CURAÇAO SHOPPING

Curaçao's shopping opportunities keep many travelers busy, especially in downtown Willemstad. The prime shopping district is in Punda, just across the floating bridge. Cross the bridge and continue up Breede Straat, where you'll find most of the shops and boutiques aimed at vacationers, along with some charming sidewalk cafes.

The most obvious shop in Punda is the J.L. Penha and Sons department store, housed in a beautiful lemon-tinted colonial building constructed in 1708. You'll find just about everything in this department store, from perfumes to fine jewelry to collectibles.

For lower priced purchases, take a turn off Breede Straat and enjoy a stroll down Heeren Straat or Keuken Straat. These streets are filled with electronics, inexpensive clothing, and housewares. It's a fun atmosphere where you'll have a chance to mix with residents.

These streets end at the water, where you'll find an entirely different shopping opportunity: the Floating Market. Schooners from Venezuela bring exotic fruits, vegetables, spices, and plants to this open-air market that's very popular with older residents. To reach the floating market, walk across the bridge at Columbus Straat. We highly recommend the market to enjoy a slice of island life and, for the photographers out there, to capture one of Curaçao's most colorful sights.