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Curaçao has been a major trade center for hundreds of years so it's not surprising that stores are stocked with quality items from around the world. It's hard to beat Willemstad for shopping ambiance. You bargain hunt in exquisite, centuries-old buildings while ocean liners cruise up the channel that cuts through the city, so close you could almost touch them.
Punda is the city's commercial center, with several upscale boutiques selling fashionable designer clothing, perfumes, imported linens and expensive jewelry. There are many small shops with a wide variety of merchandise, from electronics to souvenirs and bargain clothing. Heerenstraat and Madurostraat are wide pedestrian malls, closed to motor traffic. Otrobanda's main shopping street, Breedestraat/Roodeweg, is bustling, particularly on Saturday mornings.
If you're lucky, your visit will coincide with a street fair or holiday flea market. When major cruise ships are in port, city merchants organize a festive Bon Biní (Welcome) marketplace in Punda. Vendors sell colorful paintings and wood carvings from other Caribbean islands at several plazas and at the round market.
Duty Free Allowance:
US Citizens, regardless of age, who have been out of the country for a minimum of 48 hours and who have not used their respective duty-free allowance within 30 days are entitled to a $600,= tax exemption. Families traveling together can pool their exemptions. Liquor : US Citizens age 21 and over can bring one quart into the country, which should be included in the $600,= exemption.
Among the most popular small shopping malls outside the city center are Bloempot, Saliña Galleries, Promenade, and the 77 complex on Jan Noorduynweg. The Free Zone, adjacent to the seaport, sells electronics and bargain clothing in quantity.
Store hours vary but are approximately 8:30 am-noon and 2:00-6:00 pm, Monday-Saturday. Stores and banks are closed on official holidays. Willemstad stores are occasionally open on Sundays if a large cruise ship is in port. Most stores accept US dollars and major international credit cards; prices are fixed and sometimes you might barter. Shop employees are generally fluent in English. Many stores are air conditioned.
Suggested Local Souvenirs
- Ceramic replicas of local buildings
- Square nickels and fifty cent pieces
- Hanging planters painted like tropical birds, made out of old tires
- Handmade dolls in folkloric costumes
- Works by local artists
- Local music
- Postcards and note cards created by local artists
International Souvenirs
- Dutch wooden shoes
- Carvings and paintings from Haiti and the Dominican republic
- South American Hammocks
- Hand embroidered linens from Belgium and Holland
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