Willemstad: the colourful Amsterdam of the Caribbean

The Queen Emma Bridge, a floating pedestrian bridge that swings to allow ships to pass, connects the two historic districts of Punda and Otrobanda across the port.

A few steps away, the colonial houses of Handelskade, painted in pink, yellow, and turquoise, remain the most recognizable image of Willemstad, a UNESCO heritage site.

Continuing, one visits the Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, the oldest still active in the Americas, with a sand floor following the ancient Sephardic tradition.

Toward evening, the Floating Market, a floating market of Venezuelan boats, sells fresh fruit and vegetables directly from the moored vessels on the canal.

According to local tradition, Willemstad's facades were painted in vivid colors by order of a nineteenth-century governor who suffered from migraines caused, he claimed, by the reflection of white lime under the Caribbean sun.

The Queen Emma Bridge opens several times a day to allow ship passage, forcing pedestrians to a brief detour via land or ferry until reopening.