Why Go
Aruba is the driest island in the Caribbean, and that turns out to be the whole point. While the volcanic islands to the east spend half the year under cloud, Aruba sits in near-permanent sun with a trade wind that never really stops, which is why the water along the west coast stays flat and clear while the east coast stays wild and empty. It is also the easiest Caribbean island to travel in: English is spoken everywhere, the roads are good, and you can drive the length of it in under an hour. Come for the beaches, but do not leave without seeing what the wind and the cacti have done to the other side.
What It's Like
The island is small, flat and shaped like a comma, and almost everything a visitor does happens along the calm western edge. Palm Beach is the high-rise strip, with hotels, casinos and restaurants stacked one after another, busy in a way that some people want and others travel specifically to avoid. Eagle Beach, a few minutes south, is the low-rise stretch: wider, quieter, and home to the fofoti trees that end up in everyone's photographs. Oranjestad, the capital, is a compact grid of Dutch colonial facades painted in colours that look invented until you stand in front of them. Head inland or south-east and the island changes character completely, with Arikok National Park covering a large share of the interior in cactus, boulder field and dirt track, and San Nicolas at the far end having turned itself into an open-air mural gallery. A day here can be as simple as a beach chair and a walk into town, or as involved as an early climb up Hooiberg followed by an afternoon in the shallows at Baby Beach.
What to Do
Arikok National Park is the thing most first-timers skip and most returning visitors talk about, but it is rough terrain, so take a proper vehicle or book a tour rather than pushing a small rental car down a dirt track. Baby Beach at the southern tip is a shallow, protected lagoon and the easiest swimming on the island if you have young children with you. In Oranjestad, the National Archaeological Museum Aruba is small and genuinely good on the island's pre-colonial history, while the Aruba Aloe Factory Museum and Store explains why aloe appears in every second shop window here. San Nicolas is worth the drive for the murals alone, and it gives you a version of Aruba that has nothing to do with resorts. If you want a table people talk about afterwards, Akira Back and Casa Nonna Aruba are both here, and Amare Beach Bar is the same evening with sand under it. For flamingos, the Renaissance private island is the only reliable place to see them.
Insider Tip
The wind is not a detail, it is the defining fact of the island, and it always comes from the same direction. Book yourself onto a west-facing beach and you get calm, clear water; that same wind on the north and east coasts makes swimming genuinely dangerous no matter how inviting the water looks from the road. Locals plan around this without thinking about it, and it is the visitors who ignore the warning signs at Andicuri Beach and along the north coast who get into trouble.
The Practical Stuff
Rent a car if you intend to see anything beyond your hotel, because the island is small, the roads are signposted and driving is on the right. Taxis do not run on meters, so agree the fare before you get in. The currency is the Aruban florin, but US dollars are accepted almost everywhere and prices are frequently quoted in both, so you rarely need to change money at all. Papiamento is the local language and Dutch is official, but English is spoken fluently right across the tourism economy and Spanish is common too. Tap water is desalinated and safe to drink, which is not true everywhere in the region. Aruba also sits south of the main hurricane track, so the season that disrupts other islands is far less of a factor here, and while December to April is high season and busiest, the months on either side are cheaper and just as dry.
Things to Do in Aruba
- Arikok National Park — Cactus, boulder fields and dirt track over a large share of the island's interior.
- Eagle Beach — The wide, low-rise beach, and the fofoti trees everyone photographs.
- Palm Beach — The high-rise strip, if you want restaurants, casinos and company.
- Baby Beach — A shallow protected lagoon at the southern tip, easiest swimming for young children.
- San Nicolas — The island's second town, now an open-air gallery of street murals.
- Oranjestad — The compact Dutch colonial capital, walkable in an afternoon.
- Hooiberg — The haystack hill in the middle of the island, with steps to the top and a view over all of it.
- Ayo Rock Formations — Boulder field with ancient rock drawings, inland and easy to combine with Arikok.
- Alto Vista Chapel — The small hilltop chapel on the north side, quiet and worth the detour.
- Renaissance Island — The private island off Oranjestad, and the only reliable flamingos on Aruba.
- National Archaeological Museum Aruba — Small, well done, and the best account of the island before the Dutch.
- Aruba Aloe Factory Museum and Store — Explains the aloe industry that shaped the island's economy long before tourism.
Common Questions About Aruba
How many days do you need in Aruba?
Five to seven is comfortable. Three or four is enough if you only want the west-coast beaches and Oranjestad, but you will not have time for Arikok National Park or San Nicolas, which are the parts most people say they wish they had seen.
Do you need to rent a car in Aruba?
Not if you plan to stay on the Palm Beach and Eagle Beach strip, which is walkable and served by buses and taxis. You do need one, or an organised tour, the moment you want the interior, the north coast or the southern end of the island.
Which is better, Eagle Beach or Palm Beach?
They are different rather than better. Palm Beach is the high-rise strip with restaurants, casinos and activity on the sand. Eagle Beach is wider, lower-built and much quieter. Families and couples wanting calm tend to prefer Eagle; people who want somewhere to go at night tend to prefer Palm.
Is Aruba in the hurricane belt?
It sits south of the main hurricane track, which is why it is often described as outside the belt. Storms are far less frequent here than on the islands further north, though that is a matter of odds rather than a guarantee.
Can you drink the tap water in Aruba?
Yes. Aruba's water is desalinated and safe to drink straight from the tap, which is not the case on every island in the region. There is no need to buy bottled water for drinking.
What language do they speak in Aruba?
Papiamento is the local language and Dutch is the other official one, but English is spoken fluently throughout the tourism economy and Spanish is widely understood. You will not need any Papiamento to get around.
Is Aruba a good island for a first Caribbean trip?
It is one of the easiest. English is everywhere, US dollars are accepted, the tap water is safe, the roads are good and the weather is reliably dry. That reliability is exactly why some travellers find it less adventurous than the greener islands to the east.
