Things to Do in Santo Domingo: 17 Must-See Spots for One or Two Days

There are several things to do in Santo Domingo and although many people leave the capital of Dominican Republic aside when putting together your itinerary, you should know that it’s one of the main places to visit on the Caribbean island.

Santo Domingo is located on the south coast of the island and has the country’s main airport, which is why it may be your entry to the Dominican Republic. I suggest that you devote at least one full day to walking down the streets of the historic center, though the ideal thing would be to spend two days visiting other valuable tourist places in the area.

In this article we want to give you some useful information so you can get an overview of the city, with the essential places to visit and things to do in Santo Domingo, both paid and free, so you can arrange your day-to-day, optimizing the time.

Is Santo Domingo worth visiting?

Of course Santo Domingo is worth it!

Why visit it? Because it’s one of the places with more history on the continent: It was the first European city in the New World and many examples of that time remain today in the colonial area of the city, such as the first cathedral and the first American castle.

How to visit Santo Domingo: hiring a tour or on your own?

Most visit Santo Domingo on a full day excursion from some beach near where you are staying, mainly from Punta Cana or Bayahibe. If this is your case, follow my advice and look at the following alternatives:

• Full day tour to Santo Domingo from your hotel in Punta Cana. ➥ BOOK IT HERE!
• Tour to Santo Domingo from Punta Cana with tickets and lunch ➥ BOOK IT HERE!

But if you want to explore Santo Domingo with ease, it’s better to stay one or two nights in the city and visit the touristic places on our own and even add one of the following tours of the colonial area:

• Take a one-hour tour on bicycle through the main points.➥ BOOK IT HERE!
• 6-hour tour with guide through Santo Domingo, passing through many sites of interest (which includes entrance to the Alcázar de Diego Colón and the Museo de las Casas Reales)➥ BOOK IT HERE!
• Private tour ➥ BOOK IT HERE!

⏩ Another option is to take this very economical guided tour of the colonial city.

Essential touristic places to see in Santo Domingo

The city was founded by the Spanish with the name “Nueva Isabela” in 1496, in honor of the Queen of Castile Isabel I, despite the fact that they had settled 3 years earlier. Later they renamed it “Santo Domingo”, in honor of the patron saint of Christopher Columbus’s father, Domenico Colombo.

The most beautiful thing to see in Santo Domingo is the colonial area of the city, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.

Here you will find most of the key places and historical sites that deserve a visit, while you walk through the streets packed with buildings from the early 1500s.

If you only have a few hours or less than a day in Santo Domingo, there are 4 places or monuments that are a must because they are the TOP of the city:

• The First Cathedral in America.
• Ozama Fortress.
• Alcázar de Colón.
• Independencia Park.

And that’s the bare minimum! Of course, it’s clear that you cannot see the capital of a
country in just a few hours (in that case, there are 3-hour tours that can be very useful or you can do a free walking tour).

Now let’s move on to things to do in Santo Domingo if you have one or two days in the city.

10 things to do in Santo Domingo in the colonial area

As I was saying, the main things are in the colonial zone. To give you an idea, the most important streets to go through in this area are Calle del Conde Street, Calle de Las Damas Street and Las Mercedes Street.

A good option to learn more about the history behind each place is to book a tour. I usually do the guided tours the first day I arrive in a city, because it helps me to orientate myself and get to know curious facts about the place for the following days.

So, let’s go on to list the sites that deserve a visit.

🛌🏾 And if you are going to stay in the city, make sure you read the article with the best areas to stay in Santo Domingo.

1. Catedral Primada de America, the cathedral of Santo Domingo

The first Cathedral of the continent, from 1512, in front of Parque Colón Park, former Plaza Mayor from the colonial era. It’s also the only one in Gothic style.

A few years ago Christopher Columbus’ remains were kept there until they were transferred to the lighthouse.

It is closed on Sundays and you have to pay an admission ticket which includes an audio guide.

2. Alcazar de Colón

The Alcázar de Colón or Palacio Virreynal of Don Diego Colón is the first fortified palace. It was the family home of Christopher Columbus’ son, and today it’s a museum: the Museo Alcázar de Colón, with exhibitions of art and period furniture.

The palace is in the Plaza de Armas o Plaza España, overlooking the river.

3. Ozama Fortress, a must-see in Santo Domingo

The Ozama Fortress, made of stone, is the oldest fort built by Europeans in America. It’s from the year 1502 and has a medieval tower that served to defend itself from the pirates, since there was a wide field of view of the river from there and the entrance to the sea.

Just a heads-up: the fortress is closed on Mondays. Your entrance ticket gets you into the fortress and the museum, which has some interesting exhibits. Each room has a video with explanations in Spanish and English.

4. See the historic buildings of Calle de las Damas Street

Calle de las Damas Street is the most touristic of Santo Domingo city and where most of the historical buildings are, since the first stone houses for conquerors and important characters were built there.

