Oranjestad

Oranjestad wears the Dutch Caribbean look at full volume: rows of gabled colonial facades painted mint, mango, coral and lime along Main Street and the harbour front, with a free open-air streetcar running the length of the shopping strip. Fort Zoutman, the island's oldest building, sits a block back with the Willem III tower attached and the historical museum inside. The National Archaeological Museum covers the Caquetio and earlier peoples of the island. Around it all is a working port city with cruise berths, which means the centre swings between crowded and quiet depending on the day.

History

European settlers set up small plantations along the south coast and in the flat north-west from 1754, and from 1795 or 1796, as trade restrictions eased, traders and craftsmen moved to the village by the bay, Paardenbaai, with Governor Johann Lauffer's permission on condition that their goods came from Curaçao. Sephardic Jewish traders with close links to Curaçao helped make it a trading hub, chosen over Commandeursbaai at Savaneta for its better access for ships and because settlement east of Hooiberg was still forbidden (Wikipedia, Oranjestad).

What you'll find

• The pastel gabled facades - the Dutch Caribbean streetscape on Main Street.
• Fort Zoutman and Willem III tower - the island's oldest structure and museum.
• The free streetcar - the open tram along the main shopping street.
• National Archaeological Museum - Caquetio and pre-Columbian collections.

When to go

Year round in Aruba's steady dry climate. The town is liveliest when cruise ships are in and calmest when they are not - the port schedule is public and worth checking. Carnival season from January to February fills the streets with parades.

Practical notes

Much of central Oranjestad is duty-free shopping aimed squarely at cruise passengers, and the pastel architecture is a thin and partly reconstructed layer over that. It can be seen in a couple of hours. Prices in the centre are high. The genuine local town life happens further out, and San Nicolas at the other end of the island is more interesting culturally.

Nearby

Eagle and Palm beaches north, the airport and the road to Arikok.

Key facts