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Eagle Beach or Palm Beach? Pick Eagle Beach for space, low-rise calm and the best odds of seeing turtle nests. Pick Palm Beach for water sports, beach bars and a busy, social strip lined with high-rise resorts. They sit next to each other on Aruba’s west coast and share the same bus line, so you can easily do both. This guide puts them side by side, then matches each beach to the kind of day you’re planning.

Eagle Beach or Palm Beach: quick answer

  • Eagle Beach: The widest beach in Aruba, backed by low-rise hotels. Quieter, more room to spread out, and where most of the island’s turtle nests are.
  • Palm Beach: About two miles of sand in front of high-rise resorts, with piers, water sports concessions and beach bars.
  • Water: Both are on the calm Caribbean side and good for swimming.
  • Shade: Eagle has public shade huts that go early; on Palm Beach most palapas belong to hotels.
  • Getting there: Arubus Line 10 serves both, $2.60 a ride as of October 2026.

Eagle Beach vs. Palm Beach, side by side

Eagle Beach Palm Beach
Sand Widest beach in Aruba, about a mile long About two miles long, narrower
Hotels Low-rise, many across the road High-rise resorts on the sand
Feel Open, relaxed Busy, social; Aruba’s busiest beach
Water sports Some on offer; jet skis use one small zone Concessions along the whole strip
Food and drink Hotel restaurants and spots across the road Beach bars, restaurants, two malls
Free shade Public shade huts and shaded areas (limited) Palm trees; palapas mostly for hotel guests
Turtles Most of Aruba’s nests Nests uncommon
Parking Ample public parking Ask your hotel
Bus Arubus Line 10 Arubus Line 10
Signature sight The fofoti trees Piers and beach bars

For the full rundown of each beach on its own, read our Eagle Beach guide and our Palm Beach guide. Below, we go topic by topic.

Panorama of wide white sand on Eagle Beach with low-rise buildings and palm trees behind
The width of Eagle Beach, with low buildings set back from the sand. Photo: Jörg Lößl, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons

Sand and space

This is the clearest difference. The Aruba Tourism Authority calls Eagle Beach the widest beach on the island, and AFAR’s 2022 beach guide describes about a mile of soft white sand. You can walk a long way from the road to the water, and even on busy days there’s room between groups.

Palm Beach is longer: the tourism board describes a two-mile strip, and AFAR says more than two miles. But the resorts sit close to the water, so the sand between pool decks and the sea is narrower and feels busier.

Choose Eagle if you want to spread out a towel without neighbors. Choose Palm if you’d rather be a few steps from a bar, a pier or your room.

Hotels: low-rise vs. high-rise

Eagle Beach is lined with low-rise hotels, and many sit across the road from the sand rather than on it. That keeps the skyline low and the beach open.

Palm Beach is the high-rise strip, in the Noord district about 6 km (3.7 miles) northwest of Oranjestad. Its history explains the look. According to Wikipedia’s Palm Beach entry, a government land lease was canceled in 1958 to make way for hotels. The beach was registered under its current name in 1960.

Panorama of Palm Beach with high-rise resort buildings behind a line of palapas and calm water
Palm Beach’s high-rise resort strip. Photo: Serge Melki, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Crowds and atmosphere

AFAR’s guide calls Palm Beach Aruba’s busiest beach, with little solitude, and the tourism board admits it can feel crowded. It also calls Palm Beach the island’s entertainment hub, and if you want a lively scene with bars and people around you, that’s a plus.

Eagle Beach is calmer, though the tourism board still notes it gets busy in high season and suggests skipping weekends for fewer people. One local tradition changes the picture: during Easter week, Aruban families camp on Eagle Beach, so expect tents and a festive, crowded scene then.

Water sports

Palm Beach is where the activity is. The tourism board lists water sports concessions along the beach, and its beach roundup mentions kite and windsurf lessons and stand-up paddleboarding. AFAR notes that surfing is the one thing you won’t find. Just past the Marriott at the north end is Hadicurari. The tourism board calls it the most popular spot in Aruba to learn windsurfing and kitesurfing, with very shallow, calm water; our windsurfing and kitesurfing guide explains how lessons work.

Eagle Beach has water sports too, but fewer. AFAR points out that jet skis sometimes run through one small zone at one end, and the swimming is calm past it. If you want to swim without boat traffic, walk away from that stretch.

Palm Beach also has piers along the strip; the tourism board names two. If a snorkel sail or sunset cruise is on your list, check where it boards, since many trips leave from this stretch of coast.

Food and bars

On Palm Beach you can eat and drink without leaving the sand. Two bars from the tourism board’s June 2025 beach bar roundup are on this strip. MooMba Beach Bar is known for its sign and sunsets. Bugaloe Beach Bar & Grill sits over the water, with live music and karaoke. Next to the hotels are two malls, Paseo Herencia and Palm Beach Plaza. For more, see our list of the best beach bars in Aruba and the Aruba nightlife guide.

Eagle Beach is quieter on this front. None of the bars in that roundup is on Eagle Beach. Food is mostly in the hotels and across the road. The tourism board’s Eagle Beach page lists Mangos Restaurant, Po-Ke Ono, Omakase Japanese Sushi Bar and Pizza Bob’s within about a mile. Bring water and snacks for a long day.

