I wanted to share some more pictures of the beautiful port city and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Willemstad, Curaçao. The main area that I (and I assume most tourists) associate with Curaçao is the small but iconic waterfront of Historic Willemstad. Comprised of brightly-hued Dutch buildings and joined together by the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge, the two districts of Punda and Otrobanda seem to be the hub of Willemstad tourism. One could spend hours wandering around this beautiful area that is filled with history, culture, and Caribbean charm.
Here are our first views as we came into port and were welcomed to the island.
As you prepare to leave or return to the cruise ship terminal, you will find yourself in Rif Fort. Built in the 1800s to protect the island from attack, this fort presently protects tourists from coming home empty-handed. Less cannons and more stores, but still worth meandering through.
Just a short walk from Rif Fort is the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge. You can cross here to get to the Punda district, and if you wait a while you can watch the bridge swing open to allow boat traffic through.
As we walked through the streets, we saw that there was some pretty fun three-dimensional art on the walls of some of the buildings. This was the first time we came across the birds, but we have the exact same picture of us in front of the sunflowers, circa 2008. Is it cheesy to keep taking the same picture?
One of my goals in Curacao was to check out the floating market. It was not on my radar back in 2008, so I wanted to be sure not to miss it again. This market is made up of a collection of vendors who come over from Venezuela to sell their produce and other goods. They dock their small boats in line and set up shop at the waterfront of Sha Caprileskade. 
The vendor’s crates and tables were filled with produce, everything looking so fresh and delicious that we could not help but buy a sample or two before making our way back to the ship.
When we finished perusing the floating market, we realized that we were all pretty beat from a long day of exploring beaches and reefs, so we reluctantly made our way back to the ship.
And thus ends our little adventure in Curacao. I really do hope to return one of these days, maybe even for a longer stay. 🙂
Next Up:
Aruba
travelnerdplans 
The pops of colour in Punda are so bloody pretty and the gables so charmingly Dutch. I did not know about a place called Punda so thank you for putting it on my map. It is funny as I read more and more that there is So Much more left to discover. Will I ever get there? xx
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It really is gorgeous there—so bright and cheery. It’s amazing how different this area is to the rest of the island—you need to hurry and explore for yourself! 😊
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It looks like a beautiful island. I’m sure I’ll get there eventually!
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It is SO pretty there. I hope you make it there soon!
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I love the buildings – I wish more places had colorful buildings like this.
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I agree. It really is one of my favorite things to see in the Caribbean, all of the beautiful colors popping out against the blue sky.
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