Oranjestad
Aruba’s capital on the harbour, with a Dutch fort and a clock tower, a shopping street served by a little tram, and the airport so close that the coastal park runs all the way to it.
- Arrival
- Queen Beatrix International · AUA
- To the town
- About 4 km from the airport
- Private jets
- GA terminal with US preclearance
- Best time
- All year
The city
Two centuries on the harbour.
Oranjestad grew up around a fort the Dutch built to keep pirates away, and the town is now a little over two hundred years old. The fort and the clock tower beside it house the island’s history museum; the old Ecury family house holds the archaeological collection; and on Tuesday evenings the fort’s courtyard fills with dancers and musicians for the Bon Bini Festival.
Main Street runs inland from the cruise terminal, served by a small tram, between jewellers, international boutiques and the green city hall where Arubans marry. Along the shore, a park follows the water from the town centre to the airport, and the big hotels of Palm Beach stand about eight kilometres to the north.
- Fort Zoutman The oldest building on Aruba, raised by the Dutch army to defend the harbour, now part of the Historical Museum.
- Willem III Tower Lighthouse and town clock since 1868; its lamp went out in 1963, but the clock still tells the time.
- Archaeological Museum The former Ecury family home, given over to the island’s Amerindian past.
Arriving
An airport at the edge of town.
Queen Beatrix International lies about four kilometres south-east of the centre. Passengers for the United States clear American border control here before they board.
- Bogotá 1 h 35
- Panama City 1 h 45
- Dallas 4 h 55
- Toronto 5 h 00
- Athens 12 h 30 long-range jet
When to go
All year round.
Measured at the airport on the edge of town, the year brings only about four hundred millimetres of rain, less than eight of them in March. Afternoon highs stay between 30 and 33 °C, tempered by the trade wind. The wettest months, October to December, average under eighty millimetres.
- 30° J 37 26°
- 30° F 19 26°
- 31° M 8 26°
- 31° A 13 26°
- 32° M 14 27°
- 32° J 18 27°
- 32° J 31 27°
- 32° A 25 28°
- 33° S 35 28°
- 32° O 65 28°
- 32° N 78 28°
- 30° D 66 27°
Where to stay
A short drive north, on Palm Beach.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
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The St. Regis Aruba Resort Two hundred and fifty-two rooms, a fifth of them suites, open since 2025, with a casino and a restaurant by Akira Back on the roof.
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The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba Billed on its opening at the end of 2013 as Aruba’s first five-star resort, and still listed by the tourism authority among them.
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Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba Forty-nine casitas for adults on an old coconut plantation, kept by two sisters and awarded two MICHELIN Keys.
Where to dine
The best tables on the island.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Aruba. These are tasting menus and upscale tables picked by The Infatuation, and a chef’s table with a Travellers’ Choice award on Tripadvisor.
- Infini by Urvin Croes The Infatuation Caribbean tasting menu $$$$ Blue Residence, Eagle Beach
- Ever The Infatuation Caribbean tasting menu $$$$ Weststraat, Oranjestad
- Terra by Jeremy Ford The Infatuation Contemporary $$$$ Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort, Eagle Beach
- Papiamento The Infatuation Aruban, seafood Washington, Noord
- Fred Royal Chef’s Table Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice 2026 Chef’s table $$$$ Wilhelminastraat, Oranjestad
Flying to Oranjestad?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.