For instance, Hernan Cortés’ house is on a corner, where today the France Embassy works. And also in Calle de las Damas Street you can find the old residence of Santo Domingo’s founder in which the fantastic Hodelpa Nicolas de Ovando Hotel operates today.

It’s also worth entering the Panteon de la Patria Pantheon, where the remains of Dominican historical personalities are held, in a very picturesque building.

At the north end of the street you can find a small square with a sundial from the year 1753.

⏩Something atypical to be done on this street is a chocolate tour, which costs about 15 dollars. ➥ BOOK IT HERE!

5. Independencia park

This park is very important in Dominican history. Here it was declared Independence from Haiti in the year 1844 (because until that moment the entire island was under Haitian rule) and is Kilometer Zero of the Dominican Republic.

There are several historical sites to see here:

• Puerta del Conde.
• Puerta de la Misericordia.
• Altar de la Patria.

6. Tour around different squares and parks in the colonial area

Beyond Parque Independencia Park, there are other interesting squares and parks to see in Santo Domingo within the historic center and that you will frequently pass while walking around the center.

The most important are:

• Columbus Park.
• Plaza España
• Billini Park.
• Duarte Park.

In front of Duarte Park is the Dominican Church and Convent, which was built at the same time as the Cathedral.

⏩ Are you traveling to Santo Domingo in April? If you like to read, there’s an International book Fair held in the Plaza de la Cultura every April, which is the cultural center of Santo Domingo, though it is somewhat far from the historic center.

7. Stroll down Calle El Conde Street, the only pedestrian street in Santo Domingo

El Conde Street is one of the oldest streets in America built by the Europeans.

It’s exactly 1 kilometer long and the only pedestrian street in Santo Domingo. It begins at Puerta del Conde in Independencia Park and ends at the Stairs of the Count, which goes down from the colonial zone to the port.

On this street and in front of Parque Colón Park, the Palacio Consistorial building stands out and this is where the city council of Santo Domingo works.

8. Look for movie scenes in the colorful Calle Hostos Street

Hostos street seemed to me one of the most picturesque in the colonial area, because of the colors and its stairs.

It’s really understandable why it has been the scene of more than one movie.

The most important was The Godfather 2 by Francis Ford Coppola in 1974, with the brilliant performances of Al Pacino and Robert de Niro in which, in addition to various places in the colonial zone, you can see the steps area of Hostos street.

The area of Parque Duarte also appears in El Buen Pastor, the 2006 ‘s film directed by
Robert de Niro, and starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. You can also see the Duarte street corner with Billini.

This park used to be called Plaza de Anacaona, since it took the name from a woman who was hanged there in 1503, the Taíno princess Anacaona by Governor Nicolás de Ovando during the process of colonization. Cheo Feliciano was a Puerto Rican salsa singer whose hit was the Anacaona theme. You can listen to it on Youtube to add some nice vibes to your day 🙂 since you’re going to Santo Domingo!

9. Take photos in the Ruins of the San Nicolás de Bari Hospital

In Hostos street, which we talked about in the previous point, you can find the ruins of what was the first hospital on the island.

The site is quite photogenic, which makes it an ideal place and highly sought after to take pictures for Instagram.

10. Visit la Casa de la Moneda

I totally get that not everyone might be interested in this visit, but since it is something that we really enjoyed, it’s always a spot that we look for in any new city we go to.

As regards the Casa de la Moneda in Santo Domingo, it’s located in a colonial house reformed and it’s not one of the typical visits, but since 1972 it became the Dominican Numismatic Museum. So, you should give it a shot!

What to do in Santo Domingo outside the colonial zone (in the surroundings)

Stroll along the Malecon in Santo Domingo

George Washington Avenue borders the Caribbean Sea for 14 kilometers, which makes it an ideal walk by the sea.

If you walk along the boardwalk, I suggest that you deviate 100 meters from the coast, on Máximo Gómez Avenue, to appreciate the imposing Bellas Artes Palace.

Don’t miss the Obelisk either, situated on the same boardwalk in front of Parque Hostos.

👉 Are you traveling in August? Don’t forget the Merengue and Caribbean Rhythms Festival at the pier. My advice is to book your accommodation in Santo Domingo well in advance.

Visit Modelo Market

The Mercado Modelo is located just north of the colonial zone, in an area that doesn’t feel particularly secure.

It’s a typical place in the city with lots of small stalls where you can get food, handicrafts, and souvenirs at good prices.

⏩ This guided tour is a great way to explore the area outside the city walls. You’ll visit the Mercado Modelo, the boardwalk, Chinatown, and more with a knowledgeable guide. It’s a safe and enjoyable way to get to know this part of the city.

Visit the National Palace with its gardens

The National Palace is the seat of the national government, where the president works. It’s a very nice building from 1944 and can be visited free of charge from Monday to Friday.

