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Kralendijk
can seem chaotic at times, especially when hordes of
cruise-ship passengers crowd the small streets and zip
around on mopeds or bicycles. The best time to see the town
therefore is late afternoon when the cruise ships have
departed. Due to the many one-way streets the town is
easiest to explore on foot , and you won't need a map
to see the few attractions, many of which are found close to
the coast on the main roads of Kaya Charles E.B. Helimund
and Kaya Grandi.
Perhaps the best place to get your bearings
is follow the colorful waterfront thoroughfare known
as Kaya Jan N.E Craane, which merges with Kaya Charles E.B.
Helimund toward the south end of town. Along this route
you'll find several government buildings, shops, restaurants
and bars, as well as the occasional Dutch Caribbean-style
building painted yellow and gold. Benches and a few palm
trees en route make this stretch a popular place to take in
the tropical surroundings or catch the sunset.
On the north end of the route, Karel's
Pier is home to a favorite watering hole for locals and
tourists, as well as Pirate Cruises and Seacow Watertaxi.
Across the way, you can also browse through the shops,
boutiques and restaurants of the Harbor side Mall .
Further south and closer to the centre of
Kralendijk is the Town Pier, often referred to as the
North Pier and a superb spot for night diving. Its
underwater pillars are encrusted with sponges, corals and
other sea creatures, all of which come to life after
sundown. The pier can be extremely busy at times with heavy
cruise-ship and boat traffic, and you must obtain permission
from the Harbor master if you wish to dive here. The Harbor
master's office is located in Fort Oranje, a few meters to
the south and across from the smaller Ro-Ro Pier. |
Next door to the North Pier is a small
open-air market
where vendors peddle fresh produce and fish from Venezuela.
Several souvenir stands selling locally made wooden
handicrafts and artwork are usually set up inland across the
avenue in Wilhelminaplein , a courtyard near the
Protestant church. Here you'll find a monument honoring
Eleanor Roosevelt's 1944 visit to American troops stationed
on the island, as well as the Van Walbeck Monument ,
commemorating the landing in 1634 of the director of the
Dutch West India Company.
At the southern end of the route sits the
South Pier
, which receives a fair amount of marine traffic. On the way
you'll pass small, mustard-colored Fort Oranje with
its four cannons and stone lighthouse. The fort was built by
the Dutch in 1817 to protect the island's flourishing salt
industry, and has since served as a prison and a storage
depot. Today, the fort is home to the city hall and a few
government offices. There's really not much to see inside
the buildings, and most people are content with taking a few
snapshots and moving on.
Running parallel to the waterfront a block
inland from Kaya Jan N.E. Craane is another main road, the
short stretch of
Kaya Grandi , where you'll find the tourist
information centre and many of the island's shops,
boutiques and restaurants.
The town's only other noteworthy sight is a
ten-minute walk east of town. The quaint Bonaire Museum
, Kaya J.v.d. Ree 7 (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 1-5pm; US$1.50,
children US$1), is worth a visit for its tiny but
interesting collection of old photographs, artifacts and
exhibits of folkloric costumes.
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Bonaire
travel guide
Bonaire
Arrival and getting around
Listings
Best of Bonaire
 Eating, drinking, nightlife
Kralendijk
North of Kralendijk
 Diving
centers and
tour
operators
Explore
Bonaire
Bonaire Marine Park
and Klein Bonaire
Bonaire M. Park info
Kralendijk
The Town of Kralendijk
Rincon
Washington-Slagbaai
National Park
Park info
South of Kralendijk
Caribbean travel guide
Cruises
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