Willemstad

Willemstad is the capital of Curaçao and the cultural heart of the island, a port city whose historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. St Anna Bay slices the old town into two halves: Punda on the east side, the original walled quarter, and Otrobanda ("the other side") to the west. The two are joined by the Queen Emma Bridge, a floating pontoon walkway that swings open on the water to let ships pass, which means it occasionally drifts aside while you are mid-crossing.

The signature view is the Handelskade, the row of tall, narrow Dutch colonial merchant houses painted in sherbet shades of ochre, pink, blue and green, mirrored in the harbour water. Behind it, Punda's compact grid holds the floating market where Venezuelan traders sell fruit and fish from their boats, the Old Market food hall for a plate of local stew, and Fort Amsterdam, the 17th-century seat of government whose courtyard and Fortkerk are open to visitors even as much of it now houses working government offices. Across the bay, Otrobanda is grittier and more local, climbing the hillside in a maze of restored townhouses and street art.

What to do

• Walk the Handelskade waterfront and cross the swinging Queen Emma Bridge on foot.
• Browse the floating market in Punda and tour historic Fort Amsterdam.
• Eat and drink your way through Pietermaai, the restored district that holds most of the city's nightlife.
• Detour to Landhuis Chobolobo, the mansion where the bright-blue Curaçao liqueur is distilled.

By day the city is a place to wander, shop and soak up architecture; by night the action moves to Pietermaai, a once-derelict quarter now full of boutique hotels, rooftop bars and restaurants in candy-painted ruins. Papiamentu is the language of the street, but Dutch, English and Spanish are all widely spoken, so ordering and asking directions is easy.

Willemstad makes the natural base for a first visit. It is central, has the widest choice of hotels and restaurants on the island, and puts you within a short drive of both the resort beaches near Jan Thiel and the quiet leeward coves of Bandabou to the west. Use it for culture, food and convenience, then drive out to the sand.