Rent a car in Curacao: tips for cheap car rental

Curacao is located off the coast of Venezuela. A paradise island that ticks every box for many travelers for a dream vacation. Pearly white beaches that make your mouth water, enchanting houses that are almost as colorful as the fish that swim in the crystal clear waters and also a delicious local cuisine. To complete your holiday, it is best to rent a car in Curacao. Stretch out in your chair and start dreaming about this earthly paradise.

Why rent a car in Curacao?

Airplane tickets can take a big bite out of your travel budget, so you may not be so inclined to opt for a rental car in Curacao.

If this is the case, you can breathe a sigh of relief. The good news is that you can see the main sights by bus. The bad news is that public transportation is quite limited. There are two types of these: the collective cars with space for a maximum of nine people who travel shorter distances, and the larger buses on the other.

For long routes you usually use these larger buses, which are also called “Convoy”.

These run to most parts of the island to many points of interest such as beaches, shops and parks. There is usually a bus every hour or every two hours. They run less frequently on Sundays. The punctuality can sometimes leave something to be desired (as on many islands), but overall it is not that bad.

There are also taxis but they are actually very expensive. For example, it can be even cheaper to rent a car in Curacao than to take a taxi.

Finally, you also have the option of taking a guided tour through the island. They take you smoothly from location to location and on top of that they also tell you nice stories (or show you places that you would never find otherwise).

Finally, you can actually rent a car quite cheaply in Curacao, because it is less expensive than you think. For example, during the summer holidays you can already have an economy model for 198 euros per week.

In addition to ease of use and freedom, there is another decisive argument for choosing a car rental in Curacao: many of the remote beaches can only be reached by car (or with an expensive taxi).

By the way, I think that anyone who has already rented a car in Curacao would always recommend others to do the same. You can also always rent a car for a few days.

After all, to drive along the highlights of Curacao, you only need to rent a car for one or two days.

You can rent your can at veiligautohurencuracao.nl

Which rental car in Curacao should I choose?

The quality of the roads on the island varies: some lanes are in excellent condition, others are unpaved. Fortunately, the government has been investing in infrastructure in recent years. In any case, renting a 4×4 is unnecessary. With a regular economy model you can reach all the main sights.

How much does a rental car cost in Curacao?

Since Curacao is an island, you are quite remote from the rest of the world. As a result, renting a car costs slightly more than elsewhere in the world, but all in all it is still not that bad. I recommend always comparing prices with multiple car rental companies.

At EasyTerra or Discover Cars, for example, you can already find a car for €198 per week. Converted that is just under €28 per day. Keep in mind that this does not include insurance yet.

Cas-rental-curacao.com therefore has my personal preference. After all, this company rent out all-in rental cars and the service is also great. For such an all-in car you pay €273 per week, or €39 per day.

You can also book directly with eg. Alamo, Avis, Budget, … but my experience seems to me that these usually have much more expensive prices.

Which sights are easier to reach with car rental in Curacao?

As mentioned before, owning a car will always be faster and easier, so if you have the budget I would always go for cheap car rental Curacao. Because the most beautiful and especially the least crowded beaches of this island are not accessible by public transport. In addition, it is certainly not recommended during the hot summer months to walk a few kilometers in the blazing sun.

The beaches on the island are not as long as on other Caribbean islands, but rather small and they are often located in secluded coves between cliffs. This gives you a much more intimate feeling.

Traffic rules in Curacao

Also on the earthly paradise you drive on the right side of the road and you wear the seat belt at all times.

As far as the speed limit is concerned, you can drive up to 50 km/h within cities, and 80 km/h on open roads.

There is also no specific alcohol limit, the law only says that it is forbidden to drive while drunk. Most people will therefore limit themselves to one drink if they still have to get behind the wheel. But maybe it’s better not to drink at all.

The locals drive fairly quietly, but perhaps a little more unpredictably than with us. So it’s best to be extra vigilant. They are very courteous drivers.

During the rainy season (October to January) some roads may be closed, especially the unpaved ones in the west.

In the center of Willemstad there is quite a lot of traffic, but once outside it is wonderfully quiet cruising.

Parking rules in Curaçao

Parking is not really a problem in the smaller villages or on the beaches, but in the capital Willemstad it is a different story. It is therefore best to park a little outside the center and walk a bit.

You usually only have to pay for parking in Willemstad or near tourist attractions. Sometimes this seems unnecessary, but often you have no other choice.