Details About Santo Domingo

Destinations » Caribbean » Caribbean - Southern » Santo Domingo


A great place to begin your explorations is the nation's capital, Santo Domingo, an enchanting city uniting modern sophistication, old world charm, and Latin charisma. This throbbing metropolis seduces you with superb dining, vibrant night life, and fashionable shopping. It is the first European city in the Western Hemisphere, and a large part of its rich colonial heritage is preserved in a unique enclave beside the Ozama River called the "Colonial City."

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Attractions

Beyond its handsomely preserved colonial past, Santo Domingo's cultural and artistic vitality is showcased in its vibrant theaters and concert halls and its galleries galore. The palaces of the Colonial City have become fascinating museums, but the aptly named Plaza de la Cultura a vast, green oasis in the heart of the city clusters four museums as well as the National Theater, home to concerts, ballet, opera and theatrical performances.

Adventures

There is a wider range of sports in the Dominican Republic than on any other island of the Caribbean. There are the traditional sports of golf, tennis, polo, scuba diving, snorkeling, all kinds of watersports, horseback riding, skeet and clays shooting, deep-sea fishing, sailing, bicycling, bowling, and parasailing. There are the ecosports for adventurers such as trekking, hiking, rafting, tubing, canyoning, caving, mountain biking, camping, paragliding, and cascading. Then there are the spectator sports of baseball, international polo, horse racing, boxing, basketball, volleyball, windsurfing, powerboat and sailing competitions, cockfighting, motocross, and car racing.

Shopping

A very favorable exchange rate makes shopping for colorful handicrafts and other locally produced products a great bargain. Most popular are the amber (brought to world acclaim in the hit film Jurassic Park) and larimar semi-precious stones. Other favorite items are wicker, rattan, and wood furniture, hand-painted masks, macrame, ceramics, straw and woven goods, rocking chairs, carved mahogany structures, Dominican fine art and paintings, fashions from local-born designers such as Oscar de la Renta and local coffee, rum, and cigars.

Currency

The Dominican peso is the official currency of the Dominican Republic.

 
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