Oranjestad, Aruba — Things To Do & Travel Guide

Things To Do in Oranjestad

The best experiences, attractions and restaurants in the area.

Fort Zoutman & Bon Bini Festival

Fort Zoutman, built in 1796, is the oldest building in Aruba and houses the Historical Museum. Every Tuesday evening from 6:30pm, the fort's courtyard hosts the Bon Bini Festival — a celebration of Aruban culture with traditional dancing, music, food and costumes. One of the best free events in the Caribbean.

Duty-Free Shopping

Oranjestad is one of the Caribbean's best duty-free shopping destinations. The Renaissance Mall and Seaport Mall on the waterfront offer jewellery, electronics, perfume, fashion and local crafts at excellent prices. The main shopping street, Caya G.F. Betico Croes, is lined with boutiques and souvenir shops.

Waterfront Dining

The Oranjestad waterfront has some of the best restaurants in Aruba. Gasparito Restaurant, housed in a 17th-century cunucu house, serves exceptional Aruban cuisine. Wilhelmina Restaurant on the waterfront is excellent for Dutch-Caribbean fusion. The fish market near the port is the best place for fresh seafood.

Aruba Historical Museum

The Historical Museum inside Fort Zoutman tells the story of Aruba from the Caquetios Indians through the colonial era to the present day. The collection includes pre-Columbian artefacts, colonial-era documents and exhibits on the island's oil refinery history. Small but genuinely fascinating.

Wilhelmina Park & Waterfront

Wilhelmina Park, named after the Dutch queen, is a peaceful waterfront garden with a bronze statue of the queen and excellent views across the harbour. The waterfront promenade is perfect for an evening stroll, with colourful colonial buildings reflected in the calm water.

Oranjestad Travel Guide

Oranjestad is one of those Caribbean capitals that genuinely surprises you. Most visitors to Aruba spend the majority of their time on the beach resort strips of Palm Beach and Eagle Beach, but those who make the short trip to the capital invariably wish they'd come sooner.

The city has a distinctly Dutch character — pastel-painted colonial buildings, neat streets and a general sense of order and cleanliness that sets it apart from many Caribbean capitals. The waterfront is particularly beautiful, with a row of colourful 19th-century buildings reflected in the calm harbour water. The cruise terminal here is one of the busiest in the Caribbean, and on days when multiple ships are in port the city buzzes with activity.

Fort Zoutman is the city's most important historical landmark. Built in 1796 to defend the harbour, it's the oldest building in Aruba and houses the Historical Museum. The museum tells the story of the island from the Caquetios Indians — the original inhabitants — through the Dutch colonial era, the oil refinery boom of the 1920s and 1930s, and the development of the modern tourist industry. It's a small but genuinely fascinating collection.

Every Tuesday evening from 6:30pm, the fort's courtyard hosts the Bon Bini Festival — a free celebration of Aruban culture with traditional dancing, music, food and costumes. Bon Bini means "welcome" in Papiamento, the local language, and the festival lives up to its name. It's one of the best free events in the Caribbean and well worth timing your visit around.

The shopping in Oranjestad is excellent. The Renaissance Mall and Seaport Mall on the waterfront offer duty-free jewellery, electronics, perfume and fashion at prices that are genuinely competitive. The main shopping street, Caya G.F. Betico Croes, is lined with boutiques, souvenir shops and local craft stalls.

Oranjestad is about 10 minutes by car from Palm Beach and 15 minutes from Eagle Beach. The city is also well connected by bus — the Arubus service runs frequently along the main resort corridor. Taxis are readily available and reasonably priced.

Oranjestad

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