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How much you take on comes down to legs and time. The waterfront on the Punda side is flat and fills an easy morning. Add the back streets of Otrobanda and the climb to the Ser'i Otrobanda viewpoint and you have the better part of a day.
None of it costs anything to walk. The city does the work.
Audio-guided walking routes for Willemstad are in the making. They are not in the app yet, so this page describes the city rather than a route to follow.
The numbers
| Where you start | Rif Fort, a few minutes' walk from the cruise pier |
|---|---|
| How far it is | The old town is roughly two kilometres end to end, with Punda and Otrobanda facing each other across the harbour mouth |
| What you need | Comfortable shoes, water, a hat, sun cream |
| Money | The local currency is the Caribbean guilder; US dollars are taken almost everywhere |
| Roughly what it costs | The walking is free. Allow a few dollars for the synagogue museum and whatever lunch you fancy |
| The app | The map, the places and the directions are on your phone, wifi or not |
Distances, stop counts and walking times come from the routes as published in the app. Entrance fees and currency are indications — worth checking on the day.
How much walking is involved
All of it — that is the point of the day. Three to five kilometres over two or three hours is a gentle pace, but it is a gentle pace in Caribbean heat, and the open squares have little shade.
The Queen Emma Bridge is a pontoon bridge: it floats, and it swings aside when a ship comes through. When it is open you cross by the free ferry instead, which costs you a few minutes. The bridge surface is uneven and moves slightly underfoot.
The Ser'i Otrobanda viewpoint is the only real climb in the city. Skip it if stairs and slopes are a problem — you lose a view and nothing else.
Benches, cafés and shade are easy to find on the Punda side. If you need to sit down every twenty minutes, stay along the water and take your time over it.
Practical notes
- Everything here is within walking distance of the ship, so you are never far from a way back.
- Download the app on the ship's wifi before you disembark. The map and the places stay on your phone, so it works wherever you are.
- The floating market keeps its own hours and is quieter later in the day.
- Fort Amsterdam is a working government building. The courtyard is open; the offices are not.
- If your call is short, stay along the water and spend what is left on lunch on the Handelskade. That is a better day than rushing five kilometres.
The route on your phone
Every stop on this page is in the Beyond the Beach app, with the map and the directions on your phone. Download it before you leave the ship and it works wherever you are, wifi or not. The app, the day routes and the trips are free; the audio tours are a separate purchase — a one-off, yours for good.