Dominican Republic Hotels

Getting to/from

Map of the Dominican Republic - Getting to and from

Map of the Dominican Republic - Getting to and from

Getting to and from Dominican Republic and around once there: Below is a comprehensive guide to transport to from and around Dominican Republic covering the Buses, Taxis, Flights, Trains, Cycling, by Car and much more. Don’t forget to check out our other sections for details on Dominican Republic Hotels, Things to Do & Attractions in Dominican Republic, plus candid traveler photos and reviews. Use the search form to review and book hotels in Dominican Republic – at up to 70% off.

Transport – Dominican Republic:

By plane:
The main airports (in alphabetical order) are:
(AZS) Samana, also known as “El Catey”, located between the towns of Nagua and Samana on the north coast
(JBQ) “La Isabela” airport in Santo Domingo, mainly for domestic flights but also receives some flights from other Caribbean islands
(LRM) La Romana on the south east coast
(POP) Puerto Plata, also known as “Gregorio Luperon” on the north coast
(PUJ) Punta Cana International in the east, the busiest in the country
(SDQ) Santo Domingo, also known as “Las Americas” on the south coast close to the capital city Santo Domingo
(STI) Santiago also known as “Cibao International” in Santiago de los Caballeros (the country’s 2nd largest city)

You can get flights from Europe via Madrid (MAD) or Paris (CDG). From the US, you can fly from New York, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Philadelphia, San Juan, Atlanta or Charlotte. Most European and Canadian cities have charter flight connections, which operate seasonally.

Punta Cana Airport Dominican Republic - Getting to and from

Punta Cana Airport Dominican Republic - Getting to and from

You will be charged $10 for a tourist card on arrival. This must be paid in $US or EUROs (€). Local currency, GBP, etc, will not be accepted.A departure tax of $20 cash is payable on most charter and some scheduled flights. If you are flying on a US carrier, the departure tax is always included in the taxes when you purchased your ticket, so you will not have to pay anything when leaving.

Taxi fares to nearby hotels are posted just outside the airports.

Taxi from Airport to Santo Domingo (Ciudad Colonial): it is about $40 (official rate as of October 2008, but sometimes you can get it for around $25-30 Some independent hotels in the city may offer airport pickup for $30-$35. There are no hotel “courtesy shuttles” at the airport. This does not exist in the Dominican Republic.

At the airport, you can change your US$ and € in Dominican Pesos. But beware! You may not be able to exchange back local money to US$ and €, so do it before leaving.

By car:
Cars may be rented through Hertz, Avis, Prestige Car Rentals or other agencies in Santo Domingo and other major cities. Gasoline, however, is expensive often costing upward of US$3.50/gallon. Some roads, especially in remote areas, are fairly dangerous (often without lane divisions) and many people tend not to respect oncoming traffic. However, road conditions on most major highways are roughly similar to road conditions in the United States and western Europe. However, potholes and rough spots are not rapidly repaired and drivers must be aware that there are a significant number of rough spots even on some major highways. However, there are a number of very good roads such as DR-1 which is a four lane highway connecting the cities of Santo Domingo and Santiago and can be traveled with no trouble. Highway DR-7 is an excellent toll road opened in late 2008. It goes from just east of Santo Domingo north to near Sanchez. From there, you can go east to the Samana peninsula or west along the northern coast of the DR and costs about US $11. Probably the biggest challenge that an international visitor to the Dominican Republic will face if he or she chooses to rent a car is not so much dealing with automobile traffic, but rather avoiding accidentally running over pedestrians who cross poorly-lit streets and highways in the evening and nighttime hours. The best recommendation is not to drive after dusk. Outside of Santo Domingo, the motorbike (motoconcho) is an extremely common form of travel. If lost, you can hail a motorbike driver (motochonchista) and ask for directions. You will be taken to your destination by following the bike. A tip is appropriate for such help. Remember that many of these motorbike drivers look upon road rules as only recommendations. However, driving in the Dominican Republic should not be particularly difficult for experienced drivers from North America or Europe.

By boat:
There is a ferry that travels between Mayagüez in Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo in Dominican Republic. The website says the journey takes 12 hours, leaves Puerto Rico on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8PM, and arrives in Dominican Republic at 8AM the next morning.

For prices and bookings, visit the Ferries Del Caribe English websites.

NOTE: According to an artice on DiarioLibre.com, the ferry service between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic “temporarily” ceased on 15 April 2010 due to a conflict between the company Ferries del Caribe and the administration of the Port of Mayaguez.

Getting around the Dominican Republic once there:

Options for getting around the country include bus service, ‘gua-guas’ (pronounced “Gwa-Gwas”: small battered vans or trucks that serve as a collective taxi running fixed routes that are very cheap but can also be very overloaded), domestic air flights and charter air service. There is no rail system in the country. Most towns and cities have regularly scheduled bus service, if not by one of the big bus companies, than by gua-gua. The bus lines are most often simple, independently run operations, usually only connecting two cities within a region (Southwest, East, North) or between one city and the capital (with stops made for any towns on the route). Because of the geography of the country, to get from one region of the country to another you have to go through the capital.

Caribe Tours, based out of the capital, is the biggest bus company, and has coverage in most regions that are not well-served by the other ‘official’ bus companies. Unlike taxis and gua-guas, Caribe Tour rates are fixed by destination and are extremely reasonable due to government subsidies. Expect to pay under 250 pesos (Dom) or US$10 for even the longest trips. Caribe Tour buses typically run from 7AM to 4PM (with departures approx. every two hours) and cover most major cities. On longer trips, expect a short (10 minute) stop for coffee and lunch. Buses are fairly luxurious with movies playing for the entire trip and air conditioning (which can be extremely cold – bring a sweater). Another option is the slightly more expensive Metrobus bus company. Metrobus serves the northern and eastern part of the country. The ‘unofficial’ gua-gua system covers nearly every road on the island for some moderate savings (if you don’t mind being packed in).

In short, bus services across the country are comfortable and a good value. The buses are clean, air conditioned (bring sweater), usually play a VHS movie, and are pretty inexpensive, costing no more than $300 pesos one way cross-country (less than $10).

Taxi services are available but potentially dangerous when dealing with unlicensed drivers. In all cases, it’s a good idea to go with a licensed driver and negotiate a price for your destination before you leave. Good drivers are often easy to identify by licenses worn around the neck, uniforms, and clean air conditioned vehicles. When calling a taxi company, you will be given a number to verify your driver. When being picked up, make sure your driver gives you the right number as ‘false pickups’ are often a prelude to robbery.

Another way to get out and about is to book an excursion or transfers with Cocotours, one of the Dominican Republic’s leading inbound tour operators. Cocotours has offices in:
La Romana
Puerto Plata
Punta Cana
Samana.

Videos of Dominican Republic airport – Punta Cana:

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