With kids · Curaçao
Curaçao with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Curaçao suits families: calm cove beaches, turtles at Playa Piskadó, the swinging Queen Emma Bridge and caves to explore. Most beaches have shallow water, though rocky entries make water shoes useful for children. Top picks: Queen Emma Bridge, Playa Kenepa and Playa Piskadó. Families usually base themselves in Jan Thiel.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Jan Thiel
- Rainy-day options
- 1
- Busiest months
- December–February
Best things to do with kids
Landmark · Punda
1.Queen Emma Bridge
Opened in 1888, this pedestrian pontoon bridge floats on boats and swings aside to let ships into the harbour, linking Punda and Otrobanda. When it is open, free ferries carry pedestrians across, and at night it is lit with coloured lights.
Stay on the bridge when the warning signal sounds and ride along as it swings open — it is allowed and a memorable short ride.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Kids
- After dark
- Photo spot
Beach · Westpunt and Banda Abou
2.Playa Kenepa
Grote Knip, or Kenepa Grandi, is the island's most photographed beach: a white-sand cove framed by cliffs and turquoise water, with a viewpoint above it. Smaller Kleine Knip is just down the road, and the nearby Landhuis Knip is where the 1795 slave uprising led by Tula began.
Arrive early on weekends, when the beach fills with local families, and bring snorkel gear for the rocks on either side.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Kids
- Photo spot
- Outdoors
Beach · Westpunt and Banda Abou
3.Playa Piskadó
At Westpunt, local fishermen clean their catch on the small pier at Playa Piskadó (Playa Grandi), drawing green sea turtles into the shallows, where snorkellers can watch them. The beach is small, pebbly and informal.
Keep a respectful distance from the turtles and never feed or touch them; the fishermen's pier is a working area.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Nature · Hato
4.Hato Caves
Guided tours lead through limestone caves formed under an ancient coral reef near the airport, with stalactites, an underground pool and a colony of fruit bats. Petroglyphs left by the Indigenous Caquetío people are near the entrance.
Ask your guide about the Caquetío rock drawings on the trail outside; many visitors miss them.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
- History
Nature · Westpunt and Banda Abou
5.Shete Boka National Park
On the wild north coast, Shete Boka's limestone inlets channel Atlantic waves into thundering spray, best seen at Boka Tabla, where a cave lets you watch the surf crash in from inside the cliff. Sea turtles nest on some of the small beaches.
Visit on a windy day for the biggest waves, and stay behind barriers; swimming is not possible on this coast.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Views
- Kids
- Photo spot
- Outdoors
Nature · Westpunt and Banda Abou
6.Flamingos at the Jan Kok salt pans
Flocks of wild Caribbean flamingos feed in the shallow salt pans beside the road near Sint Willibrordus, on the way to the west-end beaches. A roadside pull-off gives good views without disturbing the birds.
Stop on the way to Westpunt in the morning, and bring binoculars or a zoom lens; never walk out into the pans.
- Time needed
- 20–30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Nature
- Photo spot
Rainy-day ideas
- Hato Caves — Ask your guide about the Caquetío rock drawings on the trail outside; many visitors miss them.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for families, beach and couples
Jan Thiel
Jan Thiel is a resort area around a sheltered bay about 15 minutes southeast of Willemstad, with apartments, villas, beach clubs and restaurants. Spanish Water lagoon and Caracas Bay, with its dive sites and boat departures to Klein Curaçao, are close by.
- Good
- Good choice of apartments; Close to Klein Curaçao boats; Beach clubs and restaurants
- Watch out
- Car useful for the rest of the island; Beach is small for the number of visitors
- Nearby
- Spanish Water, Caracas Bay, Tugboat dive site
Family travel tips
- Pack water shoes; many cove beaches have rocks and coral rubble at the water's edge.
- Mambo Beach and Jan Thiel have sheltered water and facilities, good for younger children.
- Bring child-sized snorkel gear for the shallow reefs.
- Use high-factor sun protection and shade; the sun and breeze make sunburn easy.
- Klein Curaçao trips can be rough on the way out; consider seasickness remedies.
Day trips for families
- Klein Curaçao (About 1.5–2 hours by boat each way) — An uninhabited, flat islet southeast of Curaçao with a long white beach, an old lighthouse and shipwreck remains.
- Banda Abou beach drive (About 45–60 minutes by car each way) — A loop through the island's west end stops at the Jan Kok flamingos, plantation houses, Playa Lagun, Playa Kenepa, Playa Piskadó and Westpunt's cliffs, with lunch at a seaside restaurant.
- Spanish Water and Caracas Bay (About 20 minutes by car) — A sheltered inland bay with marinas, watersports and beach clubs, next to Caracas Bay, where the Tugboat wreck and the old quarantine building sit by the shore.
When to go with children
The best months overall are April–June and September. December–February are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Curaçao good for kids?
Curaçao suits families: calm cove beaches, turtles at Playa Piskadó, the swinging Queen Emma Bridge and caves to explore. Most beaches have shallow water, though rocky entries make water shoes useful for children.
+What can kids do in Curaçao?
Queen Emma Bridge, Playa Kenepa, Playa Piskadó, Hato Caves and Shete Boka National Park.
+Where should families stay in Curaçao?
Jan Thiel: Resort bay, beach club and villas on the southeast coast near Spanish Water.