What to Pack for Aruba: A Tested 7-Day Packing List

Pack Aruba for one week and you need light clothes you can rinse and re-wear, mineral sunscreen that meets the island’s oxybenzone ban, water shoes for the rocky snorkel entries, and one outfit a step smarter than the beach for dinner. Everything else is optional. I flew Amsterdam to Oranjestad with KLM for a week on the island, split my stay between two very different hotels, and packed more than I wore. This is the corrected list, with the items I would take again and the ones I would leave at home.

What Aruba’s weather means for your suitcase

Aruba’s weather makes the suitcase simple: warm, dry and windy all year. The Aruba tourism board puts year-round temperatures between 27°C and 32°C (80°F to 90°F) and average annual rainfall at just 18 inches (about 460 mm), with the rainy season running October to December. When rain does arrive it usually passes in a short afternoon shower rather than settling in, so a compact umbrella beats a rain jacket.

The trade winds are the part travellers misjudge. They blow almost constantly, which is why 30°C on Aruba feels far less oppressive than 30°C somewhere still, and it is also why people burn: the breeze hides the heat on your skin, so you stop noticing that you are sitting in strong Caribbean sun. The wind also decides two packing choices for you. A hat needs a chin strap or a snug fit, and anything long and loose will fly. Aruba sits well south of the Atlantic hurricane belt, so a September or October trip does not need the contingency planning other Caribbean islands ask for.

What to wear in Aruba

Wear light, loose, quick-drying clothes by day and one step smarter in the evening. Aruba is a resort island with a dress code that is relaxed but not absent, and the gap between beach and dinner table is what most packing lists get wrong.

Daytime clothes for a week on Aruba

The 8 daytime items below cover a week without over-packing.

1. Swimwear: 2 or 3 sets. One dries while one is worn, and a third means you never put on a damp suit.
2. Tops: 5 to 7. Cotton and linen blends breathe, and the higher number suits a week of walking rather than resort-hopping.
3. Shorts or skirts: 3. Enough to rotate without carrying a week’s worth.
4. Dresses: 2 or 3. Above-the-knee for the day, one longer one that also works for dinner.
5. Cover-up: 1. A pareo, kaftan or rash guard, which the tourism board recommends for sun protection rather than modesty.
6. Cardigan or shawl: 1. Restaurants and casinos run their air conditioning cold.
7. Underwear for the week. Fewer bras than you think, for the reason in the Pro Tips below.
8. Sun hat: 1. Wide brim for shade, secure fit for the wind.

What to wear to dinner in Aruba

Dinner on Aruba is smart casual rather than formal, and beachwear does not travel to the table. The tourism board’s own guidance recommends light evening wear, says casual silk or linen dresses and slacks will do, and adds a light jacket, sweater or shawl for air-conditioned restaurants and casinos. In practice that means a sundress or a linen shirt and chinos, closed shoes or dressy sandals, and no swimwear at the table. Two evening outfits carried me through a week, worn twice each. Our guide to Aruba restaurants covers where those evenings are worth having.

Shoes to pack for Aruba

Three pairs cover Aruba, and a fourth is usually dead weight. Sandals you can walk in handle the whole day, since the island is warm enough that closed shoes rarely make sense before dark. Water shoes matter more here than on most Caribbean islands, because the tourism board specifically recommends them for Aruba’s rocky and pebbly beaches and the popular snorkel entries on the north-west coast are exactly that. Trainers cover the trails in Arikok National Park, a horse ride or a long walk, and dressy flat sandals cover dinner. I wore the same pair of Teva sandals every day and barely touched anything else, which is also why the socks I packed came home unworn.

Sun protection you have to get right on Aruba

Aruba bans sunscreen containing oxybenzone, so the bottle in your bathroom cabinet may not be legal to bring. Aruba’s parliament passed the ban in November 2019 and it took full effect in 2020, covering the import, sale and use of oxybenzone sunscreens, because the chemical damages coral. Mineral formulas with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as the active ingredient are the reliable choice, and the island’s own tourism site recommends mineral-based sunblock alongside lip balm with sunblock and after-sun products.

Buy the mineral sunscreen before you fly rather than counting on finding your usual factor on the island, and read the active ingredients rather than the front label, because “reef friendly” is a marketing phrase with no legal definition. The official advice is to reapply often, especially between 10am and 3pm. After-sun is the item people skip and then miss: only one of the two hotels I stayed at put body lotion in the room, and after a full day of sun, salt and sand, skin wants more than a shower.

Electronics, plugs and staying online in Aruba

Aruba runs on 127 volts at 60 Hz with Type A and Type B sockets, the same flat pins used in the United States. American and Canadian travellers therefore need no adapter at all. Travellers from Europe, the UK and Australia need a US-style plug adapter, and this is the one piece of kit that spoils a trip if it stays on the kitchen table.

