Things to Do & Attractions in the Dominican Republic

Things to Do in Dominican Republic: Dominican Republic Hotels travel guide on the best things to do in Dominican Republic. Have a look below for more details on Dominican Republic Attractions, restaurants, nightlife, bars, clubs, events and shopping.

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Top things to do and Attractions in Dominican Republic:

There are many great attractions in the Dominican Republic for all ages from the active to those who just want some leisure. You can swim with dolphins and understand our closest animal to the human being. You can swim with Sting Rays, learn to snorkel, experience first hand fishing and catch yourself a real life huge catch. Laze by the beach and so much more – below are just some ideas to wet your appetite. Many of our hotels also have all inclusive packages which include the use of much of their equipment. Use the search form to view our range of hotels and the amenities available there. You can also review on the specific hotels the traveler reviews of what they liked about each particular resort.

Cathedral of Santa Maria
City/Region: Santo Domingo
Inside the Colonial City stands the oldest cathedral in the western hemisphere, built in 1523 and still in use. Its mix of late Gothic and Renaissance elements provide a beautiful example of Spanish Renaissance architecture, with its golden coral facade and Gothic interior. Its walls have seen a great deal of history, including the coming of Sir Francis Drake who captured Santo Domingo in 1586 and held the town for ransom. He made the cathedral his headquarters.

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Colonial City
City/Region: Santo Domingo

The historic enclave of
Santo Domingo, known as the Colonial City, covers only one square mile (3 sq km), but inside the walls are dozens of historical buildings and sites, including palaces, forts, museums, and churches; and parks, plazas, statues and monuments. A walking tour of these fascinating buildings takes at least three hours through cobbled streets where once walked Christopher Columbus, Fernando Cortez and Francis Drake. The main street, Calle Das Lamas, is the oldest street in the New World. Must-sees include the House of Cord, the oldest European building in the Americas, where Diego Columbus, son of Christopher, once lived; and the Alcazar Palace, now a museum, built in 1514.

Columbus Lighthouse Monument
City/Region: Santo Domingo
The most modern memento to Santo Domingo’s status as the oldest European city in the Americas is a mammoth structure built on the eastern shore of the Ozama River in the early 1990s to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ arrival in the New World. The building is 693ft (211m) long and built in the shape of a cross at a 45-degree angle. It houses what the Dominican Republic claims are the remains of Columbus himself and is fitted with intense lights which project the image of the cross into the sky at night. The monument was designed by English architect J.L. Gleave, who won an international competition for the design after 455 plans were submitted by architects from 48 different countries. The building is also the repository for numerous documents and artifacts associated with the early Spanish colonial times.
Address: Av. España
Phone Number: (809) 591 1492
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 5.30pm
Admission: RD$20 (adults), RD$5 (children under 11)

Spend time with Dolphins in the Aquarium Dominican Republic

National Aquarium
City/Region: Santo Domingo
About a mile east of the Columbus Lighthouse monument is sited what is claimed to be one of the better aquariums in the Caribbean. The aquarium contains a variety of marine life from angelfish to sharks, but its star resident is ‘Tamaury’, a manatee rescued as a baby off the coast of Barahona. The aquarium is equipped with a clear glass sea-tunnel that makes viewing the enclosed sea life an awesome experience.
Address: Av. España 75, Sans Soucí
Phone Number: (809) 766 1709
Email Address: info@acuarionacional.com
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9.30am to 5.30pm
Admission: RD$40 (adults)

Plaza de la Cultura
City/Region: Santo Domingo
The vast green square in the heart of Santo Domingo serves as the city’s cultural and artistic showcase, being fronted by a cluster of four museums, as well as the National Theater. The museums are the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of History and Geography, the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Dominican Man. The National Theater runs a full program of opera, ballet, music and drama productions.

Los Tres Ojos National Park
City/Region: Santo Domingo
This unique park, on the east bank of the Ozama River, is a surreal experience for visitors. The park is actually a series of huge natural caves on different levels, containing fresh water lagoons. One is a sulphuric lake rumoured to be bottomless, which is contained in a volcanic crater. The caves are festooned with stalactites and stalagmites. The pre-Columbian Taino Indians used the site for religious ceremonies.
Address: Av. Las Américas
Phone Number: (809) 472 4204
Hours: Daily 8am to 5pm
Admission: RD$50

Dominican Republic Hotels - Boca Chica

Boca Chica
City/Region: Santo Domingo
A popular escape from city life is provided by the small seaside town of Boca Chica, a 25-minute drive east of Santo Domingo on the Avenida de las Americas. The resort was developed by a wealthy industrialist around one of the best swimming beaches on the coast, and boasts crystal-clear calm waters, a yacht club and marina, golf course and some excellent seafood restaurants.

