“Rented a fine car with Europcar at Aruba Airport. The car was ready and both picking up and dropping off took less than 10 minutes.”
“"Good price compared with competition. Option to buy deductible-free coverage when selecting a car (car rental companies try to sell you this again for a large sum)."”
“Cheaper than booking directly with the same rental company. You can choose from renowned car rental companies.”
Oranjestad, the capital of Aruba, was built around Fort Zoutman which dates from the eighteenth century. The fort is one of the city's main attractions, together with the Willem III Tower and of course the duty-free shops.
The city has 35,000 inhabitants making it the island's largest city.
Oranjestad is located on Aruba's south coast, in the western part of the island. The bay on which the city is located is called Bay of Horses because in the old days many horses were shipped from Aruba to the neighboring Curaçao. Aruba lies in the Caribbean, just north of Falcon Peninsula which is part of Venezuela.
Oranjestad's port lies on a deep channel and therefore plays an important role in the import, export and transit of goods. Most commercial dealings are with countries in South America and the United States. For a long time, oil refinery was a pillar of the economy due to the vicinity of the oil country Venezuela. Most refineries have been dismantled, but there's one left: Coastal Oil Company. Tourism is the main source of income. It's a popular holiday destination (especially for Americans) and many cruise ships moor in the port. Aruba is also a financial center, aimed at offshore banking.
Aruba Queen Beatrix International Airport is situated almost 3 kilometers southeast of Oranjestad. It's easily reachable by rental car as it lies directly along the island's main road.
Minibuses run within the city and to the island's second city, San Nicholas. The company Arubus also maintains this connection and there are regular buses to several other places on the island. Buses run from 4 a.m. until 1.30 a.m.
Traffic in Oranjestad has increased significantly in recent years. Although the government has somewhat improved the infrastructure, there are still traffic jams in the city. Especially near the so-called Free Zone (duty-free zone) it can be extremely busy and difficult to find a parking place for your rental car. Oranjestad is the main junction of Aruba; the island's main road (road 1) runs south of the city.
Aruba is a popular holiday island and therefore has no shortage of accommodation. In the capital you'll find branches of international hotel chains, but also small family hotels. On the beaches you'll mainly find holiday resorts. Aruba draws tourists both in winter and in summer. We therefore advise booking your hotel room well in advance.
For more information about Oranjestad, we recommend Google and the following sources: