Aruba Cruise Port: Nearest Beaches and a Day Plan

The Aruba cruise port drops you in the middle of Oranjestad with six to eight hours and a decision: shop, beach or tour. Ghislaine lives in Noord, ten minutes from the terminal, and she has walked cruise visiting friends through this choice often enough to have a plan that fits in a port day with time to spare. Here is where the terminal is, how far the beaches are, what each way of getting there costs, and the half day that works.

Where is the Aruba cruise port?

On the waterfront of Oranjestad, the capital, on the south west coast. Ships dock at a few berths along Lloyd G. Smith Boulevard, and the walk from the gangway to the road is 5 to 10 minutes depending on which one you get. The terminal buildings are air conditioned, have restrooms and a few shops, and taxis, tour buses and rental cars line up outside. There is no port wifi worth relying on; cafes in town have it.

Across the boulevard is downtown: the Renaissance Marketplace with restaurants on the water, the Royal Plaza mall, and the shopping streets of Main Street, Havenstraat and Schelpstraat behind it. A free tram runs a short loop from the terminal through those streets and back. It is slow and pleasant and saves nothing except your feet.

The beaches near the cruise port

Surfside Beach. The closest. Walk south along the waterfront past the marina for about 15 minutes, or taxi in three. It is a small, calm town beach with a beach bar, rented chairs and the airport approach overhead. Fine for a swim and a beer, not the Aruba beach you saw in the photos.

Eagle Beach. The one you saw in the photos. Wide white sand, fofoti trees, calm water, free. About 10 minutes by taxi west along the coast road, 15 to 20 on the Arubus. No facilities on the sand itself, but the low rise hotels behind it have bars that let you use the restroom with a drink. Our Eagle Beach guide has the parking bays, the shade situation and the turtle nests.

Palm Beach. The resort beach, a few minutes beyond Eagle. Pier bars, water sports, loungers for rent, forty restaurants behind it. About 15 minutes by taxi. Calmest water of the three for small kids, busiest sand. The Palm Beach vs Eagle Beach comparison tells you which to pick in a sentence.

Arashi, Boca Catalina and Baby Beach are better than all three for snorkeling, but at 25 to 45 minutes each way they are tight for a port day without a rental car.

Taxi, bus or walk?

Taxi. Fixed government rates by zone, no meter, for up to four people. From the port, Eagle Beach is roughly $15 to $20 and Palm Beach $20 to $25; the exact figure is on the rate card in the cab and the driver will tell you before you leave. A $5 surcharge applies on Sundays and public holidays. Taxis are not hailed on the way back; ask a hotel bell desk to call one, which takes five to ten minutes.

Arubus. The public bus station is directly across the boulevard from the terminal. The hotel route runs along the coast past Eagle Beach and Palm Beach every 15 to 30 minutes, for a few dollars per ride in cash, air conditioned. It is the cheapest way to the beach and perfectly comfortable. The last thing to check is the return time: build in 30 minutes of slack because buses can be full on the way back in the afternoon.

Walk. Only Surfside. Eagle Beach is an hour on foot in the sun along a road with no shade, which we do not recommend.

Rental car. Only if you want Arikok or the south coast and there are four of you. Desks are near the terminal; the queue in the morning can be 30 minutes. Our guide to whether you need a car in Aruba covers the rules and prices.

A half day plan from the Aruba cruise port

This is for a ship in port from about 8 am to 5 pm, back on board by 4:30.

8:30. Off the ship, straight to the bus station across the road or the taxi line. Skip downtown for now; it will be there at 3 pm.

9:00. Eagle Beach. Towel on the sand near the fofoti trees before the chairs are out and the day visitors arrive. Swim, walk, photograph the trees with nobody in them. If you need shade, rent an umbrella from the vendor near the Divi end for $10 to $15.

11:30. Walk 10 minutes north along the boulevard to the Dutch Pancakehouse by the Alhambra casino for lunch, or taxi to Palm Beach for a pier bar.

1:00. Either stay on the sand at Palm Beach, or take the bus back toward town.

2:30. Oranjestad. The tram loop, the Renaissance Marketplace, an ice cream, the colonial buildings on Wilhelminastraat. Fort Zoutman and the small historical museum are open weekday afternoons if you want ten minutes of history.

4:00. Back at the terminal with a coffee in hand and nothing to rush.

If you would rather do one tour, make it the Arikok jeep trip to the Natural Pool, which leaves from the port, takes about four hours and is the one part of the island you cannot do alone in a day. Book it through the ship or a local operator before you arrive.

What to bring off the ship

Reef safe sunscreen, which is the law here and not sold at the beach. Cash in small US bills for the bus, chair rental and tips; dollars work everywhere, florins are not needed. A hat with a strap, because the wind takes the other kind. Water shoes if you go to Baby Beach or Mangel Halto, not needed at Eagle or Palm. Your ship card and a photo of your passport; you do not need the passport itself to leave the port.

Come back for a week

Most of our guests first saw Aruba from a ship. A port day shows you Eagle Beach at its busiest hour and Oranjestad at its most touristy. A week shows you Eagle Beach at 7 am, the turtles at Tres Trapi, Zeerover’s fried fish on a pier in Savaneta, the Natural Pool, and sunset from the lighthouse. The 7 day first timer itinerary is the version of this island the ship does not have time for.

Stay nearby

When you come back, Ocean View 2BR is on the Palm Beach strip with no car needed, Hideout Dream Big Suite and Hideout Happiness Suite are adults only near Eagle Beach, and Oasis Hideaway in Gold Coast has its own pool five minutes from Arashi. All four are at /stays/.

Questions people ask

Which beach is closest to the Aruba cruise port?

Surfside Beach, about a 15 minute walk south along the waterfront from the terminal. It is small and calm. For a big beach, Eagle Beach is a 10 minute taxi and Palm Beach about 15.

How much is a taxi from the Aruba cruise port to Eagle Beach?

Taxi fares are fixed by zone. From the port expect roughly $15 to $20 to Eagle Beach and $20 to $25 to Palm Beach for up to four people; confirm the amount with the driver before you get in.

Can you walk from the Aruba cruise terminal to town?

Yes. Downtown Oranjestad starts across the road from the terminal, 5 to 10 minutes on foot depending on your berth, and a free tram loops through the shopping streets.

Do you need a tour from the Aruba cruise port?

Not for the beach. A taxi or the public bus gets you to Eagle Beach or Palm Beach for a few dollars. Book a tour only for Arikok National Park or the Natural Pool, which you cannot reach otherwise in a port day.