Amber Museum
City/Region: Amber Coast
Resort Name: Puerto Plata
An attractive Victorian building in the center of Puerto Plata on Duarte Street houses the Amber Museum, showcasing a unique collection of valuable Dominican amber. According to experts the amber found in this region is the most transparent, and therefore the most valued, in the world. The substance, classified as a semi-precious stone, is actually tree resin that has hardened across millennia, often enclosing fossils of plant and insect life. The museum offers guided tours in several languages, and has a shop where a full selection of Dominican amber jewelry can be obtained.
Address: 61 Duarte Street
Phone Number: (809) 586 2848
Email Address: info@ambermuseum.com
Website: www.ambermuseum.com
Hours: Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm; guided tours available

Mount Isabel de Torres
City/Region: Amber Coast
Resort Name: Puerto Plata
Towering over the city of Puerto Plata is the 2,600ft (792m) Mount Isabel, providing a popular tourist attraction. Visitors can take a seven-minute cable car ride up the mountainside to explore the summit, which offers a botanical garden and a cruciform Christ statue. There is also a restaurant from which diners can enjoy breathtaking views of the city and coastline.
Hours: Thursday to Tuesday 9am to 5pm
Admission: RD$6.25 (adults), RD$2 (children)

Brugal Rum Factory
City/Region: Amber Coast
Resort Name: Puerto Plata
No visit to the Dominican Republic north coast is complete without savouring the local drink of choice, which is Brugal rum. In Puerto Plata visitors can enjoy a brief tour of the distiller’s bottling operation (actual production takes place elsewhere) and end the experience with a sample. The factory produces more than one and a half million liters of white and dark rum each year.
Hours: Tours are conducted Monday to Friday 9am to 12pm, and 2pm to 5pm
Admission: Free

Catch a Fish in the Dominican Republic

Fuerte San Felipe
City/Region: Amber Coast
Resort Name: Puerto Plata
Puerto Plata’s only remnant of the Spanish Colonial days is a small fort, situated on a small peninsula in Puerto Plata Bay. The fort, featuring a moat, and a collection of historical artifacts in a small museum, was built by Columbus after his arrival in 1492, when he hoped to establish the first Spanish colony in the New World at this spot. The colony did not survive, however, and eventually the Spanish resettled on the south coast at Santo Domingo. To the east of the fort is an Oceanside road known as the Malecon, which features numerous cafes and roadside vendors. It is a popular promenade for walks beside the beach.
Admission: RD$46

Samana Peninsula
City/Region: Amber Coast
Jutting out into the Atlantic like a finger is the beautiful Samana Peninsula to the east of the island, a remote area with deserted white sand beaches, palm forests and clear, calm waters. Hidden towns and fishing villages, brightly painted Dominican homes and a Mediterranean-influenced atmosphere characterize the communities here. Dominating the interior are mountain passes negotiated by winding roads that offer magnificent views, lush vegetation and cool waterfalls. The Samana Peninsula is also known for the migration of Humpback whales between January and March every year to the sheltered warm waters along its coast.
Website: www.samana.net

Wing Kite Surfing and Rafting in the Dominican Republic

Wind- and Kitesurfing plus Rafting
Cabarete is ranked as one of the top ten windsurfing destinations in the world and Cabarete Bay is the capital of windsurfing in the Caribbean. The conditions are also fantastic for kitesurfing or kiteboarding, and international competitions for both sports are held here every year. Kite Beach is considered to be the best place in the world for kitesurfing. Consistent easterly trade winds blow across the bay year round and are light in the morning to suit beginners, while stronger winds whip up the waves for
more experienced wind- and kitesurfers in the afternoons.

The reef surrounding the bay provides protected and flatter waters within the bay, as well as wavy conditions for wave jumping on and outside of it. In winter the winds tend to be lighter, but waves are at their biggest, while summer provides flatter conditions and stronger winds. Numerous wind- and kitesurfing schools and centers offer lessons as well as equipment for rent.

You also have the ability to do Rafting in the Dominican Republic too – Most of the kayaking and whitewater rafting trips are done on the turbulent Rio Yaque del Norte, near the mountain resort of Jarabacoa. Most excursions open to the general public are Class III, but a little rain can make a big difference in the highlands!

tarting at 8,500 feet in the Cordillera Central mountains and running for more than 150 miles down to the Bahía de Montecristi on the northwest coast, where it empties into the sea, the Yaque del Norte is the most important and impressive river in the Dominican Republic. Adventurous travelers know it as the most popular venue in the country for whitewater rafting. Depending on the time of year and how high the river is, rapids here range from mild class II to more wild-and-woolly class IV.

The village of Jarabacoa is the only entry point for rafting expeditions, though tour operators will pick you up at your hotel in resort towns along the north coast (or even Santo Domingo) in the early dawn hours and return you there by early evening. The actual river trips themselves last from four to five hours. Highlights include drops such as the “Mike Tyson” – so called for the way rafts dizzy around after being punched by particularly intense water surges – and the “Toilet,” created by whirling cascades of water. These waterborne rollercoaster rides are led by experienced guides who also have the job of keeping rafters focused on the task at hand – getting down the river – and not distracted by the stunning tropical scenery on both sides of it.

