Picturesque houses of Oranjestad - Aruba

Oranjestad is a dutch colonial town and in dutch it actually means Orangetown

Oranjestad is Arubas capital city and it is more popular by shoppers then tourists that just want to see known places of Aruba. The island is also an important cruise port. Town is full with colonial Dutch buildings that are in vibrant colours. Most of the buildings are not original, they were renovated and designed to look similar as the original buildings in the colonial era. The main square of the town lies right next to the waterfront and around it there are many restaurants, marinas, shopping centers, bars and coffeshops. A very popular shopping streets called Caya G.F. Betico Croes lies also close to the waterfront just couple of streets inland.
Schooners and fishing boats are all packed and docked in the harbor. Seaport Marketplace is another big shopping mall located on the other side. If you want to have a nice walk you need to see Queen Wilhelmina Park, this park is named after Hollands reigning monarchs. Its a beautiful park with amazing view on picturesque fishing boats, rich tropical flora, vegetation in general and nice lawn. For people who are into culture, Oranjestad offers plenty of galleries, museums and all kinds of churches.

Oranjestad is a dutch colonial town and in dutch it actually means 'Orangetown'. Town is located near the western end of the island on the southern coast, natives known Oranjestad under the name Playa. Nearest island to Aruba is Curacao and on this island the typical dutch colonial architecture is less visable then on Aruba. There are some new buildings on Aruba such as an outdoor shopping center in Royal Plaza on the Main Square and close to the Main Street. Oranjestad was built in 1796 and at first it was only known as the town on the Bay of Horses. The name came because a lot of natives raised and bred horses for the island of Curacao. One of the main sightseeing places in town are harbour, the towns fort and located next to the fort there is also Willem III Tower.
In 1820 the name was conferred on the city, the whole town was named after the first Dutch King, he was also one of the first heirs of the Dutch House of Orange. You'll find all of the main offices and government buildings of Aruba in the capital city. In any time of the year Oranjestad is a vibrant melting pot of tourists from all over the world that come to Aruba to get a little bit of tropical paradise that island has to offer.