Koror

Palau's only town, built entirely around the water around it

Koror was the administrative capital of Japan's South Seas Mandate before WWII, and it still carries some of that scale relative to the rest of Palau: paved roads, a real commercial strip, grocery stores, banks. By the standards of a Pacific island town it is developed; by the standards of anywhere else it is small enough to see most of downtown on foot in twenty minutes. What Koror actually is, functionally, is a staging ground: the place where you sleep, eat, and organize gear between days spent on boats heading out to the Rock Islands, Jellyfish Lake, and the reef.

That orientation shapes everything about how to spend time here. Nobody comes to Koror to wander a historic old town, because there mostly isn't one; a few WWII-era Japanese buildings and the Belau National Museum are the closest things to conventional sightseeing. The real activity is almost entirely on or under the water, booked a day in advance through one of the dive shops clustered around the marina.

A small town spread across a few connected islands

Koror is less a set of distinct neighbourhoods than a handful of connected areas, each oriented around a different piece of the visitor experience: sleeping, eating, or diving.

Downtown Koror Main strip · Central · Walkable

The commercial heart of town, along the main road running through the island: banks, the WCTC department store and supermarket, government buildings, and most of the mid-range restaurants and shops. This is the most practical base for a first visit, close enough to walk to dinner and close enough to the marina for an early boat pickup.

Malakal Island Dive hub · Marina · Connected by causeway

Across a short causeway from downtown, Malakal holds the working harbor most Rock Islands and dive boats depart from, along with dive shops including Neco Marine and several of the marina-adjacent resorts. Staying here shaves ten to fifteen minutes off an early dive-boat departure; the tradeoff is being further from downtown's restaurant choice.

Meyuns & Echang Residential · Quieter · Local life

The residential areas north of downtown, where most Koror residents actually live, with a slower pace and fewer tourist-facing businesses. Not a base most visitors choose, but worth a drive-through for a sense of Koror beyond the hotel strip.

Dive resorts first, everything else a distant second

Koror's hotel scene is built for divers and honeymooners rather than budget travelers passing through: full-service resorts with dive packages sit at the top, and the mid-range below them is comfortable rather than cheap. There is essentially no hostel tier.

At the top end, Palau Royal Resort has direct beach access and on-site snorkeling and kayaking, a straightforward choice for a first Palau trip that wants everything arranged in one place, while Palau Pacific Resort offers a private beach and spa a short drive from downtown, both from roughly $250 a night and up.

In the mid-range, Palau Plantation Resort has garden bungalow-style rooms, a pool and an on-site restaurant at a noticeably gentler price point, and Palau Carolines Resort keeps you close to the dive and tour operators without full-resort pricing, both landing roughly in the $100-250 range depending on season.

A small scene, built around the day's catch

Koror's restaurant scene is compact enough that regulars name the same handful of places, and the good ones lean hard on whatever came off the reef that morning rather than an extensive menu.

Kramer's Cafe $15-16 a plate · Waterfront

Kramer's Cafe, on a waterfront balcony in downtown Koror, serves extremely fresh fish Monday through Saturday and is consistently rated among the top restaurants in town. Go for the fish of the day rather than the wider menu.

Elilai Seaside Dining $25-45 · Sunset views

Elilai Seaside Dining is Palau's premier dining room, set on the water with sunset views across the harbor toward the Rock Islands, serving Palauan and Pacific Rim dishes built around local fish and organic greens. The closest thing Koror has to a special-occasion restaurant, and reviewers consistently note generous portions for the price.

Drop Off Bar & Grill $10-18 · Malakal Island

Drop Off Bar & Grill, near Neco Marine on Malakal Island, does marinated tuna poke, sashimi and its well-known Tsunami Burger in a casual open-air setting overlooking the water, with live local bands on Tuesday and Friday happy hours. The easy choice after a dive day, given the location right by the marina.

The town is the base; the water is the point

Almost everything worth doing from Koror happens on a boat, booked through one of the dive shops clustered around downtown and the Malakal marina. A couple of hours on land cover the museums and aquarium; the rest of your time here is spent arranging, and then taking, trips out onto the lagoon.

Book your Rock Islands and dive days

Sam's Tours, Fish 'n Fins and Neco Marine are Koror's three main dive and tour operators, all running daily Rock Islands snorkeling trips, Jellyfish Lake visits, and two-tank dive days to Blue Corner, German Channel and Ulong Channel. Fish 'n Fins has operated since 1972 and is Palau's longest-running dive shop; Sam's Tours pairs its dive trips with marine biologist-led commentary; Neco Marine sits right by Drop Off on Malakal, convenient if you're staying nearby. Book a day or two ahead in the December to April high season, since boat space and Rock Islands permits are finite.

