Sights & points of interest
Lighthouses and chapels, boulder fields and caves with ancient drawings, gold-mill ruins and colourful murals — the places worth leaving the beach for.
7 places
1 Alto Vista Chapel
A small yellow Catholic chapel on a hill above Aruba's north coast, rebuilt in 1952 on the site of the island's first church, founded in 1750.
2 Ayo Rock Formations
Piles of giant diorite boulders near Ayo village where Aruba's Amerindian inhabitants left rock paintings — quieter than Casibari, with short walking paths.
3 Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins
Stone ruins of an 1870s gold-processing mill on Aruba's wild north coast — open ground, free, and fragile: walls are partly collapsed.
4 Fontein Cave
A limestone cave in Arikok National Park with Amerindian drawings on its ceiling, gated to protect them; enter with park staff during park hours.
5 Fort Zoutman & Willem III Tower
Aruba's oldest building, a fort completed in 1798 in Oranjestad, with the 1868 Willem III Tower; today home to the Historical Museum of Aruba.
6 National Archaeological Museum Aruba
Downtown Oranjestad museum on Amerindian Aruba, from 2500 BCE onwards, in the restored Ecury family complex. Open Monday–Friday 9:00–17:00.
7 San Nicolas Murals
More than 80 permanent murals by artists from 11 countries turn the former refinery town of San Nicolas into an open-air gallery, free to walk any day.
Day trip idea
The north coast in one day
- Morning — the California Lighthouse on the island's north-western tip, then the Alto Vista Chapel.
- Late morning — the Bushiribana gold-mill ruins on the rugged north coast.
- Afternoon — climb the boulders at Casibari, then see the rock drawings at Ayo.
- Sunset — back on the west coast at Eagle Beach.