Things to do in Oranjestad, capital of Aruba: the 10 must-see attractions!
Wondering what to do in Oranjestad, capital of Aruba? Here are 10 things to do in Oranjestad that you need to include in your itinerary.
Knowing the must-do things in Oranjestad is really useful to organize your visit to downtown Aruba in the best way while optimizing time, so then you can go back to the beach!
Although it’s a rather big city (it actually is the largest one on the island, with a population of 35,000) most places to see in Oranjestad are located within a small area and you can perfectly get around on foot.
In this article, I’ll tell you about those places you shouldn’t miss during your visit to Oranjestad, with a map and all! So you can organize your stay on the One Happy Island.
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Where is Oranjestad located?
Oranjestad, which means orange city, is Aruba’s capital city and it’s located on the central-west coast of the island.
The town center is only 5 km to the northwest of Reina Beatrix International Airport and 8 km to the south of Palm Beach, one of Aruba’s most famous beaches.
🚖 Book your transfers in Oranjestad here.
Oranjestad accommodation
One excellent option to stay in Oranjestad near the center and close to places where to eat out is Wonders Hotel, which offers large and comfortable rooms with balconies and terraces to the garden and the swimming pool.
If your budget is more limited, Kamerlingh hotel is a great alternative near downtown Oranjestad.
There are more areas where to stay in Aruba, like Palm Beach, so you’re near the shore.
🏩 More lodging options in Oranjestad.
Things to do in Oranjestad, Aruba: 10 must-do plans
1. Strolling around the town center
The most important places to see in Oranjestad are located in the center, so every visit to the city should start off there.
Plaza Daniel Leo is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful squares in the city, as it has several traditional houses in typical pastel colors. Plaza Padu is also worth visiting; it has a big water fountain.
One great option is strolling down Main St, a pedestrian street lined with palm trees that runs along the town center. In the middle are the tram rails, which I’ll mention in the following item.
2. Get around the city by tram
Since 2012, you can get around downtown Oranjestad by trolley.
It takes off from the cruise ship terminal, where ships are docked in Aruba, and it passes through the central area and the pedestrian street. It makes 6 stops and you can get on or off wherever you want. The best about it? It’s free!
3. Seeing Aruba’s beautiful buildings
Oranjestad has several traditional buildings in typical pastel colors that are worth a visit. Tourists aren’t allowed into all buildings, but I’d recommend that you at least add them to your Oranjestad itinerary to see them from the outside.
Here are the best ones I recommend visiting:
- The City Hall: this green and white building from 1922 is one of the most wonderful buildings to see in Oranjestad.
- Fort Zoutman: it’s the oldest building on the island. It was built in 1796 by the Dutch army, and in 1868 the Willem III Tower was added to work as a lighthouse and public clock tower. It currently operates as the History Museum. If you visit at noon, I’d recommend having lunch at Italy in the world, right on the corner.
- Protestant church, from 1846.
- Royal Plaza mall, the typical pinkish image of Oranjestad, Aruba.
- St. Francis of Assisi Church, simple and beautiful.
Although there aren’t many historical buildings, as in Willemstad, Curacao, it’s a great plan to spare a few hours to wander around Oranjestad looking for colored buildings.
4. Shopping at malls
There are several malls in Oranjestad, Aruba. Although I’m not a fan of shopping, I must admit that some malls are esthetically beautiful to see. I’d recommend visiting them, as it’s also practical to know them if you’re getting around the town center:
- Royal Plaza, the typical pinkish building in all Oranjestad photos I mentioned above.
- Renaissance Mall, where the luxurious Renaissance hotel is located, and one peculiarity about this one is that there’s a sea arm almost branching into Starbucks inside the mall.
- The Local Market, next to the bus terminal with many souvenir stores.
5. Visiting the Renaissance Marketplace area
Renaissance Market Place is an open-air shopping center, rather small, and I could have included it in the last item. Why didn’t I? Because, to my mind, it’d be perfect to spare some more time for this area, where the mall is located, and not just go shopping.
Surrounding Renaissance Marketplace are several interesting places to see in Oranjestad. For example, there’s a dock with sailboats and ships where to see some pelicans and the Seaport casino. There’s a coastline with some benches; it’s a short but beautiful path, and the sea has an incredible color, as all throughout Aruba. You can also see airplanes approaching the island from there.
Moreover, if you stay at Renaissance hotel, there’re free boats taking off from this area, and they take you to the flamingo-dotted beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in Aruba.
6. Strolling down Linear Park, one top thing to do in Oranjestad
Linear Park is a coast-side trail or coastline that runs from downtown Oranjestad up to the airport, with wonderful sights as it runs aside the coast.
It has a bike path, so it’s perfect for riding out and back.
At the beginning, right in the town center, there’re a few souvenir stands, apart from restaurants with views to Renaissance Marina.
Then you can visit some other interesting places, such as Wilhelmina Park beautiful parkland, which has an Ana Frank monument and another one for the queen who the park was named after. You can also see a small river flowing into the sea (or instead it’s a sea arm coming in?).
In front of the park is Governor’s bay beach, a small beach where West Deck restaurant is located. You can have a drink watching the sunset on the wooden deck.
Then, the trail goes through mangrove areas and seafront parkland full of trees making perfect shade to shelter from sunlight.
Finally, there’s access to Surfside beach, one of the beaches nearby downtown Aruba, highly recommended.
7. Visiting museums in Oranjestad, Aruba
Some downtown Aruba museums are really worth a visit, such as:
- History Museum, operating at Fort Zoutman I mentioned earlier. Bon Bini Festival is held every Tuesday from 6.30 p. m. as a welcoming party to the One Happy Island, with music, dance, and typical dishes.
- National Archaeological Museum operated at a wonderful historical house that was turned into a museum, right in the town center.
- Aloe Museum and Factory: Although it’s on the outskirts, it’s an interesting plan. In the past, the economy of the island was based on Aloe Vera production.
8. Looking for the blue horses
Over 300 years ago, Aruba’s economy was mainly focused on horse trade and exportation, one of the most significant income sources of the island back then.
As inspired in its origins, there’s a cultural project since 2015 named Paadenbaai Aruba, which means Bay of Horses. Here we find 8 blue horses scattered throughout Oranjestad, work by Osaira Muyale. Their color owes to the horses’ encounter with the Caribbean Sea, as they had to swim in order to reach the island.
The explanation of what each horse represents is on this website.
9. Relaxing on the beaches
The main reason why people visit Aruba are its beaches. So, in this list of things to do in Oranjestad, we couldn’t leave aside one of the beaches nearest downtown Aruba, and it’s so beautiful that I added it to my top favorite beaches in Aruba.
We’re talking about Surfside beach, and you can reach it on foot from Oranjestad, following Linear Park or coastline I mentioned earlier.
This beach is a stone’s throw away from the airport, so you’ll enjoy the Caribbean Sea and may see airplanes landing nearby.
🤿 Would you like to take a snorkeling excursion to see the sea of Aruba? BOOK IT HERE!
10. Enjoy Oranjestad’s nightlife
Although most stores in the town center close at 6 p. m., there’re bars, restaurants and casinos that remain open a few more hours. In general, restaurants close between 9 and 10 p. m., but bars and casinos are open until late at night.
Hence, downtown Oranjestad is a good alternative if you’re looking for things to do in Aruba at night.
Map – What to do in Oranjestad, Aruba
I hope this Oranjestad travel guide was useful to plan your trip. Do you have other suggestions for top things to do in Oranjestad that I missed? Let me know in the comments!
