Senior travel: Willemstad
An easier pace for an older traveller: how many stops fit in a day, which places are step-free, and what the guide says about getting around, medicines and stairs.
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Pace for a day
About 3 stops a day. 5 h out − 45 min rest, divided by an average visit of 46 min (from this city’s guide) + 30 min to move.
Places, easiest access first
- Floating marketStep-free: yes · about 30 minNone.
- Handelskade waterfrontStep-free: yes · about 40 minNone.
- Rif FortStep-free: yes · about 40 minA few on the rampart.
- Pietermaai promenadeStep-free: yes · about 60 minNone.
- Scharloo houses walkStep-free: yes · about 60 minNone.
- Queen Emma BridgeStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 15 minNone, but floor moves with the tide.
- Fort Amsterdam and Fort ChurchStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 35 minA few at the church.
- Mikvé Israel-Emanuel SynagogueStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 45 minA few at the courtyard entrance.
- Kura Hulanda MuseumStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 90 minA few between courtyards and upper floors.
Getting around in Willemstad
Willemstad is flat but old: narrow, uneven brick pavements, kerbs and steps at many shopfronts. Taxis and the free ferry help; the pontoon bridge is a floating deck that moves with the water and is not easy on wheels.
- Pavements:
- Narrow, uneven brick in Punda and Otrobanda; smoother along the Pietermaai promenade.
- Getting around:
- Taxis are the step-free option; some hotels can book a van with a lift (ask ahead). Buses are not step-free.
- Hotels:
- Larger hotels have lifts; restored townhouses often have steps at the entrance: ask about ground-floor rooms.
- Toilets:
- Accessible toilets at larger museums and malls; few elsewhere.
- Bridge:
- The Queen Emma Bridge is a floating deck; use the Queen Juliana Bridge taxi ride or the ferry if it is closed.
Medicines and health on the ground
The Curaçao guide lists no medicine paperwork. Check the official customs page for your medicines.
- Sun and heat:
- Reef-safe SPF, a hat, water and a rest indoors 12:00–15:00; sunburn happens on cloudy windy days.
- Dengue:
- Mosquito-borne; use repellent, especially at dawn and dusk; no vaccine.
- Water:
- Tap water is safe; bottled water is cheap.
- Marine life:
- Sea urchins and sharp coral on rocky beaches: water shoes help.
- Travel clinics:
- Check the CDC page for routine vaccines before you go; there is no yellow-fever certificate needed for most routes (check).
More: how much medicine to pack, medicine times across time zones.
Ask your insurer
Age limits and prices differ by policy and the guides do not hold them, so put these to the insurer before you buy.
- What is the oldest age the policy covers, at purchase and on the last day of the trip?
- Does the price or the cover change after a certain age?
- Are existing conditions covered, and what must be declared?
- Does the cover include medical evacuation and trip interruption?
Not medical advice. This page does not know anyone’s health. Ask a doctor before the trip, and carry a list of medicines and conditions.