I am beyond happy to share this Ultimate Guide for Things to See and Do in Aruba, but first… a little basic island knowledge will go a long way…
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Aruba is a 70-square-mile small island of happiness. It takes approximately 1 hour to get from one end to the other, and when I was there we saw EVERYTHING this Caribbean island had to offer!
The temperature stays in the consistent low to mid 80’s year-round, with a gentle breeze. It is outside of the hurricane belt so it’s always the right time to book a trip to Aruba! With 14 beaches and coves, you will be sure to find your happy place at this popular destination.
It doesn’t take long to see why Aruba’s motto is, One Happy Island! I can honestly say that it’s now one of my FAVORITE places to travel. It doesn’t hurt that it has the highest number of sunny days in the Caribbean.
If you are planning a trip to Aruba, then you probably LOVE the beach. Aruba has several white-sand beaches with crystal blue clear water and they are all beautiful!
It won’t be difficult for you to see why they are known as the best beaches in the Caribbean. Here are two of the most popular beach spots in Aruba, which I’m sure you will love as much as I did.
Renaissance Island has Aruba’s ONLY private beaches. The BEST part about Renaissance Island is the pink flamingos that wander around freely. If you are an animal lover, get excited because you can feed them right out of your hand! This was hands down my FAVORITE spot in Aruba! It’s an extra luxury, but it is 100% worth it since it’s one of the best things you can do in Aruba.
Access to the island is open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. You have to take a small boat from the hotel to get access to it. Boats run to and from the island approximately every 15 minutes.
If you are buying individual tickets then you have to purchase them the day before and they can sell out because they are limited.
I crunched the numbers and trust me when I say it is worth it to stay at the hotel, even if it’s just for one night to be able to have access to “flamingo island”.
TripAdvisor ranks Renaissance Island #4 of 137 things to do in Aruba. There’s just one catch… the only way to see the island is through the hotel Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort, which ranks #2 out of #5 resorts in Oranjestad. I really feel that the private island Flamingo Beach is a MUST-SEE!
If you don’t stay at the hotel, then you will have to buy tickets to access the private island for $125.00. If you stay at the hotel, Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort, then admission to the private island is included.
At the Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino they have a family-friendly hotel called Ocean Suites, and an adults-only hotel called Marina Hotel. I stayed at the adults-only hotel and it was PERFECT!
If you are traveling with children then you will likely spend the day at Iguana Beach on Renaissance Island. Yes, there are big iguanas on the beach!
Flamingo Beach only allows children to visit between 9:00 am and 10:00 am. It is within walking distance of Iguana Beach. Both beaches have great restaurants.
As of 2020 certain sunscreens are banned from being used in Aruba. Make sure you purchase coral reef-safe sunscreen for your trip.
First, I stayed at the Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort in order to see the flamingos, and then my budget encouraged me to try another hotel as well. I wanted to stay in the Eagle Beach area because it had incredible reviews on TripAdvisor.
There are many different hotels to choose from in Eagle Beach so you have to select one that works best for your budget and your needs.
The thing that was most important to me was being RIGHT by the beach so I stayed at La Cabana Beach Resort and Casino.
La Cabana Beach Resort and Casino is located in a town called Oranjestad. Honestly, this resort was nice, but what I loved the most was the location. It was within walking distance of excellent restaurants and the amazing Eagle Beach. They have dining RIGHT on the beach!
Many of the resorts had casinos, restaurants, and spas. I didn’t notice that any particular hotel stuck out from the others. I’d suggest you make your selection based on the location and amenities that work best for you.
Aruba is considered to be one of the safest of all the Caribbean islands. Crime is very low so you don’t really have to worry about staying in a “bad part of town”. Just make sure you read Top 5 Things You NEED to Know When Finding a Hotel before you finalize your selection.
For help finding the perfect accommodations read Top 5 Things You Need to Know When Finding a Hotel!
Although it is not a very big island, there are PLENTY of things to see and do in Aruba. I was there for 6 days and I really saw a lot of what the island had to offer.
If you are brave, then you might want to rent a car to go exploring. The people in Aruba are so friendly, that road rage isn’t even a thing there. Visitors have a “V” on their license plate so the residents know to give them extra grace while driving.
I did not rent a car while I was there because I found that most things were within walking distance from the hotels I selected, and the guided tours included pick-up/drop-off.
Driving in Aruba made me a little nervous because they have different street signs than I’m familiar with in the US.
