How To Travel 3 Days in Aruba Itinerary

If your planning to spend 3 days in Aruba or more, here’s one of my complete travel itinerary with things to do, where to eat local and how to enjoy the most out of your vacation.

Relaxation is top priority when on vacation, but once your zenned out, the island awaits for you to be explored…

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Day One – Island Tour & Local Eats

Get acquainted with Aruba’s iconic landmarks with an island tour!

There are plenty of tour companies that offer different tour packages -half day, full day and private excursions. The guides are sure to show you the most beautiful spots, while they explain the history and culture behind it all.

You can also blaze your own trail through the desert terrain on the north side of the island by renting your own vehicle. (I recommend to rent a car to explore the island, even if it’s for a day).

You can easily visit popular landmarks, like the California Lighthouse, Alto Vista Chapel, Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins and Natural Bridge with a standard rental car. But you’re going to need a jeep to visit Natural Pool (Conchi), Daimari Beach or other similar attractions that have rocky trails.

Whether you discover the island in your own rental car, or by tour. It’s going to be a journey towards beautiful beaches, scenic coastlines, historic landmarks, and mysterious looking caves.

Explore the island, visit popular landmarks.

You’ve probably worked up an appetite for local cuisine after discovering the north part of the island.

Pikas Corner and Local Store are restaurants known to serve food with a local flair.

Pikas Corner has a menu with traditional Aruban dishes and snacks. Try their soup appetizers (sopi yambo), entrees like cucumber stoba, kerie-kerie or balchi pisca. For dessert order the locals favorite, bolo di cashupete (cashew cake).

Local Store has one of the best burgers on the island. They serve it with self made funchi fries and sriracha mayo sauce. Love craft beers? They also have them, and a lot of variety.

If you still have energy after exploring the island, head over to Bugaloe Beach Bar, for happy hour and live music (from 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM & 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM)

Sing along and dance to music and enjoy the special prices on drinks.

It’s okay to call it a night, if you’re feeling tired, because tomorrow morning is another day to explore the island.

Day Two – Snorkel, Happy Hour & Fine Dining

For the most important meal of the day, head over to Linda’s Dutch Pancake House to get a delicious Dutch style breakfast.

You can put different toppings on your pancakes – strawberries, apple, mango, whip cream, cheese, bacon and pepperoni. These are just a few of the options for toppings (gluten free and lactose free pancakes also available).

Or go to Bright Bakery for breakfast: coffee and traditional Aruban morning snacks, freshly made sandwiches, pastries, local spiced cakes (drigidek), sweet rolls, and donuts.  

After breakfast, it’s going to be the perfect time to go snorkeling.

There’s plenty of catamaran snorkeling excursions like Sail Away Tours and Tranquilo that will take you to popular snorkeling sites around the island.

Or bring your own snorkeling gear and beach hop to bays like Mangel Halto, Tres Trapi or Boca Catalina Bay.

Jump in, go snorkel…

Mangel Halto is known for clear blue waters, abundance of colorful fishes, sea horses, squids and manta rays.

Tres Trapi is known as “star city”, because of the amount of sea stars on the bottom of the ocean.

Boca Catalina Bay is also great for snorkeling, because of the variety of sea life – even turtles pass by here.

After snorkeling, take a stroll through the downtown area and shop for souvenirs at the Local Flea Market, hunt for unique art made by local artisans at Cosecha Art Gallery or find new items in the recently renovated Downtown Shopping Area.

What’s for lunch?

I recommend West Deck for a Caribbean inspired lunch, with an open view of the beach at Governors Bay.

They offer tapas and traditional local bites such as fried funchi with dutch cheese. Or try Aruban keshi yena, which is another local favorite.

Since you’re in the downtown area, take a stroll on the newly constructed linear park to one of the islands newest hangout spots – Surfside Beach Bar.

They have happy hour (from 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM) and also inexpensive rentals for beach chairs and parasols. Prices are $6.00 per chair – parasol are $4.00 each – two chairs and parasol is $15.00

Don’t forget to make dinner plans before happy hours ends.

Picking a restaurant for dinner can be tough, with so many dining options and high quality dishes. That’s why I recommend trying at least 3 new restaurants when on the island and continue from there.

Try a chic dinner in bed experience at Screaming Eagle (French fusion boutique-cuisine). Or make reservations at The Wine Room for a private wine tasting and a three course steak menu dinner. Or visit Mexico at Los Soles – a Mexican culture gourmet restaurant and sip powerful margaritas.

If you’re feeling lucky after dinner, try your luck at Excelsior Casino (largest poker room), Crystal Casino (carnival bingo every wednesday) or Alhambra Casino (slot machines and table games).

Day Three – Explore San Nicolas & Sunset Sail

Keep enjoying the local foods the island has to offer by visiting Don Pastechi Factory one of the best places to get pastechis in Aruba. It’s a fried pastry filled with different toppings like cheese, tuna, chicken and even pizza.

Or head south of the island for coffee, omelette, sandwiches, arepas, and mix your own smoothies at Antesala Cafe.

After breakfast keep going southeast of the island, to the district of San Nicolas, better known as the cultural heritage city of Aruba.

Once here you can discover over a dozen Murals painted by local and international artist. There’s also a Cosecha Art Gallery in the middle of the promenade that’s worth checking out if you like to buy more locally made art.

Artistic murals, worth checking out!

San Nicolas displays a lot of its history inside 3 of its museums.

Visit the Community Museum that has 2 rooms filled with antique items and memorabilia from the “old days” of Aruba.

There’s also the Museum of Industry which narrates Aruba’s industrial history.

If you are enthusiastic about miniature items, than you’d probably want to check out the private Train Museum which has the largest collection of trains, planes, automobiles and buses on the island.

In case you need a quick bite to eat, visit Mundi Health Cafe for wraps, salads, sandwiches and a some refreshments to keep you going through the day.

Now that your refeuled keep going south until you reach one of Aruba’s most precious bays, Baby Beach.

After taking in all the beautiful views at this side of the island, put on your fins and mask to go snorkeling with colorful parrot fishes, yellow soldiers and other nemos.

You’ve probably worked up an appetite after your snorkeling session.

Visit Kamini’s Kitchen if you want to experience home style curry food, seafood and vegetarian cuisine. Or try Oneil’s Caribbean Kitchen, for the best jerk chicken and oxtail on the island.

Before the sun hides away, step aboard a catamaran and sail the waters during sunset.

As the sun makes its way down, you’ll start reminiscing about your vacation so far, before you know it your planning for next 3 days in Aruba vacation. Aruba Sunset Catamaran Cruise – $57.00
from: Viator

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