General safety

• Generally speaking, Curaçao is considered to be safe, but robberies and petty crime happen on occasion.
• Watch out for pickpockets. Don't show off your expensive jewellery and don't walk around with too much cash in your wallet. Keep valuable possessions in your bag or even better in a safe at the hotel.
• Incidents of robbery are not uncommon so avoid alleys and other quiet or dark streets because these can be unsafe.
• Serious crimes occur mostly in the organised criminal world, involving drugs or weapons trade. As an outsider you will usually not get caught up in this. Drug related crimes are punished severely.
• In case of emergency you can call the tourist emergency number: 917.

Criminality

• Most serious crimes are part of the organised criminal world involving drugs or weapons trade. As a visitor it is unlikely you will be dealing with these kind of crimes.
• Keep an eye on your luggage at all times – especially at the airport and busy tourist spots – don't accept packages from anyone and ensure nothing can be placed in your luggage.

Forces of nature

• From June to November hurricanes can occur in the Caribbean area. Yet they rarely reach Curaçao.

Traffic

• The traffic is mostly safe in Curaçao. Yet Curaçaoans often don't take traffic rules too seriously. For example, sometimes drivers will overtake on the right side instead of on the left. Frequently the rule of giving way to traffic from the right is also put into practice differently.
• Watch out for scooters and cars without lights at night.
• Be aware that drunk driving is not uncommon in Curaçao.
• Curaçaoans drive on the right side of the road.

Legislation

• All drugs, hard and soft, are illegal. Possessing or using drugs, any drugs including marihuana or prescription drugs for which you can’t provide the prescription, is punished severely. Bring a Medical Passport or an official prescription when using medication, especially any sedatives and strong painkillers containing codeine.

Dangerous areas

• Check what areas are deemed unsafe before arriving in Curaçao so you don't accidentally end up somewhere dangerous.
• Do keep in mind these areas change so always check the up to date safety information.
• Areas that are traditionally considered unsafe (especially at night) are: Koredor, Punda, Otrabanda, the Mambo Beach parking lot, the neighbourhoods of Scharloo, Fleur de Marie, Seru Fortuna, Marchena, Seru di Kandela, Souax, Koraalspecht, Seru Loraweg, Dein, Kanga, and most beach areas.
• Avoid remote and unpopulated areas and unpatrolled beaches after dark.

What about communication?

• Papiamento, Dutch and English are the official languages in Curaçao. Of these three Papiamento is the most widely spoken. It is a language created by the slaves from West-Africa who were brought to the island to work. Later this language was enriched by other immigrants such as the Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish and English.
• In addition to these three official languages, Spanish and French are regularly spoken because of Curacao's colonial background.

Words in Papiamento

• hello/hey: Bon dia/ Halo
• Good morning: Morru
• Good afternoon: Bon tardi
• Good evening: Bon nochi
• Bye: Ayó
• Yes: Si
• No: No
• Please: Por fabor
• Thank you: Danki
• You're welcome: Di nada
• Sorry: Sor

Communicating with home

• Mobile/ Landline: You can use your mobile phone for international calls. However, a local prepaid or sim card could work out a lot cheaper. Shop around a bit online for the best deals as tariffs can differ quite a bit.
• Internet: Many public places provide free Wi-Fi, this includes restaurants, beaches and hotels. You can also find internet cafes in Willemstad centre. Costs for using internet or calling internationally are generally low.

Entertainment & Activities

• At the Antilles people really like to party. So whenever an opportunity arises to celebrate, Curaçaoans will arrange a huge party.
• Keep in mind that companies and governmental offices are often closed on these days.

Public holidays & traditional celebrations

• Carnival is one of the most outspoken and wild celebrations in Curaçao. Colourful parades and dancers fill the streets in February.
• Another typical celebration is Seú Parade (harvest festival), a festival dedicated to the remembrance of the slavery resistance.
• Curaçaoans also celebrate New Year, Christmas and, due to its link to the Netherlands, Dutch celebrations like King’s Day and Sinterklaas.

Activities

Besides diving, there are plenty of other activities in Curaçao:

• Kite surfing. The prevailing winds make Curaçao a popular kite surf destination. The season starts around March or April.
• Sailing. Curaçao is home to several international sailing competitions and is a very good sailing destination.
• Book a Papiamento course, the most commonly spoken language in Curaçao apart from Dutch and English.

Music

• One of the biggest music festivals of Curaçao is the International Jazz festival in September.