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.
Dozens of small shops sell electronics, souvenirs and bargain clothing. Heerenstraat and Madurostraat are wide pedestrian malls, closed to 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.
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 8:30am - 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 there is no bartering. Shop employees are generally fluent in English
and Spanish Many stores are air conditioned.
