Curaçao has more than thirty beaches, and they are nothing like each other. Some are wide bays with white sand and a beach club; others are small coves where you park on gravel and share the water with a handful of people. Which ones suit you depends mostly on one thing: whether you have a car.
This guide splits the island in two. First the beaches you can reach from Jan Thiel on foot or with a short drive, then the bays in the west that are worth a day trip. We live five minutes from Jan Thiel Beach, so the first part is the one we know best.
The short answer
If you want a beach without a car, stay on the southeast side of the island. If you want the postcard beaches, rent a car for a day or two and drive west.
- No car: Jan Thiel Beach, five minutes on foot from us, with loungers, showers and several beach clubs.
- Short drive: Caracas Bay and the Tugboat wreck, Mambo Beach, Playa Porto Mari.
- Day trip west: Grote Knip, Kleine Knip, Cas Abao, Playa Lagun and Playa Piskado.
The beaches around Jan Thiel
Jan Thiel Beach is a sheltered bay with calm, shallow water, so it works for a swim as well as a first try at snorkelling. There are beach clubs along the sand with loungers, food and drinks, and a small entrance fee at the entrance. It is the easiest beach on the island if you do not want to drive anywhere.
Caracas Bay is a few minutes away by car. The draw here is the Tugboat, a small wreck lying in shallow, clear water close to the shore. You can snorkel out to it from the beach, and the fish around it are used to visitors. Our snorkelling guide goes into more detail.
Mambo Beach and the Sea Aquarium strip are about ten minutes away and busier: shops, restaurants and a boulevard along the water. Good for an evening, less so for quiet.
The bays in the west
The beaches most people picture when they think of Curaçao are on the west side of the island. Count on roughly an hour of driving from Willemstad, so treat it as a day out and combine two or three bays rather than driving back and forth.
- Grote Knip (Playa Kenepa Grandi) — the one that ends up on postcards: white sand, bright blue water and a viewpoint above the bay.
- Kleine Knip — its smaller neighbour, with shade from the trees along the sand.
- Cas Abao — organised, with loungers, a bar and a small entrance fee.
- Playa Porto Mari — a double reef just offshore, which makes it one of the better snorkelling beaches.
- Playa Lagun — a narrow cove between cliffs, known for sea turtles.
- Playa Piskado (Playa Grandi) — a working fishing beach where turtles come in close to the boats.
What to know before you go
- Several bays charge a small entrance fee, usually cash. Beaches that are free to enter generally have no facilities either.
- Water shoes are worth packing. Plenty of bays have an entry of coral rubble or stones rather than sand.
- You need a car for the west. There is no Uber on Curaçao and taxis work with fixed rates, which adds up quickly over a full day. See our honest answer on renting a car.
- Bring cash for entrance fees and beach bars; not everywhere takes cards.
- Go early. The western bays are quietest before eleven, and the light is better for photos.
Staying within walking distance of the beach
Hibiscus Beach House is a small adults-only bed & breakfast in Jan Thiel, five minutes on foot from the beach. That means you can have a beach morning without planning anything: walk down, swim, walk back for lunch by the pool.
- Five minutes on foot to Jan Thiel Beach
- Pool and tropical garden on the property
- Breakfast included with the rooms
- We arrange car rental, boat trips and island tours ourselves
Have a look at our rooms and studios or, if you are travelling with family, the villas and apartments we manage.
Frequently asked questions about the beaches on Curaçao
In short
Curaçao does not really have one best beach; it has a southeast side you can reach on foot and a west side worth a day in the car. Stay near Jan Thiel and you get the easy beach days by default, with the postcard bays a drive away whenever you feel like it.