Willemstad, Curacao - Otrobanda, Punda, and the Queen Emma Bridge

Willemstad, Curacao has two really cool neighborhoods called Punda and Otrobanda, which are connected by a floating bridge called the Queen Emma Bridge.

This blog post will take you on a tour of all three and shows you where you can park for free.

This is the view of Punda, which is on the south side of the Queen Emma Bridge.

We parked on the Otrobanda side in a free parking garage.

We parked at the Renaissance Parking lot on the Otrobanda side. This parking lot is free.

From the parking lot, you'll walk over to Rif Fort. This old fort has been converted to a shopping center. You'll walk through the tunnel and to the other side.

On the other side, you can climb up the stairs and look out the fort window to see Punda on the other side of the Queen Emma Bridge.

This is an aerial view of Rif Fort.

We walked up the sidewalk to the floating bridge. The Queen Emma Bridge was made so it can float open when boats need to come through.

Once we crossed the bridge over to the Punda side, we saw these really cool Punda Love Hearts. They are covered with locks.

Once we walked over to the Punda side, the bridge started to open for a boat. This is what it looked like:

We loved the old Dutch architecture in Punda.

We walked down the road to the Curacao and Dushi signs to take some pics.

In Curacao, the word Dushi means something sweet or good.

We had a great time exploring Punda, Otrobanda and walking across the Queen Emma Bridge. We highly recommend visiting these neighborhoods in Willemstad on your next trip to Curacao.

(Click on the map above to go to a Google Maps larger view.)

The parking is free. We parked at the Renaissance Parking Lot in Otrobanda. 

Total Cost: $0

These are the checklist items I recommend:

• Bring a hat to keep the sun off of your face.
• Bring sunscreen
• Bring some cash for shopping and eating