Punda and Otrobanda: Willemstad in half a day

Willemstad is on the UNESCO list and it shows, but it is not an open air museum. The coloured buildings along the Handelskade hold offices and shops, and the pontoon bridge joining Punda to Otrobanda still opens dozens of times a day.

Punda

The postcard side. The Handelskade with its yellow, blue and pink houses is where everybody photographs, and rightly so. Walk on to the Marshe Bieu, the old market, where very little money buys a plate of funchi, kabritu or stoba from people who have been cooking there for thirty years. That is better food than most of what is on the boulevard.

The Mikvé Israël-Emanuel synagogue is the oldest in continuous use in the western hemisphere, with sand on the floor. The museum beside it is small and worth the time.

Otrobanda

The other side, literally: otrobanda means the other bank. Less polished, more murals, and the district where you see something of how Willemstad works rather than how it photographs. The Kura Hulanda area has been restored and holds a museum about the transatlantic slave trade that is honest and heavy, and that we would recommend.

The bridge

The Queen Emma Bridge is a pontoon that swings aside whenever a ship needs the harbour. That happens often, and then you either wait or take the free ferry. Expect it, and treat it as part of the visit rather than a delay.

Practical

Parking in Punda is awkward and paid. We usually leave the car in Otrobanda and walk across. Go in the morning: after midday it gets hot and there is no wind between the buildings. On days when cruise ships are in it is noticeably busier, and you can usually see that in the harbour from the road.