Aruba
Aruba
Divi-divi trees bent by the trade wind, over seven miles of white sand
Photo by Vera Wijermars on Unsplash
Photos by Christopher Ott, Christopher Ott, Benjamin R. and Vera Wijermars | Feathering on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Aruba
All year — outside the hurricane belt, quietest May to November
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 90mm in Nov
Where it is
12.52°N, 70.03°W Open in Google Maps
Things to do
Several days- Spend a day doing nothing on Eagle Beach
- Snorkel the Antilla, one of the largest wrecks in the Caribbean
- Cross Arikok park to the natural pool by 4x4
- Eat fried fish by the kilo at Zeerovers
- Walk Oranjestad and ride the free tram
Aruba travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Aruba
ExpensiveUS dollars are accepted everywhere at a fixed 1.75 and change often comes back in florins. There is no need to change money at all if you arrive with dollars. Euros are not accepted.
ATMs & cards
Aruba Bank and RBC machines are common in Oranjestad and Palm Beach and offer dollars or florins — take dollars. Decline conversion.
Avoid these
- casino cash machines, which charge heavily
Use these instead
- Aruba Bank
- RBC
- CMB
Machines offer florins or dollars; take dollars, which everything is priced in anyway. Fixed rate of 1.79 to the dollar, so there is no rate to shop around for.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Aruba
Very safeAmong the safest destinations in the Caribbean, and comfortable to walk at night on the hotel strip. Petty theft from beach bags is the common complaint. The north and east coasts have violent surf and undertow — the swimming is all on the leeward side.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (6 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
Worth more attention
- Arikok National Park — and the north coast, where the surf and the undertow are lethal and there are no lifeguards
- The natural pool road, which needs a real 4x4 and takes ordinary hire cars apart
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Aruba visa rules
No visa neededup to 90 days
Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire are outside Schengen and admit visitors in their own right. A return ticket and proof of accommodation are asked for at the desk, and on Aruba an online ED card must be filed before arrival.
Other passports
Visa required in advance
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of Aruba
Good and affordableRequired to enter
- Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Hepatitis A
- Tetanus up to date
- Typhoid for a longer or rural stay
Getting treated
Good, and Dutch in standard. Curacao has the largest hospital in the Dutch Caribbean and a hyperbaric chamber; Aruba has a modern general hospital; Bonaire is smaller and sends serious cases to Curacao. Diving injuries are treated on Curacao and Aruba. Bring the European Health Insurance Card if you have one — it does not apply here, which surprises people.
Dengue and chikungunya appear in outbreaks. The bigger risk is the water: strong undertow on every north coast, and on Bonaire the diving is unguided by design, so your own limits are the limits. Manchineel trees line some beaches — do not shelter under them in rain.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
Very goodThe most developed food scene of the three Dutch islands, and the most expensive. Look past the strip for pastechi at breakfast, keshi yena, and fresh fish at Zeerovers where you pay by weight and eat over the water.
Nightlife
The high-rise hotel strip has the casinos and the clubs; Oranjestad has a handful of bars and San Nicolas has the music.
- Palm Beach — the strip, the casinos and the clubs
- Oranjestad — the town bars, and the cruise crowd
- San Nicolas — Charlie's Bar, and the murals
Closing: 03:00 on Palm Beach.
A beer in a bar: AWG 8–15
Getting around
Workable- UberNot here
- BoltNot here
- From the airport
- Curaçao airport to Willemstad ANG 35–45; Aruba airport to Palm Beach $25–30
No ride-hailing on any of the three islands. Taxis run on published government rates rather than a meter — ask the driver to name the rate before setting off — and almost everybody hires a car.
Time zone and your working day
America/Aruba — the same time as you
8 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–17:00 your time, 09:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 09:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 09:00–17:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
Getting online
Getting online: Airalo or Holafly — a data eSIM for Aruba, installed before you fly and working the moment you land.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index · measured June 2026
Must-see
Nearby day trips
Say a few words
Papiamento
- Good morningBon diabon DEE-ah
- Good afternoon / eveningBon tardi / Bon nochibon TAR-dee / bon NO-chee
- PleasePor faborpor fa-BOR
- Thank youDankiDAHN-kee
5 more phrases
- Yes / NoSi / Nosee / no
- Excuse meDespensades-PEN-sa
- How much is it?Kuantu ta kosta?KWAN-too ta KOS-ta
- Cheers!Salu!sa-LOO
- GoodbyeAyoah-YO
The first language of all three islands, and a creole of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and West African. Everyone will answer you in English or Dutch, which is exactly why two words of Papiamento land so well.
Religion
Roman Catholic, with Protestant and small Jewish communities
Curacao’s Mikve Israel-Emanuel is the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Americas, and its sand floor is worth the visit. Sunday morning is quiet everywhere; some shops do not open at all.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Greet before you ask — bon dia, bon tardi, bon nochi will do more than any Dutch
- Dress up a little for dinner; beachwear away from the beach reads as rude
- Take the pace as it comes: things open late and close for lunch
- Ask before photographing people, particularly in the older streets of Willemstad
Don't
- Do not assume everything is American — this is the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Papiamento is the first language
- Do not stand on or touch coral, which is protected and, on Bonaire, prosecutable
- Do not haggle in shops; prices are fixed
- Do not wander residential streets in swimwear
Where to stay in Aruba
No Holistay rentals in Aruba yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Aruba on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Queen Beatrix AUA
10 minfrom the airport· 3 km as the crow flies
10 min to Oranjestad, 20 to the Palm Beach hotels.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