Shade: who gets it and how

Shade is where the two beaches differ most in practice. Eagle Beach has public shade huts and shaded areas, but they’re limited. On busy mornings, people often claim the free palapas very early, sometimes before sunrise.

On Palm Beach, the palapas in front of the resorts are usually reserved for that hotel’s own guests, and the palm trees give patchy shade at best. If you’re not staying there, you’ll rent shade or bring it.

Thatched palapas under tall palm trees on Palm Beach in early morning light
Palapas and palms on Palm Beach. Photo: Ginelly.Q, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Bringing your own umbrella works, but the east trade wind blows almost every day, and a hand-planted umbrella can lift out of the sand on a gusty afternoon. Our umbrella delivery vs. set-up comparison covers that trade-off.

Going with Eagle Beach? Reserve an umbrella and chairs on Eagle Beach, set up from 9 AM, $120 a day, all in. The set is on Eagle Beach only, not on Palm Beach.

That’s one umbrella and two beach chairs, waiting on the sand under your name from 9 AM to 5 PM. Two people sharing pay $60 each. The set stays in the same spot on Eagle Beach every booked day.

Wind and water

Both beaches are on Aruba’s Caribbean side, and both usually have calm water for swimming. The tourism board describes Palm Beach’s water as calm enough for swimmers and snorkelers.

The wind is the same on both: Aruba’s trade wind blows from the east almost all the time. Long-term airport climate normals put the average at about 17 mph, strongest in June and lightest in October and November. The kites you’ll see off the north end of Palm Beach are a good gauge of how hard it’s blowing.

Wide beach with umbrellas and people standing in shallow water on Aruba's west coast
Shallow, calm water on Aruba’s west coast.

Sea turtles: Turtugaruba and nesting season

If turtles matter to you, Eagle Beach wins easily. The tourism board says most of Aruba’s turtle nests are on Eagle Beach, and its turtle guide points to the low-rise hotel area there for nesting and hatching. The same guide calls nests on Palm Beach uncommon, noting only a few in 2012.

Four species nest in Aruba: leatherback, hawksbill, green and loggerhead. The tourism board gives nesting from March through September and hatching from May through November. Turtugaruba, the island’s sea turtle conservation group, describes the season as March through December.

  • Give marked nests room, and never walk inside the barricades.
  • Keep lights off on the beach at night, including phone flashlights and flash.
  • Take chairs, umbrellas and toys off the sand when you leave.
  • Report nests or hatchlings to Turtugaruba’s 24/7 hotline, +297 592 9393.
Leatherback turtle hatchlings climbing out of a nest in the sand on Eagle Beach
Leatherback hatchlings leaving a nest on Eagle Beach. Photo: Elise Peterson, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Getting there

  • Bus: Arubus Line 10 runs from the main station in Oranjestad, across from the cruise terminal, to Eagle Beach and on to Palm Beach. A single trip is $2.60 per person, cash on board; a retour is $5 and a day pass $15 (as of October 2026).
  • Car: The tourism board lists ample public parking at Eagle Beach. Parking on Palm Beach depends on where you go; ask your hotel.
  • Taxi: Fares are fixed by the government. Carry cash in small bills; card payment may be possible when you book through the official taxi app. For the ride in from the airport, compare a taxi with our private airport transfer.

Since one bus line links them, a split day is easy: a quiet morning on Eagle Beach, then lunch and a sunset drink on Palm Beach. Our getting around Aruba guide has more.

Paved promenade and bike path beside Eagle Beach with a beach information sign and palm trees
The promenade along Eagle Beach. Photo: Rarends297, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Which beach for which kind of day

  • A long, lazy read under an umbrella: Eagle Beach.
  • Photos at the fofoti trees: Eagle Beach, early, before the line forms.
  • Paddleboarding or a kite lesson: Palm Beach and Hadicurari.
  • Lunch and cocktails without leaving the sand: Palm Beach.
  • A boat trip from the pier: Palm Beach.
  • A turtle-season evening walk (lights off): Eagle Beach.
  • A cloudy hour or a shopping break: Palm Beach, with the malls behind it.
  • Sunset: both face west; see our best sunset spots in Aruba.

Still comparing? Our ranking of the best beaches in Aruba shows how both stack up against the rest of the island.

FAQ

Is Eagle Beach or Palm Beach better?

It depends on your day. Eagle Beach is wider, quieter and lined with low-rise hotels. Palm Beach is busier, with high-rise resorts, bars and water sports.

Is Eagle Beach less crowded than Palm Beach?

Usually, yes. Palm Beach is Aruba’s busiest beach, while Eagle Beach has more room. Eagle still gets busy in high season and during Easter week.

Which beach has more free shade?

Eagle Beach, which has public shade huts, though they’re limited and go early. Most palapas on Palm Beach are for hotel guests.

Where do sea turtles nest, Eagle Beach or Palm Beach?

Mostly Eagle Beach. Nests on Palm Beach are uncommon. Call Turtugaruba at +297 592 9393 if you see a nest or hatchlings.

Can you get from Eagle Beach to Palm Beach by bus?

Yes. Arubus Line 10 stops at both. A single ride is $2.60 per person in cash, as of October 2026.

Want a guaranteed spot on Eagle Beach? Reserve an umbrella and chairs on Eagle Beach, set up from 9 AM, $120 a day, all in. The set is on Eagle Beach, not on Palm Beach.

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