Belau National Museum & Etpison Museum

The Belau National Museum, established in 1955 and the oldest continuously operating museum in Micronesia, is the best land-based orientation to Palauan history and the Japanese occupation before a Peleliu day trip. The Etpison Museum, a few minutes away, fills in more of the traditional culture across three floors: storyboard carving, udoud bead money, and the traditional canoes and fish traps that shaped daily life before the tourism economy. Both take under an hour each and pair well as a single overcast-morning outing.

Palau International Coral Reef Center & Aquarium

The Palau International Coral Reef Center, a working marine research institution, runs a public aquarium with ocean, mangrove and reef exhibits that make a good primer before your first Rock Islands snorkel, especially for kids. Entry is $5.50 for adults, $1.65 for children, open weekdays 8am to 5pm and closed weekends and holidays; plan around that if the aquarium specifically is on your list.

Cross the Japan-Palau Friendship Bridge

The KB Bridge connecting Koror to Babeldaob is worth a stop in its own right for the view over the channel, and it's the route to everything on Babeldaob: Ngardmau Waterfall, the Badrulchau stone monoliths, and the actual capital, Ngerulmud, none of which are walkable from Koror and all of which need a rental car or a guided day tour.

One, three or five days, planned around boat departures

Koror itself takes half a day to see; the rest of any itinerary here is really about how many boat days you can fit in. These routes assume you're basing entirely in Koror and day-tripping out.

Small enough to walk downtown, spread out everywhere else

Roman Tmetuchl International Airport (ROR) sits on Babeldaob, about 20 minutes from central Koror across the Japan-Palau Friendship Bridge. Most hotels arrange airport transfers; otherwise a taxi runs roughly $20-30. United Airlines is the main carrier, connecting via Guam and Manila, with a year-round nonstop from Tokyo Narita that began in October 2025; there are no direct flights from the US mainland or Europe.

Downtown Koror is walkable for restaurants and shops, but reaching Malakal Island's dive shops, the museums, or anywhere on Babeldaob is more comfortable by taxi or rental car. Taxis are not metered in the way Western visitors might expect; confirm a price before getting in, or ask your hotel to call one. A rental car, roughly $60-90 a day, makes the most sense if you're planning a self-driven Babeldaob day, since there's no public bus network to speak of. For the Rock Islands, Jellyfish Lake, Peleliu and Kayangel, transport is entirely by boat, arranged through your dive shop or tour operator rather than something you book independently.

A premium Pacific base, not a budget one

Koror doesn't have a cheap tier: there's no hostel scene, and the entire local economy is built around servicing a dive and resort market. Budget here means "modest," not "backpacker."

Low crime, real ocean risk

Koror has a low crime rate and violent crime against visitors is rare; this is a small town where most people know each other. The practical risks that actually matter are ocean currents and diving beyond your certification level, not street safety. The emergency number nationwide is 911; Koror-specific lines are 488-1422 or 5000 for police and 480-1411 for fire.

The one specific, recent thing worth knowing: in August 2026, authorities investigated a report that the same man approached two women, separately, while hiking at Long Island Park in Ngermalk, just outside central Koror. Hike popular trails in pairs or groups where possible and let someone know your route. Beyond that, standard precautions, securing valuables at beaches and boat departure points, cover the rest of what petty theft exists.

Everything that makes Palau worth the flight is a boat ride from here

Koror's real value is as a launch point. Four trips are worth building a Koror stay around, and all four are arranged through the dive shops and tour operators downtown or on Malakal.

Rock Islands & Jellyfish Lake Half to full day · Permit required

The core Palau experience: a boat through the mushroom-shaped Rock Islands, snorkeling stops on some of the clearest water in the Pacific, and a swim among the reduced-sting golden jellyfish of Jellyfish Lake if numbers and conditions allow. Book through Sam's Tours, Fish 'n Fins or Neco Marine, who handle the Rock Islands permit as part of the trip.

Peleliu Full day · ~75 min by boat

Palau's WWII battlefield, largely untouched since 1944: Bloody Nose Ridge, tanks and gun emplacements in the jungle, and the small Peleliu War Museum. Local guides such as Peleliu Adventures run the standard day tour; basic overnight accommodation exists for those who want a second, unhurried morning at the sites.

Babeldaob Full day · Rental car or tour

Micronesia's tallest waterfall at Ngardmau, the Badrulchau stone monoliths dated to around AD 161, and the capital Ngerulmud, all reachable by rental car across the Japan-Palau Friendship Bridge or via a guided day tour if you'd rather not navigate it yourself.

Kayangel Full day, advance planning · Boat charter

Palau's remote northern atoll, reached by boat charter and rarely visited by day-trippers given the distance involved. Worth arranging only if you have extra days and want lagoon snorkeling with essentially no other boats around.