What to see and do in Santo Domingo

Walking the streets of Santo Domingo means breathing in the living history of the Americas, reflected in the buildings of the first European settlement in the New World. La Catedral The first in the Americas, the Alcázar de Colón and the Museo de Casas Reales are examples of this colonial architecture. But it also means discovering a modern city full of life, with its Esplanade, El Conde street, the Gazcue neighborhood and the Columbus Lighthouse, with art galleries, shopping centers and gastropubs moving at the pace of bachata. 

Sports and nature lovers may also enjoy very Dominican activities such as going to a baseball game at Quisqueya Stadium or visiting the exotic underground museum in the Los Tres Ojos Park. Below are places you must visit in this lively and surprising city, declared in 1990 a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The Colonial Area of Santo Domingo is one of the signs of the identity of the Dominican Republic and its main tourist attraction. Beyond its extraordinary beauty, this labyrinth of cobblestone alleyways housing palaces, churches, castles and Spanish forts is also one of the best displays of the first Spanish city in the Americas. 

Columbus Park (presided over by his statue) is the center of the colonial city and one of the busiest places, thanks to its pleasant shade and lively terraces. The space, surrounded by exceptional displays of colonial architecture, is presided over by the Basílica Menor de Santa María de la Encarnación, also known as the First Cathedral of the Americas. 

La Catedral The First in the Americas, it is the first large religious center of the Americas and one of the last gothic cathedrals in the world. Inspired by Castilian temples, like the cathedrals of Sevilla and Las Palmas on Gran Canaria, the Dominican cathedral is the most medieval of the great temples of the Americas, and it remains in almost perfect condition. The gothic, dark interior contrasts with its spectacular plateresque facade.

At the end of Las Damas street, whose name refers to the elegant Spanish ladies who strolled down this road for years in their finest clothing on Sunday walks, is the Museo de las Casas Reales. It is an excellent example of the transition from gothic to renaissance. This building housed the old offices of the crown, built at the beginning of the 15th century. Today it displays important documentary treasures, maps and numerous works of art that summarize the more than three centuries of Hispanic presence on the island. 

Nature lovers are in luck, since just eight kilometers to the east of Santo Domingo is Los Tres Ojos National Park. In this tropical environment, you can visit the underground caverns, used by the indigenous peoples as a shelter and ritual center. After going down a set of stone steps, a series of paths lead to three freshwater lakes, blue and iridescent. You can also visit a fourth lake on a barge surrounded by majestic rock formations that make for magnificent outdoor scenery. The tour can be taken on your own or by hiring a guide at its facilities. It is important to know that as a measure of environmental protection, swimming is prohibited in the park.  

In the Dominican Republic, baseball is much more than a sport: it is a passion without limits, a show of love and unity among brothers. There is no better way to experience this devotion than by going to Quisqueya Stadium, the home of the Tigres del Licey (blue) and the Leones del Escogido (red), to enjoy a live game in an atmosphere of authentic national celebration. The professional baseball season goes from the middle of October to the end of January. At www.lidom.com you can find information about the game schedule and buy tickets. 

Excursions are always a good reason to escape from the busy city. At the hotel itself you can sign up for this one-day excursion to two emblematic destinations in the Dominican Republic: Cueva de las Maravillas and Altos de Chavón. The tours usually start at the cave, the first natural museum in the West Indies on rock art, with well-conserved Taino pictographs and petroglyphs that date back thousands of years. Next, just 30 minutes away by car, is the architectural wonder of Altos de Chavón, a Mediterranean villa from the 16th century on the Chavón river with small centers of artisanal production, where you can acquire beautiful traditional pieces. The Altos de Chavón Archeological Museum has one of the most complete collections on indigenous culture in the Dominican Republic. 

From Santo Domingo you can take a catamaran trip to Isla Saona, a protected nature reserve with an area of 110 km2 and part of the Cotubanamá National Park. After a wonderful journey, with stops in Palmilla, a stretch of white sand with a large natural pool, and Mano Juan, the only populated area on the island, you can enjoy the show of starfish and sea turtles in its shallow waters. Its coasts are so beautiful that large productions such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Blue Lagoon were filmed there. Fifty kilometers from Santo Domingo is another lovely place to visit, the municipality of Baní. It stands out thanks to its cuisine, especially sweets, made with fig, coconut, milk, guava and cherry. Its most popular festival is the Banilejo Regional Carnaval, celebrated on the last Sunday in March.