Netherlands Antilles

Quick Facts

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Capital

Willemstad

Population

216,000

Government

Autonomous country within the Netherlands

Religions

Christianity (Catholic, Protestant)

Languages

Papiamento, English, Dutch, Spanish

Calling Code

+599

Nationality

Local name

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Introduction

Bonaire People

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Each of the Netherlands Antilles' islands offers a unique travel experience, making the Dutch territory a deservedly popular destination. Whether you desire Curaçoa's top class resorts and hotels or prefer the virtually touristless peace of Saba, the Netherlands Antilles has all you could ask for in a Caribbean holiday. The popular tourist areas are around Willemstad, on Curaçoa, and Sint Maarten, where fine dining, a festive night life and picture-perfect beaches make for comfortably enthralling visits. But head away from the crowd and you will find some of the world's best diving spots in Bonaire, or the stress-free ease of Sint Eustasius, the Antilles' spot of timeless serenity.

Islands

The Netherlands Antilles consists of two island groups.

Leeward Islands (Benedenwindse Eilanden)

• Bonaire
• Curaçao

Windward Islands (Bovenwindse Eilanden)

• Saba
• Sint Eustatius
• Sint Maarten - the southern half. The northern half of the island, Saint Martin, is an overseas collectivity of France.

Cities

• Willemstad - The capital of Curaçao and of the Netherlands Antilles
• Kralendijk - Capital of Bonaire
• The Bottom - Capital of Saba
• Oranjestad - Capital of Sint Eustatius
• Philipsburg - Capital of Sint Maarten

Getting there

Plane

Curacao
Curacao has the best connections from Europe directly with a number of airlines available. Arkefly (website in Dutch) flies from the Netherlands with connections to Aruba. From Curacao there are direct fligts to a number of neighbouring islands and countries and to the United States.
Sint Maarten
Winair (Windward Islands Airways) has its base on Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), Sint Maarten. Numerous airlines serve Sint Maarten from both the Caribbean and beyond, for example with KLM to Amsterdam and TAM to Sao Paulo. North America is well served as well.
Bonaire
Flamingo International Airport or Bonaire International Airport (BON) is where all international flights and flight from other islands of the Netherlands Antilles arrive and depart. Arkefly (website in Dutch) and KLM fly there from Amsterdam. The latter has connections onwards to both Quito and Guayaquil in Ecuador.
Other services include those to Houston, Atlanta and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

Boat

Sint Maarten - Saint Barthélemy vv
Between Oyster Pond on Sint Maarten (the Dutch southern half of the island shared with Saint Martin) and Gustavia on Saint Barthélemy with Rapid Explorer. Crossings are two times daily and the schedule can be found here.
The MV Voyager travels daily and on Wednesdays and Sundays twice daily (one in the morning and one in early evening) between Oyster Pound and Gustavia as well.
Another option is to take the high speed ferry The Edge that travels to Gustavia once a day from Tuesday till Saturday. It leaves from Pelican Marina in Dutch St. Maarten at 9am. This passage lasts around 45 minutes.

All other islands are not served by any international ferries, although Saba has connections with Sint Maarten (see below).

Getting around

Plane

Dutch Antilles Express connects all islands within the Netherlands Antilles from its base at Curaçao International Airport (CUR).

Boat

Sint Maarten - Saba vv
The MV Dawn II has sailings 3 times a week according to schedule between Philipsburg on Sint Maarten and Fort Bay on Saba, both leeward islands of the Netherlands Antilles. Crossings are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, leaving Saba in the morning and returning from Sint Maarten in the late afternoon, taking about 2 hours each way. Sometimes there are cancelations, so check the latest schedule over here.
Another option is taking the Edge Ferry, departing Pelican Marina in St. Maarten at 9am on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, returning from Saba later that day. It takes about 90 minutes to cover the sea between the islands.

The islands of Curacao, Bonaire and Sint Eustatius currently have no ferry services with other islands or countries in the region.