One adapter is enough if it carries a US Type B output alongside its European, UK, Swiss, Italian and Australian pins. That is the shape I carry, in the form of the OREI M8 universal travel adapter. An adapter changes the plug shape and not the voltage, so check that anything you bring reads 100-240V on its label. Phone chargers, laptop bricks and camera chargers almost always do; European hair dryers and straighteners built for 230V only usually do not, and hotels on Aruba supply a dryer anyway.

For data, an eSIM is simpler than hunting for a local SIM at the airport. Aruba data eSIMs install on the phone before you leave home, and Airalo sells them with code HARRY5578 taking €3 (about $3, £3) off a first plan. An eSIM covers one phone, so a couple needs either two plans or one phone acting as a hotspot for the other. Bring a power bank and more cable than you think, because a day of photos, maps and a beach playlist drains a phone faster at 30°C than it does at home.

Bags and how to organise a week’s packing

Two bags cover a week on Aruba: a checked case and one day bag you actually use on the island. My carry-on was an Eastpak Provider backpack holding the electronics and the flight kit, and I did not open it once after landing. That is normal, and it is fine as long as you know it in advance and do not waste space on a third bag.

Inside the case, packing cubes do the job that matters on a beach trip: they keep the sweat-and-sunscreen laundry away from the clothes that are still clean. By day four everything I had worn was sandy, salty and greasy with sunscreen, and one dedicated cube turned repacking into a ten-minute job. Mine are the Eagle Creek Pack-It Specter cubes, which weigh almost nothing and come in a set of three sizes.

For the flight itself, a chin-supporting pillow and foam earplugs are the two things that make a transatlantic leg survivable. I fly with a J-Pillow travel pillow and Mack’s Ultra Soft foam earplugs, and our guide to long-haul flight essentials covers the rest of that kit. One bag you can leave at home is a beach bag, because the Aruba Tourism Board handed me one on arrival and most hotels lend them.

Documents and money to sort before you fly

Aruba’s paperwork is done online before departure, and the airline checks it at the gate. Every visitor, including infants and children, must complete the Embarkation and Disembarkation card (ED-card) at edcardaruba.aw. The ED-card can be submitted within the 7 days before travel, it is free to complete yourself, and it returns a QR code that airlines check on departure and border control scans on arrival.

A $20 (about €18, £16) Sustainability Fee is charged through the same ED-card platform for visitors arriving by air. The fee has applied since 1 July 2024, children under 8 are exempt, it is payable once per calendar year, and only credit cards are accepted. Pay it online before you travel, because it cannot be settled on arrival.

Three more things are worth sorting before you leave.

1. Passport and a return or onward ticket. The tourism board lists both as entry requirements.
2. Prescription medication in its own packaging. Prescriptions written by doctors abroad are generally not honoured at Aruban pharmacies, and foreign health insurance is not accepted at the counter.
3. A credit card and some US dollars. The Aruban florin is the local currency, and US currency and cards are widely accepted alongside it.

Travel insurance for Aruba

Travel insurance covers what a packing list cannot, from a cancelled trip to a hospital visit on an island where payment is expected in cash or by card. Cover can still be arranged after a trip has already started with SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance, which is the practical difference from most policies if you only remember it at the airport.

What I over-packed for a week on Aruba

I packed roughly a third more clothing than I wore, and the pattern is easy to repeat. I assumed I would sweat through an outfit a day, so I packed one per day plus dressier evening options, then came home with several tops unworn and one dress that never left the case. Two more dresses were worn once each.

Bras were the clearest mistake, because I wore a bikini under my clothes almost every day. It is more comfortable when you are sweating, and it means you can strip and swim without a trip back to the room. Socks were the second mistake: with sandals on every day, the only pair I needed was the one I flew home in. The two things I was most glad to have packed were the laundry cube and a bottle of after-sun, and neither appears on a standard Aruba packing list.

Where to stay on Aruba

Stay in Oranjestad at the Renaissance or off Palm Beach at the Boardwalk, the two hotels I split my own week between. They sit at opposite ends of the scale, and both have changed since my visit.

The Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort has its own marina, shopping mall and casino in Oranjestad, plus a private island reached by water taxi where flamingos wander the beach. The resort splits into an adults-only Marina Hotel and the family-friendly Ocean Suites. Our full review of the Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino covers the island day and the poolside evenings. Check availability and prices.

The Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba is the opposite: 49 standalone casitas in a former coconut plantation off Palm Beach, most with a kitchen or kitchenette, a hammock and a barbecue on the patio. The Boardwalk is now adults-only, 18 and over, so it is no longer an option for families. Our Boardwalk Hotel Aruba review has the detail. Check availability and prices.

A casita with a kitchen changes the list, because you can do laundry, buy groceries and cut a couple of outfits from the case.

