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Things to do in Aruba › Beaches

Best beaches in Aruba

Checked October 21, 2026 Shade, parking and what's on the shore from the sources for each beach; distances by road from the cruise terminal, rounded

Eagle Beach is the widest beach in Aruba, and Tripadvisor's 2026 Travelers' Choice awards put it #3 in the Caribbean. Palm Beach is the hotel strip. Arashi is where you snorkel from the sand, and Baby Beach is the shallow lagoon for kids. Below are 9 beaches that matter. Each comes with the distance from the cruise terminal, what the water does, where the shade is and which tours start there. One trade wind from the east decides everything else. The west coast is the swimming coast: calm, shallow a long way out. The east coast is the looking coast: white water over black rock, no swimming.

Which beach today

Best for swimming, snorkeling, or quiet

Best for swimming Eagle, Palm, or Baby Beach

The west coast sits in the lee of the trade wind, so these three are usually calm. Eagle if you want room and the fofoti trees. Palm if you want the bars, the piers and the water sports close by. Baby Beach if you have kids and don't mind 25 km each way.

Best for snorkeling from the sand Arashi, Malmok, Mangel Halto

Reef within a swim of the shore, no boat needed. Malmok and Boca Catalina have the best of it. Malmok's entries are rocky, and Boca Catalina has a small sandy beach. Arashi has reef, sand and a free lot.

Best for quiet Early mornings and no-ship days

Mornings are the quiet hour on every beach I know. On a ship day come early, because cruise tours stop at Arashi and Baby Beach too. Check which days have ships in.

Nine beaches

Beaches in Aruba, by distance from the cruise port

9 beaches with the sand, the water and the shade. Eagle, Palm and Arashi have pages of their own with parking, the shore and the tours that leave from there. Pick by the number that matters to you today.

Eagle BeachEagle Beach 5 km from the cruise terminal

The wide one, with the two fofoti trees everyone photographs. The low-rise hotels sit across the road, not on the sand, so the beach stays a beach. Free parking and public shade huts; come early for one.

 Palm BeachPalm Beach about 7.5 km from the cruise terminal

The strip: high-rise hotels on the sand, piers, water sports and calm, shallow water. Everything is at hand, including the crowds.

 Arashi BeachArashi Beach about 12 km from the cruise terminal

Past the strip, under the lighthouse. Free shade huts, a free lot, a beach bar and reef close enough to swim to from the sand. My beach, if you ask.

 Baby BeachBaby Beach about 25 km from the cruise terminal

Baby Beach is a sandy crescent around a shallow lagoon. You can wade here with small children. Free huts line the shore. Stay inside the lagoon because strong currents run through the opening.

 Druif and MancheboDruif and Manchebo about 3 km from the cruise terminal · in the table below

The first sand from the ship: the quieter stretch in front of the low-rise hotels between the port and Eagle Beach. The same water as Eagle, fewer people.

 Andicuri and Dos PlayaAndicuri and Dos Playa about 12 km to Andicuri from the cruise terminal · in the table below

The east coast: waves, current, black rock. UTV tours pass Andicuri on the north coast, and Dos Playa sits inside Arikok. You look here, you don't bathe.

 Boca Catalina and Malmok BeachBoca Catalina and Malmok Beach about 12 km from the cruise terminal

Boca Catalina is a sandy cove down a few steps from a free lot, and Malmok is a strip of sand in the rock 500 m south. The catamarans anchor right here, and you snorkel the same water from the shore.

 Mangel Halto BeachMangel Halto Beach about 12 km from the cruise terminal

A small beach in the mangroves of Pos Chiquito, with a reef across the bay. Beginners snorkel in the shallows beside a wooden dock. The outer reef is for strong snorkelers on a calm day. Public beach huts and the mangroves give the shade.

 Flamingo Beach, Renaissance IslandFlamingo Beach, Renaissance Island boat from Oranjestad

The resort's private island with flamingos on the sand. Not a public beach: you need a day pass, released on Saturdays at 9 a.m. for the week ahead.

Compare

Aruba beaches at a glance

The same 6 things for every beach. Sort them in your head by the one that matters today.

Beach Swimming Snorkel from shore Shade Parking On the shore
Eagle Beach 5 km from the port
 calm no fofoti trees and shade huts, some hotel-only free lot Passions on the Beach, bars across the road
Palm Beach about 7.5 km from the port
 calm, shallow no hotel palapas free spots, paid lots bars, restaurants and water sports on the sand
Arashi Beach about 12 km from the port
 calm yes, from the sand free shade huts free lot beach bar, chair and gear rentals
Baby Beach about 25 km from the port
 shallow lagoon yes, in the marked area huts free snack stand and a grill
Druif and Manchebo about 3 km from the port
 calm no hotel palapas roadside hotels
Andicuri and Dos Playa about 12 km to Andicuri from the port
 no, waves and current no none dirt lot, park none
Boca Catalina and Malmok Beach about 12 km from the port
 sand at Boca Catalina, rock at Malmok yes, from the shore a few free huts free lots no bar, no rentals
Mangel Halto Beach about 12 km from the port
 calm in the shallows by the dock yes, from the deck beach huts, mangroves along the road no bar, no rentals
Flamingo Beach, Renaissance Island boat from Oranjestad
 calm no palapas resort boat resort bar

Distances by road from the Oranjestad cruise terminal, rounded to the kilometer, measured along OpenStreetMap roads. Shade and facilities as read on October 21, 2026.

Good to know

People also ask

  • Which beach is closest to the cruise port?

    Surfside, about a 15-minute walk from the terminal. Of the beaches on this page, Druif and Manchebo come first at about 3 km by road, then Eagle Beach at 5 km. A taxi is a fixed rate, and the bus is $2.60 along the coast road. Palm Beach is about 7.5 km.

  • Can you snorkel from the beach in Aruba without a tour?

    Yes, on the north end. The catamarans anchor off Boca Catalina and Malmok, and you can swim in from the shore. Arashi has reef close to the sand, and Mangel Halto in the southeast works too. Bring your own mask or rent one at Arashi.

  • Is Baby Beach worth the drive?

    With kids, yes: the lagoon is shallow and sheltered. Keep them close and snorkel in the marked area. Without kids it's 40 minutes each way for a beach that's calmer, not prettier, than Eagle. Pair it with a jeep tour that stops there.

  • Which beach is best on a cruise-ship day?

    Come early wherever you go. Cruise excursions stop at Arashi and Baby Beach too, so no beach is off their map. The ships page tells you which days have ships in.