13 stretches of Curaçao coastline, scored and sorted, from sheltered turquoise coves on the calm leeward coast to the dramatic, wave-battered shores of the wild north.
A peninsula bay best known for the Tugboat, a shallow shipwreck just offshore that ranks among Curacao's most popular and accessible snorkel and dive sites.
Explore beach →Photo: Dronepicr via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)
A free, easygoing local favourite with thatched palapas for shade, calm clear water and snorkeling along the rocky edges, all without an entrance fee.
Explore beach →Photo: Mingo Hagen via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
A sheltered, coral-rubble cove reached by a flight of steps, with calm clear water, easy snorkeling and the famous Tugboat wreck just around the point.
Explore beach →Photo: dronepicr via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
A lively beach-club strip where loungers, restaurants and bars line a calm, clear bay, drawing a stylish crowd that stays on from the swim into sunset drinks.
Explore beach →Photo: dronepicr via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
A sheltered, man-made family bay beside the Sea Aquarium, backed by a boulevard of shops, restaurants and bars and calm shallow water that is ideal for kids.
Explore beach →Photo by Lucas Swennen on Unsplash · Unsplash License
A manicured, postcard-perfect beach of soft white sand and bright turquoise water, with loungers, a dive shop and a beach bar behind a small entrance fee.
Explore beach →Photo by Karl Moore on Unsplash · Unsplash License
A dramatic cliff-edge cove at the far west tip, known for its high diving ledge, a clifftop restaurant with sea views and some of the island's best sunsets.
Explore beach →Photo: DANIEL ALFARO C. via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
A working fishermen's cove where green sea turtles glide in to feed on fish scraps, giving snorkelers an almost guaranteed close encounter just off the sand.
Explore beach →Photo: dronepicr via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
A small, free, undeveloped cove framed by rust-coloured cliffs, with clear water and good snorkeling and almost nothing in the way of crowds or facilities.
Explore beach →Photo: dronepicr via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
The smaller, calmer sister to Grote Knip: a compact cove of white sand with shade trees at the back and easy snorkeling over rocks at either edge.
Explore beach →Photo: dronepicr via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
Curacao's postcard beach: a wide cove of powder-white sand sloping into water that shifts from pale aqua to deep turquoise, with a clifftop lookout for the photo everyone takes.
Explore beach →Photo by Vishal on Unsplash · Unsplash License
A tiny fishing cove squeezed between tall cliffs, prized as a snorkel and dive base for its resident turtles, squid and reef life just off the sand.
Explore beach →Photo by Bas van der Linden on Unsplash · Unsplash License
A snorkeler's favourite thanks to its rare double reef, with white sand, full facilities and the friendly resident pigs that sometimes wander down to the water.
Explore beach →Choose a coast first, then check each beach page for facilities, the calm-water months, and how to get there.