Three of the top rafting outfitters are Cabarete-based Iguana Mama (☎ 800-849-4720 from US, 809-571-0908, fax 809-571-0734, www.iguanamama.com), Jarabacoa-based Rancho Baiguate (☎ 809-574-4940, fax 809-574-6890, www.ranchobaiguate.com), and Jarabacoa-based Rancho2Rios (☎ 809-574-6080 or 809-696-8694, rancho2rios@hotmail.com). No prior experience is necessary but age and fitness requirements vary among the outfitters (Rancho Baiguate, for instance, has a minimum age of 12). Trips run about US $75, including lunch.

Smaller than the Río Yaque del Norte, the tributaries of Ríos Jimenoa and Baiguate in the Cordillera Central offer a more intense challenge than the Yaque for technical kayakers, with frequent class V runs. Neither river offers rafting.

Rancho Baiguate (☎ 809-574-4940, www.ranchobaiguate.com), the biggest tour operator in the area, and its affiliate, Get Wet (☎ 809-586-1170), which operates along the north coast, run extreme kayaking adventures here, by request. Excursions average about US $65.

Golf
The Dominican Republic is the golfer’s Treasure Island. First putting an x on the Caribbean golf map when Teeth of the Dog course opened in 1971 it has been a destination among golfers since. Its re-discovery, in terms of new courses and golf resort and community development, has only been unearthed in the last few years. But the exploration isn’t over as tourists can now wander the fairways of championship courses for days. The Punta Cana Resort is the island’s most famous with course designers such as local legend Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus. A host of equally luxurious resorts have ocean view holes and tropical foliage lined fairways from famed names such as Nick Faldo and Robert Trent Jones Sr. International Association of Golf Tour Operators bestowed the honor of “Golf Destination of the Year for the Caribbean and Latin America” to the Dominican. Summer months can get too hot for midday tee-offs but resorts give discounts to the hardy souls who make the voyage.

Nightlife in the Dominican Republic:

Nightlife and Partying Bars Clubs in the Dominican Republic

Choice varies from discos and casinos to cafès and festivals. Hotels offer more traditional shows, including folk music and dancing. Popular dances are the inescapable merengue, played at head-shaking volume almost everywhere; bachata (a less frenetic, guitar-based genre becoming very popular across the country); son (a slow-dance imported from Cuba and especially prevalent in the capital); perico ripiao (a type of merengue); and salsa. The Malecón, Santo Domingo’s long waterside boulevard, is known for its nightlife. Concerts and other cultural events are often held at the Casa de Francia and Plaza de la Cultura in Santo Domingo.

Beer- Presidente, Brahma, Bohemia
Rum- Brugal, Barcelo, Bermudez (Called the Three B’s of Dominican Rum)
Mama Juana- a mixture of bark and herbs left to soak in rum, red wine and honey.

Additionally, other imported drinks are available for purchase–at least in the towns and cities–they might not be as readily available out in the countryside.

Do not drink tap water! Locals, even in the most rural areas, will either boil their water or purchase bottled water. Eating salads or other food that may be washed in tap water is not advisable. Ice is a bad idea as well, except in luxury hotels and restaurants (which produce ice from bottled water). If you plan on cooking or washing dishes for longer stays, it is a good idea to rinse everything with bottled or boiled water before use.

Shopping in the Dominican Republic:

Best buys are products made on the island including amber jewellery and decorative pieces. These are a national speciality; some pieces encase insects, leaves or dew drops within the ancient petrified pine resin. Larimar or Dominican turquoise is another popular stone. Milky blue and polished pink pieces of conch shell are also made into jewellery. Rocking chairs, woodcarvings, macramé, pottery, Taino artefacts, Creole dolls, baskets, limestone carvings and CDs of salsa and merengue also make good buys. Bargaining is recommended, and in most cases expected.
Shopping hours:

Mon-Sat 0800-1200 and 1430-1830.

One of the best spots in the Colonial District of Santo Domingo to shop is the several blocks long outdoor mall, El Conde street. It offers everything from street vendors (it is not recommended to eat off these) to knock-off name brand clothing for extremely inexpensive prices. There are some very pleasant outdoor restaurants that serve as perfect spots to people watch and drink Presidente (their most popular beer). During the day, there are also several touristy shops where you can buy cheap presents for the family back home including authentic paintings and beautiful jewelry. There is also a very nice cigar shop at the end of the mall across from the cathedral. Clothes, however, are generally very economical and often of good quality. Most prices can be negotiated. US dollars are accepted in most areas.

Dominican Republic Things to Do Video:

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