Willemstad

Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao, has a UNESCO-listed waterfront of Dutch colonial buildings painted in bright pastel colours. The Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge, a floating pedestrian bridge, connects the two halves of the city centre, Punda and Otrobanda, and swings open to let ships through St. Anna Bay. The Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, built in 1732, is the oldest in continuous use in the Americas and has a sand floor. The floating market on the Punda side sells fresh fruit, fish, and vegetables from boats that come from Venezuela. Fort Amsterdam, now the seat of government, sits on the waterfront and has a small museum. Curaçao liqueur, made from the dried peel of the local laraha orange, is distilled at a historic country house that runs tours and tastings. Local food mixes Dutch, Caribbean, and Latin American influences: stobá (stew), funchi (polenta), and fresh seafood. The currency is the Antillean guilder, but US dollars are accepted everywhere.