The very few times I needed transportation, I just used a taxi. (Then I could ask the friendly taxi driver for recommendations of things to see and do in Aruba.)
Aruba is small, but there is SOOO much to explore. Get excited because I’m going to share a variety of options in this Ultimate Guide for Things to SEE and DO in Aruba! This list has a wide array of price points, so there is something for every budget here.
There are plenty of Instagram-worthy photo opportunities in Aruba. Your trip wouldn’t be complete without some touristy pictures!
Get your picture taken by the “Big Red Anchor” in the southern part of Aruba. Not only is the Seroe Colorado Anchor a cool place for pictures, but there is an incredible story behind how it was lost, found, and moved around Aruba.
Make sure you get a picture with the I ❤️️ Aruba sign! It is one of the most photographed places in Aruba. If you are staying at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino then this sign is just a short walk.
Do you want to try your luck at some slot machines? There’s no shortage of casinos in Aruba. Most of the hotels have one on-site. It’s a great way to take a break from the sun or to enjoy some nightlife. Check out TripAdvisor’s ratings on 14 casinos in Aruba.
The Fort Zoutman Historical Museum is within walking distance of the Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino. It’s a cute little museum that only costs $5.00 for admission. The best part about the museum is the view from the top.
Every Tuesday from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm the Bonbini Aruba Festival takes place at Fort Zoutman. It is more of a stage show than a “festival“, but it’s a perfect way to learn about history and culture and hear some live music. Admission to the festival is $10.00.
One thing I learned right away in Aruba is that while you are innocently enjoying the blue waters and the white sandy beaches, you can quickly get sunburned, even if the sun is not out. That’s probably why they have so many Aruba Aloe Stores. The Aruba Aloe Museum is located on Pitastraat 115, Aruba.
I can honestly say that I LOVE their products! (The Nourish Shampoo and Conditioner are my favorite items.) I made several purchases for myself, and for souvenirs. Since I’m an expert at packing a suitcase, I had plenty of room for my extra purchases.
It ranks #3 out of 137 things to do in Aruba on TripAdvisor. You can tour the Aloe Factory and Museum on your own or you can also see it as part of a group tour. It is the first stop on the Aruba Full Island Group Tour with Viator.
At some point, you might want to take a little break from beach life and do some shopping.
If you are staying at the Renaissance Hotel, they have stores inside the Renaissance Mall. This indoor mall would be a perfect place to shop if you need a break from the sun.
There are also some high-end stores outside if you walk up the road to the Royal Plaza Mall. It is located at L.G. Smith Boulevard 94, Oranjestad Aruba.
I did some shopping in Palm Beach, which is closer to the Eagle Beach area. I absolutely LOVED the shopping at Paseo Herencia! It is located at J.E. Irausquin Blvd 382 297 Palm Beach, Aruba. I found out about it from the great online reviews.
I shared in “Top 10 Things to SEE and DO in Nashville, Tennessee” about how one of the first things I do when I travel is to take a trolley ride around town. This is fun, but mostly I do it to get a good idea of what’s in the area. It’s easier to see a new town when you aren’t driving and trying to figure out where to go.
In Aruba they didn’t have my typical trolley ride around town, so I decided to do a different type of tropical island tour. I booked the full-day Island Ultimate Jeep Safari.
ABC Tours was the company that hosted the unique experience and they were AMAZING! It started with them picking us up at our hotel. The entire tour is approximately 9.5 hours long and it is worth every penny!
At first, I was a little worried that we might be exhausted by the end of the day, but this tour is a perfect mix of relaxing and action so it does not overwhelm. It is the BEST way to see all the BEST places in Aruba! I guarantee you will have a good time seeing all the top attractions around the entire island of Aruba.
During the Island Ultimate Jeep Tour you get to ride around the island in an open-air 4 x 4 Land Rover. You can snorkel and swim in Aruba’s Natural Pool and Baby Beach. You will be riding through sand dunes so be prepared to get dirty!
When you go to Aruba you CAN’T MISS Flamingo Island and this Island Ultimate Jeep Safari tour! They are the most unique things you can do and my favorite things in my Ultimate Guide for Things to SEE and DO in Aruba.
Although I HIGHLY recommend doing the entire tour package, I’m going to break down each of the stops we made on the tour, so you can pick and choose what you would like to see on your own if you are unable to do the entire day tour.