Getting around Aruba

A hire car is the practical way to reach the parts of Aruba that are not the hotel strip, such as Arikok National Park, the north coast and the quieter beaches at the southern tip. The island is small enough that a car for two or three days of a week is usually enough, with taxis and the Arubus service covering the rest. Prices at Queen Beatrix International Airport vary a lot between the local and international desks, and DiscoverCars compares them in one search. Pack a small dry bag or a waterproof phone pouch if you are driving to the wilder beaches, because the wind carries sand and there is nowhere to lock a phone at Arikok’s coastal stops.

Tours and day trips on Aruba

Aruba’s paid activities cluster around the water and the national park, such as catamaran snorkel trips to the Antilla wreck, UTV runs through Arikok, sunset sails and horse rides along the coast. Book the water-based ones early in your week, because weather then leaves you a second chance.

Most operators supply masks, fins and buoyancy vests, so a full snorkel set is rarely worth the suitcase space. What does earn its place on a tour day is a rash guard, water shoes, a hat with a strap and a towel of your own, since boat towels are not guaranteed.

Aruba packing FAQ

What should I pack for 7 days in Aruba?

Pack 2 or 3 swimsuits, 5 to 7 light tops, 3 shorts or skirts, 2 or 3 dresses, a cover-up, a cardigan for air conditioning, a sun hat, sandals, water shoes and trainers. Add mineral sunscreen, after-sun, insect repellent, a power bank, packing cubes and a plug adapter if you are not travelling from North America. That fits comfortably into one small checked case.

Is Aruba too hot for jeans?

Jeans are wearable on Aruba in the evening and uncomfortable in the middle of the day. Daytime temperatures of 27°C to 32°C (80°F to 90°F) plus humidity mean denim holds heat and dries slowly once you sweat through it. Linen trousers or chinos do the same job at dinner and weigh less in the case.

Do you need water shoes in Aruba?

You need water shoes on Aruba if you plan to snorkel or swim away from the main resort beaches. The tourism board recommends them for the island’s rocky and pebbly stretches, and the north-west snorkel entries are stony underfoot. Palm Beach and Eagle Beach are soft sand where flip-flops are fine.

What sunscreen is allowed in Aruba?

Sunscreen without oxybenzone is allowed in Aruba, and mineral formulas using zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are the safest choice. The ban covers the import, sale and use of oxybenzone sunscreens, so buy a compliant bottle at home and read the active ingredients rather than trusting a “reef friendly” claim on the front.

Do I need a plug adapter for Aruba?

You need a plug adapter for Aruba if you are travelling from Europe, the UK, Australia or anywhere else that does not use flat American pins. Aruba uses Type A and Type B sockets at 127 volts and 60 Hz, so US and Canadian devices plug straight in. Check that your devices are rated 100-240V, because a plug adapter changes the pin shape and not the voltage.

What should you not bring to Aruba?

Leave behind oxybenzone sunscreen, single-use plastics, formal clothing and heavy rain gear. Aruba banned plastic bags in 2017 and extended the ban to all single-use plastics, including cups, straws and polystyrene food boxes, on 1 July 2020, so a reusable bottle and a tote are more useful than anything disposable.

WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips

The 5 tips below come from a week on Aruba split between two hotels, and from re-checking the island’s current entry rules, and none of them appears on a standard packing list.

1. Wear a bikini instead of a bra during the day and halve your underwear. I did this almost every day on the island: it is more comfortable when you are sweating, and it lets you go from lunch to the water without a trip back to the room. It was the single biggest thing I over-packed.
2. Pay the $20 (about €18, £16) Sustainability Fee with the ED-card, not at the airport. Both are done at edcardaruba.aw within the 7 days before you fly, only credit cards are accepted, and the fee cannot be paid on arrival. Children under 8 are exempt, and one payment covers a full calendar year.
3. Pack after-sun, because your hotel may not supply it. Only one of the two hotels I stayed at left body lotion in the room, and after a day of sun, salt and sunscreen it is the thing you want most.
4. Bring insect repellent for the evenings, not the days. I met almost no mosquitoes on Aruba during the day, but sitting out by the pool at the Boardwalk after dark was a different matter, and the spray earned its place in the bag.
5. Give dirty laundry its own packing cube from day one. Sand, salt and sunscreen get into everything on a beach week, and separating worn clothes as you go turns repacking from a chore into a ten-minute job.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, and the first-hand packing notes here come from the week she spent on Aruba, flying Amsterdam to Oranjestad and splitting her stay between the Renaissance in Oranjestad and the Boardwalk’s casitas off Palm Beach. The team covers Aruba for independent travellers, including the hotels, restaurants, tours, car hire and travel gear worth booking, and updates this page when entry rules, fees and product picks change.