The Queen Emma Bridge is a pontoon footbridge that floats across St. Anna Bay on a line of boats and swings open whenever a ship needs to pass, locals call it the "Swinging Old Lady."
Connecting Punda and Otrobanda since the 19th century, the bridge is free to cross and opens dozens of times a day, gliding aside on its own engines. When it is open, free ferries shuttle pedestrians.
Crossing it at night, lit up over the water, is a Willemstad rite of passage
It is two minutes from the hotel.
- Collection
- Willemstad & Punda
- In the series
- No. 40 of 105
- From the hotel
- 2 min on foot
- Good to know
- 3 notes
- Questions
- 1 answered
- Read
- 2 min
Good to know
- Watch it swing open for a passing ship, a daily spectacle.
- Cross at night when it is strung with lights.
- Free ferries run whenever the bridge is open.
Questions & answers
Does the Queen Emma Bridge really float?
Yes, it rests on a row of pontoon boats and swings to the side under its own power to let ships into the harbour.