The Best Beaches in Curaçao: A Local Guide to All 8 Worth Your Day

Curaçao has two kinds of beach. On the west end you get small coves with low cliffs, reef close to shore, and almost no development. Closer to Willemstad you get beach clubs with chairs, music, and a kitchen. Neither is better. They are just different days out, and the eight below cover both.

How beaches work in Curaçao

A few things worth knowing before you go:

• Most are free, a few charge a small fee. The fee ones (Cas Abao, Jan Thiel, Porto Mari) charge 3 to 6 USD per person and give you parking, toilets, and someone keeping the sand clean.
• You need a car for the west coast. The best-looking beaches sit 40 to 60 minutes from town, and buses do not really run there. See our car rental guide if you are deciding whether to rent.
• Shade is limited. The west coast beaches have little natural shade. Bring an umbrella, or go to a beach that rents them.
• Weekends are busier. Locals hit the free beaches on Sunday. Go on a weekday, or arrive before 10am, and you get them close to empty.

The best west coast beaches

This is where you go for the water and the views. Rent a car, pack a cooler, and make a day of it.

Grote Knip (Kenepa Grandi) is the one you have seen in photos: a wide bay of turquoise water with a cliff on one side that people jump from. It is free, has a food truck and parking, and gets busy on weekends. Little shade, so bring an umbrella.

Cas Abao is the best all-rounder. It charges about 6 USD per person, and for that you get white sand, calm water, chairs and umbrellas for rent, showers, a bar, and snorkel gear. Come early on weekends because it fills.

Playa Kalki sits at the far west tip. The beach itself is small, but the snorkeling right off the rocks is the reason to drive out. There is a restaurant above it and gear for rent.

Playa Lagun is a narrow cove between two cliffs. Green turtles feed here most mornings, and you can often see them from the surface a short swim out. It is free with a restaurant at the top.

Playa Porto Mari has a double reef, which makes it one of the better snorkel and dive spots on the island. It charges about 3 USD, rents gear, and has a restaurant. Friendly wild pigs sometimes wander down to the sand.

Kleine Knip is Grote Knip's smaller, quieter neighbor. Fewer people, a bit of shade from the trees at the back, and free parking. Good if the big Knip looks packed.

Beaches near Willemstad

If you do not have a car, or you want music and a kitchen instead of a cooler, stay in town.

Mambo Beach Boulevard is a strip of bars, restaurants, and shops behind the sand, a 10 minute drive from the cruise port. It is free to enter, social, and busy into the evening.

Jan Thiel is a beach club stretch just past Mambo: calm water, rented loungers, water sports, and several restaurants. It charges a small entry on the club sections and works well for a full family day.

Add these beaches to a full Curaçao tripStart

Best beaches for snorkeling

If snorkeling is the point of the day, skip the town beaches and go west: Playa Kalki for coral off the rocks, Playa Lagun for turtles, and Playa Porto Mari for the double reef. All three rent gear, so you do not need to fly with your own.

Best beaches for families

Cas Abao and Jan Thiel are the easy picks. Shallow, calm water, chairs and shade you can rent, showers to rinse off, and food on site, so a day with kids does not turn into a logistics exercise.

Beach and boat tours

If you would rather have someone else drive and pick the spots, these tours run the west coast and the reef. They are booked through Viator; prices are per person unless noted.

The Best of the West tour is the efficient one if your time is short: it hits Shete Boka, the flamingos at the salt pans, Playa Kalki, and Kenepa in a single day, all places that are a long drive apart on your own.