Curaçao
Curaçao is a pearl of the Caribbean and lies outside the hurricane zone. Thus, the island can be easily visited all year round.
Curaçao is a small island with 444 km² in the southern Caribbean and is located about 60km north of Venezuela. Since 10.10.2010, Curaçao has been an autonomous region within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. With Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao these 3 islands form the association of the so-called ABC islands. A tourist visa for Curaçao is valid for accumulated 90 days in the current year. The registration form is handed out during the flight and has to be completed, alternatively you can register 24 hours before the trip.
You must have a valid passport for entry!
Since 2016, the border entry has become easier. You can register online before you arrive (at least 24 hours before your arrival). The system is called Online ED Card. If it works, the system is definitely worth it and saves long waiting times during passport control. Unfortunately, the system does not always work. Also with this system, there may be hiccups and/or waiting times.
Best travel time for Curaçao: All year round!
The annual average temperature is 27 °C (80.6 °F). The north-east trade winds provide a pleasant refreshing breeze.
February to May are good months to explore the island. There are very few mosquitoes and the winds are refreshing. This makes the stay for Europeans very pleasant. However, the island can be quite sparse, due to lack of rain. If you prefer to see the island in green, you should come in December.
In October, the risk of rains is a little higher. The official rainy season starts in November and lasts until February. It rarely happens that it rains a whole day. It is usually short, heavy rain. After a short time the sun shines again. In this month, the island is very green. Even though it is rainy season you will still have a fantastic trip.
In Curaçao, you can easily move freely. Simple and common precautions are enough. This makes it easy to explore the entire island. Car collisions sometimes occur at beaches or at viewpoints. Please do not leave anything valuable in the car. Many locals do not shut down the cars and leave the windows open. But of course they do not leave any items in the abandoned car.
In Curaçao you will not find long white sand beaches, but there are many small coves. You can have a whole beach for yourself. Some beaches are completely natural. Other beaches are well developed. There is usually the chance to grab a small snack, access toilets and sometimes also diving bases. On Small Curaçao there is a long white sand beach, but you can only access it by boat.
On weekends many beaches are quite busy. The locals come with their whole household (so you might think) and spend the whole day at the beach with barbecue, party, swimming, etc. On some beaches it can happen that they build up tents and spend the whole weekend at the beach. This is very common in Curaçao.
The beautiful beaches are almost all in the western part of the island. There are some free beaches, where no entry fee is charged, there is only for the beach chairs a small fee. There are also natural beaches, which are mostly accessible via gravel roads. For some of these beaches, you will have to pay a travel allowance, as you have to travel on private terrain, but the beaches are open to the public.
Other beaches are now well developed, with everything you would like on a beach, such as, toilets, showers, restaurants and a diving base. These beaches are maintained and kept clean. On such beaches exists an entrance fee, which is however relatively low, for the service one gets offered.
In Curaçao you will not find any mass tourism. The island is still something for individualists. On some days, cruise ships visit the island, mainly during the winter months. On such days, of course, many tourists are traveling around the city.
Our highlights are: Little Knip (Playa Kenepa Chiki), Cas Abou, Porto Marie, Klein Curaçao, Playa Lagun, Boka St. Michiel and of course Jan Thiel.
All beaches
http://www.curacao.com/en/directory/tun/strande