The National Palace also appears in the film El Buen Pastor, which we already talked about, since they recreated a restaurant in the Belgian Congo there.

Columbus Lighthouse

It was built for the 500th anniversary of the Spanish arrival in the Americas and contains the remains of Christopher Columbus (although they are also supposed to be in the Cathedral of Seville, Spain). It’s shaped like a cross and a Mayan pyramid at the same time. It’s one of the most important places to visit in Santo Domingo.

⏩ If you’re looking to visit the Columbus Lighthouse, we suggest combining it with an excursion that includes Tres Ojos National Park. This excursion includes the lighthouse, the park, and a visit to the historic center, with entrance fees included.

Tres Ojos National Park

This National Park, with caves and three deep turquoise lakes that evoke Mexican cenotes, is about 3.7 miles from the colonial zone.

They are lakes that took thousands of years to form, as a result of erosion, and in the second of them, you can take a boat ride. It’s one of the places in Santo Domingo that is worth visiting if you have enough time, since the place is really attractive.

⏩ You can go on this excursion to Tres Ojos Park, although the best alternative is to do it together with the the Columbus Lighthouse ➥ Book the combined excursion here.

Santo Domingo at night

While Santo Domingo has a lively nightlife scene, we’re more laid-back and prefer exploring during the day (plus, we usually walk so much that we’re super tired by nightfall). In the evening, we like to check out a pub or two.

In Santo Domingo, we can recommend Sabina Pub in the Colonial Zone. If you enjoy a chill, bohemian atmosphere, you’ll love it.

Another popular spot in the Colonial Zone is Onno’s Bar, known for its good cocktails and delicious tacos.

Parada 77 is also a great option if you’re looking for tasty drinks and a place to dance to some good music.

⭐ If you’re into bachata or interested in learning how to dance, this tour will take you to the best bachata dance spots in the city

⏩ A great way to check out the best pubs and feel safe going out at night in Santo Domingo is to book a pub crawl. You’ll get to visit different bars and pubs around the city with a party guide, and the experience even includes a few drinks! ➥ BOOK IT HERE

What to do for free in Santo Domingo

Out of all the places we mentioned, there are several you can visit completely free of charge — perfect if you’re traveling on a budget. The museums or monuments with free admission are:

• La puerta del Conde.
• Cathedral.
• Patria Pantheon.
• National Palace.
• Larimar museum: Larimar is a semi-precious stone that can only be found in the Dominican Republic. It has a beautiful color range, from white to turquoise and deep blue. This museum is quite small, but it’s free to enter, and you can see (and buy) handcrafted items made with this stone while strolling through the historic district. It’s located at 54 Isabel La Católica Street.

What to visit near Santo Domingo: caves and beaches

There are some great spots on the outskirts of the city that make ideal day trips from the capital, depending on how much time you have.

⏩ Have you seen photos of Isla Saona? Although it’s better to make the visit from Bayahibe for a matter of distance, this tour goes to the island from Santo Domingo. ➥ BOOK IT HERE!

Bourbon or Pomier Caves

These caves with rock art are located 18 miles outside of Santo Domingo. They were recommended to us by locals, but we didn’t get a chance to visit since we were short on time (and to be honest, I’m not really a big fan of caves). If you’ve been, let me know in the comments what you thought!

Visiting the beaches

One of the best day trips from Santo Domingo is exploring the nearby beaches.

The city has Montesinos Beach, close to the historic district, but it’s not really a spot you’d want to spend a whole beach day at. Your best bet is to head out of the city center to visit some of the surrounding beaches, like Boca Chica. But that’s not the only option!

We have an article all about these beaches that I highly recommend checking out: the best beaches in Santo Domingo.

One or Two-Day Itinerary for Santo Domingo

Can you see Santo Domingo in just one day?

Yes, if you skip museums and avoid the farther attractions. Otherwise, it’s best to dedicate two days to explore the city.

If you’re staying in Punta Cana, you can visit the capital in a day with the following activities:

• A day in Santo Domingo departing from your hotel ➥ BOOK IT HERE!
• Visiting Santo Domingo from Punta Cana with tickets and lunch ➥ BOOK IT HERE!

Santo Domingo in 2 days

Day 1: Arrive in Santo Domingo and take this guided tour of the historic district.

Day 2: In the morning, visit the Three Eyes Park or one of the nearby beaches, and then in the afternoon, take a stroll along the boardwalk.

Map of Must-See Spots in Santo Domingo

In the map below, you’ll find the locations of the tourist spots in Santo Domingo that we’ve mentioned. You can zoom in to get a closer look at each site.

These have been the top things to see and do in Santo Domingo in one or two days. Would you add anything else? Let us know in the comments! If you found this helpful, please share the article on your social media. Thanks!

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