Visiting Aruba and Planning your itinerary
Visiting Aruba offers the perfect blend of relaxation and adventure, making it easy to craft a memorable itinerary. Start by exploring the island’s famous white-sand beaches, then balance your time with activities such as snorkeling, sailing, or off-road tours through Arikok National Park. Plan early mornings for sightseeing to avoid crowds and heat, and reserve evenings for sunset dining. Renting a car gives flexibility to discover hidden gems, from natural pools to local eateries but there are several tours you can do without needing a car. With thoughtful planning, you can experience Aruba’s vibrant culture, stunning landscapes, and laid-back charm without feeling rushed.
When I traveled to Aruba in January 2026, I stayed for 6 days and this was my itinerary. I hope it inspires you on what you can do for your visit to this incredible island!
Aruba itinerary
Day One
Flight to Aruba that landed in the afternoon. In order to get into Aruba as an American citizen, you need to do an e-card that cost $20 prior to arrival. This makes the customs very easy to go through on the opposite side. There are taxis lined up to take you to hotels it cost about $35 to get to the Palm Beach area. Palm Beach was a great place to stay as so many dining options, snorkel and boating tours and things to do within walking distance. We headed straight to our hotel which was the Radisson Blue Aruba we were able to check in on arrival and had an amazing room with a living room and kitchen. We got into our swimsuits and headed to the rooftop pool where we watch sunset we walk to a local restaurant for dinner.
Day Two
In the morning, we went to Santos for breakfast and had great coffee as well as some egg and cheese sandwiches. After that we took our chance heading to the beach. Everything we read about our hotel was that you had to arrive early in order to get beach chairs. When we got there, this was the case as there were no open chairs. However, we lucked out and a couple got up and we were able to claim their beach chairs. We sat there for just a couple of hours and then head back to the hotel to prepare for our afternoon catamaran tour. We went on the Delphi Catamaran Cruise this we booked on Get Your Guide, but we had to walk to where it went from which was on Palm Beach. After we checked in, a small boat brought us to the catamaran. The catamaran was an incredible experience. It was open bar and had some snacks, including a small wrap and some fruit. On it, we stopped at two snorkel spots one was at a sunken ship, and the second was in a more open area where we were able to see sea turtles. Unfortunately, at the first stop I did get stung by a jellyfish. Also on the boat, there was a waterslide and a rope swing. It was such a beautiful day. After we got back from the catamaran, we walked along the beach back to our hotel. We were going to sit on the beach for sunset however, the sun was directly on us, and after being in the sun from the catamaran, we decided to head back to the hotel instead, we hung at the pool and then got ready for dinner and went out for dinner at Kalin’s Mexican Cuisine.
Day three
One of the things I really wanted to do was see the iconic flamingos. Flamingo Beach is part of the Renaissance Hotel. It can be visited if you are a guest there but also by buying a day pass or buying a spa package. After doing research on it, I decided that the spa package with my friend made the most sense. They offer a two person massage with or without a meal and a drink and a boat ride to flamingo island. We decided to capitalize on this and make a whole day trip of this. We arrived at the spa to check in and took the boat over. We were able to clean chairs easily and walk around the island with very little people there. Our massages were at 10:15 and after that we rested on the beach and then had the lunch with a drink after. We rested the rest of the day at the beach, taking pictures with flamingo, swimming, and using the floats that are included with your day trip to Flamingo Island. We also got drinks at the beach bar. We stayed until sunset and caught the boat back and then grabbed a taxi back to our hotel. We went to a local dinner after we got home. Check out my full guide HERE!
Day Four
Today was our day to relax on the beach. Knowing how the beach chairs were, we decided to head to the beach first thing in the morning. When we asked the front desk, they said to get there even before the chairs go out. When we got there, we were at first relieved, thinking that we got there before anyone else, and then realized that there was a line for the chairs. We did secure chairs however they were in the second row we were able to enjoy the morning on the beach. We walked down to Eduardo’s Beach Shack to get breakfast smoothies. The beach chairs are in front of mambo Beach so we were able to get some drinks and swim and relax in the water in the afternoon. We headed back to the pools and then got ready to meet up with some friends who also were in Aruba for sunset drinks on our rooftop pool as well as going out to dinner at Quinta Del Carmen.
Day Five
Today we did a day tour over to Arikok National Park, which is on the opposite side of the island. Our trip also stopped at Baby Beach where we were able to snorkel and relax on the beach. Since our tour was on a Sunday, we started first at Baby Beach because the tour guide said it got very busy on the weekends later on in the day. There was a lot of parking in a big parking lot there. There was mention of sea turtles. The snorkeling was great just from the shore we saw tons of fish however, I did not see a sea turtle.
Next week started driving into the national park. These jeep tours are extremely bumpy, but it is a really cool way to experience and see this part of the island. It is very desert and with interesting rock formations along the coastline. We stopped and walked in a cave to see some hieroglyphics, bats, and other bug life, such as cockroaches and centipedes that live in the cave. After that, we stopped at a place where fish can give you fish pedicures. After that, we stopped at the Natural Pool (Conchi), which was a very cool experience. They do recommend water shoes which I did bring. However, my friend did not bring any water shoes and was able to do this barefoot. When we got back, we had some downtime, showered and got dressed to catch sunset down on the beach of MoomBa Beach. We were able to secure front row seat and grab some drinks for the sunset. After that we headed to the Italian restaurant- Patrizia’s of New York.
Day Six
Our flight wasn’t until 5:50 PM. We had to check out of the hotel by 11 AM and then we sat by the pool for the day. We had lunch swim and relaxed by the pool. We then got our bags and changed into our airport attire and held a taxi to the airport. The Aruba airport has strict regulations about when to arrive to the airport as they are doing renovations on their terminal. On arrival we went through customs fairly quickly and grabbed a drink while we were waiting for boarding the plane, the flight landed back in DC around 9:20 PM to which I had another hour to drive home from there.
Tips
What to Bring
I packed in a light carry on. Must haves included swimsuits, sunscreen, cover ups, sunglasses, dresses, sandals. I also brought some work out clothes and sneakers. I took all pictures with my phone. I forgot my waterproof case for my phone which was a big bummer so couldn’t capture any snorkeling pictures.
What I also wish I brought was some hydrocortisone cream- I got stung by a jellyfish and boy was that itchy- would have loved to have that cream handy!
Do the tours
I highly recommend seeing the Arikok National Park, visiting Flamingo Beach and doing a snorkeling tour. I felt all these were well worth it and a great way to see the island.
Stay in Palm Beach
We got this recommendation from a friend who has visited Aruba often and I can now agree that this is an ideal place to stay. There are so many restaurants, bars and shops in walking distance. The beaches are white sand and stunning water. There is so much to do just from shore- boat rides, parasailing, tubing, etc.
Plan your Itinerary to Aruba
If you haven’t made it to Aruba yet, consider this your inspiration to go. It is beyond beautiful and you will not be disappointed. There is so much to do on this island. I highly recommend the tours and activities I did while here. There are also so many amazing restaurants. This island will not disappoint!