The California Lighthouse is one of Aruba’s most famous landmarks. It has nothing to do with the State of California in the U.S. (I just wanted to make sure there was no confusion.) It is located on the northern tip of the island.
You can go all the way to the top and see spectacular views of the island. There is a great Italian restaurant right by the lighthouse. Read more about it in 10 Amazing Restaurants in Aruba. For extra fun, you can explore the area around the California Lighthouse on a Segway tour. When we recently took our trip to Savannah Georgia we did a Segway tour and it was my favorite part of that trip!
The Alto Vista Chapel is considered to be the first church in the Caribbean. It is located in Noord, Aruba. Also known as Pilgrim’s Church, it was built by Spanish missionaries in 1750 and still has Catholic services today.
It is open to visitors every day from 5:30 am to 7:00 pm.
The Natural Bridge was one of Aruba’s natural wonders and a major tourist attraction in Aruba. Unfortunately, it collapsed in 2005m but the remains of the bridge and “baby bridge” are still great for tourists to visit. Many of the guided tours will take you to see the Natural Bridges.
There is also a gift shop and restrooms at this location.
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Aruba has ruins from gold mines and gold mills for tourists to visit. The Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins is a historical site that offers some unique photo opportunities. The history in this space is interesting and the views are beautiful, as always. Don’t forget to take some time on your Aruba vacation to find some gold.
Arikok National Park makes up over 20% of the island. It is located in Santa Cruz, Aruba. This awesome park offers biking, hiking, trails, coves, beautiful beaches, and wildlife. The Natural Pool and Fontine Cave (listed below) are located inside Arikok National Park as well.
When we did the Island Ultimate Jeep Safari tour, admission to the park was included. There are a number of different tours that have a stop at the park. Be sure to check out their hours of operation and entry fees if you are not seeing the park with a tour.
The Natural Pool is located inside the Aruba National Park. It ranks #2 out of 24 things to do in Noord Aruba. This was one of my favorite stops on our tour. I even jumped off of the rocks into the pool! *GASP*
Get Your Guide has Natural Pool ATV Tours. This 4-hour adventure includes more than just the Natural Pool.
Do you want to know how to make fun memories when you travel? CLICK HERE to read about some great ideas for making core memories!
The Fontein Cave is located inside the Aruba National Park. Take a peek inside the cave to see the stalagmites, stalactites, cave drawings, and maybe even some bats! (Don’t worry, they are harmless.)
If you’re not seeing the cave as part of a guided tour, then the park ranger at the entrance will be your tour guide and provide interesting information.
Baby Beach is located in the southern part of the Island. Eagle Beach and Baby Beach were my FAVORITES in Aruba. It’s so clean and beautiful!
If you like to snorkel then THIS is definitely the place to do it! You can book a Beach Hopping Snorkeling Tour to see Mangel Halto and Baby Beach. They are two of Aruba’s most popular beaches for snorkeling.
The San Nicolas Art Murals were created by artists from all over the world. Read the reviews for some extra info and tips. Aruba’s visitor’s center has a detailed map to make touring the murals easy.
It takes approximately 90 min to walk and see them all if you are on your own. There are a few different guided tour options to see the murals. This is a great option if you want to know a little about the history and significance of the murals.
While you are in the San Nicolas area I suggest you visit Charlie’s Bar and Restaurant. Check out 10 Amazing Restaurants in Aruba for more restaurant ideas.
I had the best time exploring the island of Aruba. If you are planning a trip and you have any questions, that you think I might know the answer to, please don’t be afraid to email me or post you question in the comments below.
CLICK HERE to get a cute floppy beach hat like the one I’m wearing in the picture below!
Do you want more valuable travel tips? CLICK HERE to read about How to Pack a Suitcase That Saves You Money!
I’ve got great news… I created a simple way to document your trip with a beach-themed DIY travel activity journal.
Most of the work is already set up for you ahead of time. You just need to have a great time on your trip and fill in the blanks.
Here’s what you can expect to find in my ultimate travel journal activity books:
The most important thing is to make the most of your experience by documenting your lasting memories for your travel legacy! Your travel journal scrapbook will be a treasured keepsake.
If you liked the Ultimate Guide for Things to SEE and DO in Aruba, then you might also want to read about How to See 4 Hawaiian Islands in 7 Days.
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LET’S CONNECT: Which one of my suggestions in the “Ultimate Guide for Things to SEE and DO in Aruba” do you think you’d add to your list when you travel there?