$101+ Cheap flights to Aruba

Aruba Travel Guide

There’s no shortage of happy people on flights to Aruba. Just knowing that the Aruba flight will land in a veritable paradise, a few miles north of Venezuela in the Dutch Antilles is enough to keep vacationers happy until their feet hit the warm, sandy beaches. It’s not just the vacationers booking flights to Aruba that keep this country jovial; seldom does a frown appear on the faces of natives, especially in February for the annual calypso Carnival.

What makes more than one million visitors a year who travels to Aruba so happy? You can’t beat the miles of white beaches, endless views of aquamarine ocean and year-round sunshine. In addition, there are superb resort hotels, gourmet restaurants, top class watersports activities, breathtaking diving and snorkeling opportunities, a championship golf course and 24-hour casinos. When booking your trip to Aruba, make sure you book hotel accommodations and reserve a rental car (if necessary) as Aruba tends to book up fast during its peak travel season. Cheap flights to Aruba and budget hotel accommodations can be purchased for travel during the rainy season. No matter when you visit Aruba, it’s likely you’ll be booking a return flight to Aruba before you even leave the country.

Aruba, one of the most popular islands in the Caribbean, welcomes almost one million visitors each year. The minute you step off your Aruba flight and drive to your hotel the long stretches of white sand beaches will take your breath away.

Oranjestad, Aruba’s capital, is where all the action is. It’s full of restaurants, casinos, nightclubs and shops and strolling through this small town is delightful. Dutch and Baroque architecture with a Caribbean twist are dotted along the streets and the bustling waterfront welcomes cruise ships, yachts and fishing boats, some that dock for a day, some that stay for months. A 20-minute walk west of Oranjestad is the beach town of Eagle Beach. There you’ll find a variety of accommodation from small boutique hotels to large all-inclusive resorts which tend to cater more toward the budget-conscious. Or, for those looking for a little more glitz and glamour, the next town after Eagle Beach is the swanky Palm Beach with upscale resorts along the famous Waikiki strip.

Getting to and around Aruba

The plane ride to Aruba might be calm, but touring the country can be a bit rough. The Arubus departs from Oranjestad to destinations through the island. Pay the bus driver as you enter, and hold on tight. Roads are poor in most of the country and the drivers can seem foolhardy to tourists. The service, however, is cheap and the buses connect with many of the beach resorts.

Taxis can also be taken from the town and main resorts.

To see much of the island, you’ll need to hire a car. Four-by-fours are recommended due to the bad roads. When booking your flights to Aruba, check out car rental rates. Many times, travelers can book both Aruba flights and car rentals for a budgeted price.

Tips for your stay in Aruba

• Most of the tourism in Aruba is concentrated round Oranjestad. To explore the island further, you’ll certainly need to rent a car or book a tour. If exploring on your own is more your style, check the rental rates for four-by-fours when you book your Aruba flights. Four-by-fours are necessary to get around town as the roads are poor. It’s well worth the effort to rent a car. On the North coast, you can visit a natural pool – a natural swimming hole created by an enclave of rocks from the sea – and enjoy the landscape with a coastline of rocks and crashing waves.
• Aruba has one national park, which covers approximately 20 percent of the island. Arikok National Park includes a lava formation, a quartz formation and a limestone formation as well as wildlife. There are also the oldest Arawak cave paintings on the island. Again, you will need a four-by-four to visit. Once you arrive you can continue off-roading, or follow one of the well-marked hiking trails.
• Aruba’s annual carnival is a popular event, which lasts for months, rather than just weeks. The event starts with the New Year celebrations on January 1 and carries on all the way through to Ash Wednesday. It’s a lively, colorful, buoyant couple of months, filled with dancing, music, floats and celebrations. Inevitably, it is also when many tourists visit the island, so if you are planning on arriving in this time make sure to book Aruba flights and accommodations well in advance.
• Oranjestad is the capital and the main arrival point for vacationers. Many tourists also choose to stay in Oranjestad. It’s also the point where the cruise ships arrive so the town can become very busy when a ship is docked. The town is where many of the excursions or water sports can be booked – snorkeling, windsurfing – even a trip in a submarine. Away from the beach, however, there are lots of museums, shops and restaurants to explore.
• To save money on lots of tourist activities, get a VisitArubacard, available from the tourist center. It offers money off on car rental, accommodations, entrance to water sports parks, restaurants, shopping and more.

Finding Flights from Aruba

The Queen Beatrix International Airport is the main hub for Aruba Airlines and Insel Air Aruba. These airlines offer flights to other destinations. There are many other airlines that provide services from Aruba including Avianca, Copa Airlines, Spirit Airlines, WestJet, Wingo and Sun Country Airlines.