Curacao as well! Leave your resort or cruise ship and explore this vibrant island and historic city!
Explore Curacao guided tours from Viator here! And explore two highly rated Curacao walking tours with positive reviews below:
Highlights of our Curacao Walking Tour of Willemstad:
Punda and Otrobanda are the two main neighbourhoods in Willemstad, connected by the Queen Emma Bridge.
- Otrobanda
- most of our time on the Curacao walking tour was spent exploring Otrobanda – residential area with shops and restaurants!
- the street art and murals are incredible!
- Queen Emma Bridge
- walked across and took pictures on the Queen Emma Bridge.
- Punda
- we ended the tour in this historic district but did not explore it much with our guide. It is mainly tourist souvenir shops.
- hidden spots and gems – met locals and visited spots that we definitely would not have come across without our local guide!
- walked through small alleyways, stopped for local ice cream, and took photos at several large street art murals!
- passed by recommended restaurants and shops to return to after the tour!
- we even got to taste Senior’s The Genuine Curacao Liqueur, the famous blue alcoholic drink used in many cocktails, at one of our stops.
Curacao Walking Tour: Incredible Street Art
The beautiful street art and murals of Willemstad are definitely one of the most memorable aspects of exploring this historic city!
Having a knowledgeable, local guide really helped us understand and appreciate the art, UNESCSO World Heritage Site, and the culture of the people of Curacao.
Curacao Walking Tour: Photos
Of course, one of the biggest benefits of having a guide are the photo opportunities!
Our guide took us to many places and artworks we would not have found on our own.
We are fortunate that our Curacao walking tour guide offered, and was always willing, to take our picture throughout the tour!
In fact, some of our favourite pictures were taken by our tour guides, and are framed in our home!
Curacao Walking Tour: Additional Tips
Curacao Chichi
Look out for the Curacao Chichi all around the city!
Chichi is the Papiamentu word that translates into “big sister”. This female figure represents the eldest daughter of the family. Chichi symbolizes the strong, important women in the family and the culture.
Look out for colourful chichi statues throughout the city! We loved seeing the various sculptures and dolls on the streets and in the stores.
Chichi dolls are a popular souvenir from Curacao and can be purchased at various local shops.
Curacao Thursday Night Punda Vibes
Every Thursday night in Willemstad, from 6-10 pm, is “Punda Vibes”.
The evening features entertainment, art, live music, shopping with food and drink!
Also, if you like fireworks, confirm if there will be a fireworks show at 8:15 p.m. at Punda Vibes!
My husband and I did not check out Punda Vibes as there was a Thursday night event at our resort that evening – check back for our detailed resort review!
Curacao Tuk Tuk Tour
Lastly, if walking and mobility are issues, we initially looked into booking a Curacao Tuk Tuk Tour rather than a Curacao walking tour.
Although we really enjoyed our Curacao Walking Tour, walking for a long time may not be easy for everyone…you can explore this highly rated tuk tuk tour with positive reviews below, as an alternative option that also looked fun:
We took a similar private tour on a golf cart in Nashville, U.S.A and loved it – read our Nashville Golf Cart tour and review here!
Curacao Walking Tour: Conclusion
With different local guides, tour group providers, and stories, each Curacao walking tour is surely unique!
We highly recommend taking Curacao walking tour of Willemstad, especially for art and culture! Our tour was really great, fun and informative!
Yes, you can easily walk on your own and explore the city of Willemstad. However, we really enjoyed our Curacao walking tour with a guide! It is affordable and worth the cost for a more meaningful adventure!
Learning the history and stories about the people and culture from a local, always makes our travels so much more memorable!
Therefore, do not miss out on some hidden gems and insights that we feel a Curacao walking tour with a local guide truly provides!
The city is full of colourful buildings, street art, murals, and photo spots!
Explore two highly rated Curacao Walking Tours, shown below from Viator, with positive reviews:
And explore popular Curacao guided tours from Viator here with hundreds of reviews!
Enjoy the beautiful island of Curacao! Happy Travels!
Other Popular Tours in Curacao
Other popular tours most often mentioned for Curacao include:
Explore hundreds of reviews from popular tours in Curacao below:
Curacao Tourist Information
Additional Curacao websites that you may find useful:
- Curacao website: https://www.curacao.com/en/
- from Curacao Tourist Board, includes Things To Do, Where To Stay, Plan Your Visit, and other Visitor Information.
- Curacao Tourist Board: https://www.curacaotouristboard.com/
Our experience described in this article was self-funded.
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