Admire the pret­ty row of col­or­ful lime-green, burnt-orange, can­dyfloss-pink, and mus­­tard-yel­low build­ings, and cross the 1888-built Queen Emma pon­toon bridge, known as the Swing­ing Old Lady. You’ll find sou­venir ven­dors, jew­el­ry stores, restau­rants, and cafes clus­tered around both sides of the water­front.

One of the best things to do in Curaçao is to take a deep dive into the his­to­ry of Willem­stad at the 17th-cen­­tu­ry Fort Ams­ter­dam, home to the Governor’s Palace, Fort Church, and a muse­um. At the near­by float­ing mar­ket, feast your eyes on wood­en boats piled high with trop­i­cal fruits, such as fresh and juicy water­mel­on, papaya, pineap­ple, and coconuts; an array of col­or­ful veg­eta­bles, and fresh fish.