The hotels and resorts have chairs, shade and watersports equipment for guests, while visitors may be able to buy refreshments. It is famous and popular for its calm waters and location right next to a number of major resorts. Palm Beach is the best-known Aruba beach. They will find much more to see and do at the next two on our list. Otherwise, visitors should consider paying for transportation to the best beaches. Surfside is nearly the same distance to the south. Both are walkable for energetic people who don’t want to pay for a taxi, rental car or excursion bus.ĭruif is about a 25 minute walk or nearly 1.5 miles to the north. Druif Beach and Surfside Beach are the next closest to the cruise terminal. Renaissance Beach is closest to the cruise terminal at about three fourths of a mile to the south. Several are worth visiting near the cruise port. More adventurous souls with a taste for recreation should consider scuba diving because Aruba offers 42 major dive spots.Īruba is famous for its white-sand beaches. The site also offers fantastic sunset views. The stone lighthouse was built in 1910 and named after a ship that sunk nearby two years earlier.
The view of the windy sea from the rock-filled shores offers a peaceful respite.Ī bit farther north of Palm Beach is the California Lighthouse, one of Aruba’s most famous landmarks. Other attractions may include natural bridges, an abandoned gold mine, the Bushiribana Ruins and California Lighthouse.Īrikok also has the remains of a large and famous natural bridge that collapsed in 2005, but it still has a few baby bridges. A tour via horseback or jeep will cost $100 to $150. Shore excursions via ATV that go to Arikok sites including Natural Pool usually cost at least $75 or more.
One of the main attractions is the Natural Pool, a rock-lined pool by the sea that gets showered by crashing waves. It is a good option for touring a rough, arid and cactus-filled landscape via horseback, jeep or ATV. Quite a few cruise shore excursions go through Arikok National Park, which covers nearly one fifth of the island.
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A half-day tour will probably cost less than $50 while a full tour will cost about $60 to $75.
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Go to the Palm Beach Plaza at the north end of Smith Boulevard for free nightly entertainment.Ī half-day or full island tour is an inexpensive way of seeing points of interest worth seeing on this small island with the help of a knowledgeable guide. The other side of the street in front of the Palm Beach hotels is packed with shops and restaurants. The bus terminal is right in front of the cruise terminal. A simple shore excursion will cost around $30, but a taxi or the cheap public buses are better options for budget-minded cruise visitors. The beach is great, and so is the nightlife. The beach is lined with hotels, resorts and restaurants that face Lloyd G. Palm Beach, four miles north of the cruise terminals, is the dominant attraction on the island. Renaissance Marina, where many water-based shore excursions begin, is a quick walk to the right from the cruise terminal. Beaches within walking distance of the cruise terminal include Druif to the north and Renaissance to the south. Cruise excursion packages offer “walking and tasting” tours that usually cost less than $50 per person. Several casual restaurants that include outdoor seating line the waterfront. Royal Plaza Mall and Renaissance Mall have the higher end shops. The flea market and Seaport Village Mall and Marketplace have the usual array of T-shirts, crafts and souvenirs along with less expensive restaurants. Shops are concentrated at the flea market that lines the waterfront, Royal Plaza Mall, Renaissance Mall, and Seaport Village Mall and Marketplace. Passengers who take that brief walk from the docks and terminals to Smith should then turn right for the majority of shops, restaurants and commercial attractions.
Just about everything worth seeing on foot in Oranjestad is right there. The Oranjestad cruise ship terminals are right next to the city’s main tourist street of L.G. The water sports are better than the land attractions.Likewise, nightlife is mainly found in the same two locations.