1. Summary 2. Highlights 3. Getting Here 4. History 5. Government 6. Money 7. Geography 8. Weather and Climate 9. Culture 10. Food 11. Accommodations 12. Education 13. Work 14. Communications 15. Health and Safety 16. Getting Around

anonymous

To see a list of all the great authors who have contributed to this article, as well as previous versions of this article, visit the page history.

edit Aruba Travel Guide

Aruba is a Caribbean|Caribbean island 15 miles north of the coast of Venezuela. The island is an autonomous dependency of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is 19.6 miles (30 kilometers) long and 6 miles (9 kilometers) across, at its widest point, with an area of approximately 70 square miles (184 square kilometers). This flat, riverless island is renowned for its white sand beaches. Its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean. The temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit).

edit Highlights

edit Getting Here

By plane

Aruba no longer has a national airline.
American Airlines is a popular carrier that schedules flights from the gateways of New York, Boston, Miami and San Juan. Other major carriers from the US include United (Chicago, Washington/Dulles), US Airways (Philadelphia, Charlotte), Continental(Newark,Houston) and Delta(Atlanta).

Beginning September 15, 2006, JetBlue Airways will begin daily nonstop lowfare flights between Aruba and New York/JFK airport.

Air 2000 flies charter flights from the UK, and KLM flights to Amsterdam connect to most of the rest of Europe. Avianca and Aires connect Aruba to Colombia.

Daily connections to Venezuela include Caracas, Maracaibo, Las Piedras and Valencia, by Aeropostal, Aserca, Santa Barbara Airlines and Avior.

By boat

edit History

edit Government

edit Money

edit Geography

edit Weather And Climate

edit Culture

edit Food

edit Accommodations

edit Education

edit Work

edit Communications

edit Health And Safety

The running water in Aruba is absolutely safe to drink; the island's desalination plant is the second largest in the world.

edit Getting Around

Cabs are available at the airport and at hotels. You can also rent a car or jeep at the Queen Beatrix airport or through the hotel concierge. Additionally there is a bus system called "Arubus."

Because Aruba is small consider not renting a car until you know what you want to do. Many activities are central to the resort area of the island and are within walking distance. Renting cars/jeeps are easy and many rental companies provide pickup service from area hotels.

Driving in Aruba

The most important thing to remember is that there are no turns on red. Also, there are several roundabouts, which can be frustrating to some drivers but are quickly gotten used to. Aruba uses international road signs, which generally have no words or obvious relation to their meaning. Happily tourist maps usually contain quick references to these road signs if you are unfamiliar.

The major road is LG Smith Blvd, on which people usually drive at about 40 mph, though that is a very rough guideline. Because the island is so small, everything of interest is close to everything else of interest, and it takes special talent to get lost - if you don't know where you're going, you can basically just keep driving, and statistically speaking you are likely to end up where you need to go eventually. it should be noted, however, that most of the roads are not identified by signage.