Curaçao 6 Day Itinerary: Willemstad, Klein Curaçao and Westpunt

Quick stop, 40 minutes, free. After check-in, walk the Punda waterfront, a row of curved-gable Dutch townhouses painted yellow, blue and pink, part of the historic centre listed by Unesco in 1997. Local legend says a 19th-century governor banned white because the glare gave him migraines.

Quick stop, 30 minutes, free, at the end of the Handelskade. The 1888 pedestrian bridge floats on pontoons and swings sideways, powered by a motor at one end, whenever a ship enters the bay. If it is open, a free ferry crosses from the same spot. At night the whole bridge lights up in colour.

Free, 2 hours, across the bridge in Otrobanda. The 1828 stone fort once guarded the harbour mouth and now houses shops and restaurants in its old casemates.

Climb onto the wall late in the afternoon: the sun sets over the sea and lights up the Handelskade across the water, the best photo in Willemstad. Have dinner right there and walk back over the lit bridge.

About 1h30, paid entry, opens at 8am Monday to Saturday. It is in Otrobanda, 300 metres from the bridge, and it is the most important visit in town for understanding where the island comes from.

Curaçao was one of the main hubs of the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans in the 17th and 18th centuries. The museum, set in restored houses of the district, covers the Atlantic crossing, with a replica of a slave ship's hold, and the Afro-Caribbean culture born from it, from Papiamentu to tambú music.

About 1 hour, paid entry including the Jewish museum, closed on Saturdays. Cross the Queen Emma Bridge back to Punda: it is five blocks away.

Consecrated in 1732, it is the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Americas, built by Sephardic Jews who came from Amsterdam and, before that, from Portugal and Dutch Brazil. The floor is covered in sand, which tradition links to the desert crossing or to Jews who prayed in secret during the Inquisition.

About 1 hour, lunch only, 250 metres from the synagogue. In the old Punda market hall, cooks serve home-style stews at long shared tables to people who work downtown: goat or beef stoba, fried fish, rice and beans and funchi, the local polenta.

It is the most honest and cheapest food in Willemstad. Arrive before 12.30pm, because the popular dishes run out. Next door, on the Sha Caprileskade quay, the floating market of Venezuelan boats selling fruit and fish survives, smaller than it once was.

Quick stop, 30 minutes, across the Wilhelmina Bridge. In the 19th century Jewish merchants built mansions here with columns, verandas and white ornaments, many restored and painted green, red and yellow. The most famous is the green one nicknamed the Wedding Cake House.

About 1 hour, free self-guided visit, paid tastings; 3 km from Scharloo by car. This is the country house where the Senior family distillery has made the original Curaçao liqueur since the mid-20th century.

The key ingredient is laraha, a descendant of the sweet oranges brought by the Spanish that turned bitter and inedible in the island's dry soil. The sun-dried peel flavours the liqueur, which is clear: the famous blue is colouring, and there are orange, green and red versions too.

Full day, 7am to 4pm, on a boat trip of 100 to 130 US dollars including lunch, drinks and snorkel gear. Boats leave from the marinas on the southeast coast, 20 minutes from the centre, and the crossing takes about 1h30. Book ahead and bring seasickness tablets: the outbound sea is often rough.

The islet, 25 km offshore, is flat, uninhabited and ringed by turquoise water. Walk to the abandoned pink lighthouse and to the rusting hull of a tanker stranded on the east shore, and swim with the turtles that show up on the reef off the main beach.

About 2 hours, paid beach entry, close to the marinas where the boats leave. Back from Klein Curaçao, stay for sunset in the sheltered Jan Thiel cove, lined with beach clubs, loungers, bars and seafood restaurants.

Neighbouring Mambo Beach, 2 km away, is the livelier version, with a boardwalk of shops and parties at night.

Quick stop, 20 minutes, free, on the road to Sint Willibrordus, 30 minutes from Willemstad. Leave early with the car and pull over at the old salt pan: flamingos are here year-round, closest to the road in the early morning. Do not walk into the pan or make noise, they startle easily.

About 3 hours, small paid entry per person, 10 minutes from the salt pan. The beach has full facilities, with loungers, showers and a restaurant, and is one of the best in Curaçao for snorkelling: a few metres out a double reef begins, with a deeper second coral wall for strong swimmers.

Arrive before 10am, when the water is calmest and the groups have not arrived.

About 2 hours, free, 40 minutes from Porto Mari, near Westpunt. Check in and head down to the most photographed beach on the island, also called Grote Knip: a white sand cove with turquoise water between low cliffs.

Go up to the roadside viewpoint above the beach first for the photo. Natural shade is scarce, so rent a parasol at the beach stand. Neighbouring Kenepa Chiki, 1 km away, is smaller and quieter.

Quick stop, 1 hour, in Westpunt, 2 km from Kenepa. From the terrace of the clifftop restaurant, locals jump about 10 metres into the deep blue sea. Only jump if you are a strong swimmer and after watching where others land. Stay for sunset, which drops straight into the sea here.

A full morning, 15 US dollars entry including the Savonet museum, open 6am to 3pm. The climb up Christoffelberg, 372 metres, must start by 10am because of the heat: begin at 6.30am with 2 litres of water per person.

The trail takes 2 to 3 hours return and ends with an easy scramble over rocks, with a view of the whole island and, on clear days, Aruba and Bonaire. If you would rather not climb, drive the park's scenic routes between giant cacti and old plantations.

About 1h30, 15 US dollars entry, open 8am to 4pm with last entry at 3pm. It is 5 minutes from Christoffel and you visit by car, stopping at each inlet.

The windward north coast is the opposite of the calm southern beaches: the sea surges into limestone inlets and bursts into plumes of spray. At Boka Tabla, go down into the cave where waves crash above your head, and at Boka Pistol watch the blowhole that gives it its name. No swimming anywhere in the park.

About 2 hours, free, in Westpunt. Fishermen clean their catch on the pier and green turtles have learned to come for the scraps: put on a mask and swim a few metres to see them up close.

Do not touch or feed the animals, and keep clear of boats coming and going. Go in the afternoon, when the fishermen return and more turtles appear.

About 2 hours, free, 10 minutes from Westpunt. The narrow cove between limestone walls has calm, shallow water, fishing boats and good snorkelling by the rocks on the left, where turtles sometimes appear.

It is the ideal farewell before returning the car: swim in the morning and drive straight to the airport, 50 minutes away.

Quick stop, 1 hour, paid guided tour, five minutes from the airport. The limestone caves have stalactites, an underground pool, a bat colony and paintings by the Caquetío, the island's first inhabitants. Worth it as a last stop if your flight leaves late in the afternoon.