Find places in Dominican Republic

Must-Haves

• Catedral Primada de América (Parque Colón, Colonial Zone)
  The first cathedral of the Americas, with a coral stone façade and quiet chapels off Parque Colón.
• Fortaleza Ozama (Calle Las Damas, Colonial Zone)
  The oldest European fortress in the Americas, with a tower you can climb for river views.

Off the Beaten Path

• Faro a Colón (Santo Domingo Este)
  A vast cross shaped monument said to hold Columbus's remains, which casts a beam of light into the sky.

Must-Haves

• Alcázar de Colón (Plaza de España, Colonial Zone)
  The palace of Diego Colón, furnished as it might have been in the early sixteenth century.
• Museo del Hombre Dominicano (Plaza de la Cultura)
  The best introduction to Taíno, African and Spanish roots of Dominican culture, including carnival masks.

Fun for Everyone

• Museo de las Casas Reales (Calle Las Damas, Colonial Zone)
  Armour, maps and colonial rooms that tell the story of Spain's first base in the Americas.

Off the Beaten Path

• Museo de Arte Moderno (Plaza de la Cultura)
  Four floors of Dominican and Caribbean painting and sculpture in a modernist building.

Great for Date Night

• Teatro Nacional Eduardo Brito (Plaza de la Cultura)
  The national theatre, staging opera, ballet, concerts and Dominican shows.

Must-Haves

• Grupo Bonyé at the Ruinas de San Francisco (Colonial Zone)
  Sunday evening son and merengue among monastery ruins, where whole families dance under the stars.

Fun for Everyone

• Los Tres Ojos National Park (Santo Domingo Este)
  Limestone caves hiding turquoise lagoons, reached down steep stone steps and by a small raft.
• Playa Boca Chica (Boca Chica)
  The capital's weekend beach, with shallow calm water and fried fish shacks.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Jardín Botánico Nacional (Los Ríos)
  Shady gardens, a Japanese garden and a little tourist train, a cool escape from the city heat.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mercado Modelo (Avenida Mella)
  A crowded old market for larimar, amber, cigars, paintings and botánica curiosities; bargain with a smile.

Fun for Everyone

• Calle El Conde (Colonial Zone)
  The pedestrian spine of the old town, lined with shops, cafés, street painters and buskers.

Great for Date Night

• Pat'e Palo European Brasserie (Plaza de España, Colonial Zone)
  Dine on the terrace of what claims to be the oldest tavern in the Americas, facing the Alcázar.
• Mesón de la Cava (Mirador Sur)
  A restaurant set deep inside a natural cave, memorable for a special night out.
• Buche Perico (Colonial Zone)
  Creative Dominican cooking in a leafy, plant filled courtyard.

Fun for Everyone

• Adrian Tropical (Malecón)
  A seafront Dominican classic for mofongo and sea breezes, open long hours.

Low Cost and Authentic

• El Conuco (Gazcue)
  Traditional Dominican food in a rustic setting, with merengue dancers in the evenings.

Great for Date Night

• Lulú Tasting Bar (Calle Padre Billini, Colonial Zone)
  Cocktails and small plates in a candlelit colonial courtyard.

Must-Haves

• Hodelpa Nicolás de Ovando (Calle Las Damas, Colonial Zone)
  A hotel set in the restored sixteenth century home of a colonial governor, overlooking the river.

Great for Date Night

• Casas del XVI (Colonial Zone)
  Restored colonial houses rented as intimate boutique suites with courtyards and plunge pools.

Must-Haves

• Bávaro Beach (Bávaro)
  The classic long, wide sweep of palm lined white sand that made the east coast famous.

Off the Beaten Path

• Macao Beach (Macao)
  A public beach with no resort in front, popular with surfers and Dominican families.

Great for Date Night

• Juanillo Beach (Cap Cana)
  A calm, curving beach with turquoise water and soft sand at the southern end of the coast.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Los Corales Beach (Los Corales, Bávaro)
  A public stretch with small beach bars and restaurants open to anyone.

Fun for Everyone

• Indigenous Eyes Ecological Park (Puntacana Resort)
  Freshwater lagoons fed by underground springs where you can swim among the trees.

Must-Haves

• Scape Park and Hoyo Azul (Cap Cana)
  A turquoise cenote at the foot of a cliff, plus caves and zip lines in the jungle.

Fun for Everyone

• Dolphin Explorer (Bávaro)
  A marine park where families learn about and swim with dolphins and sea lions.
• Monkeyland (Anamuya, Higüey)
  Feed friendly squirrel monkeys in a jungle setting, often combined with a plantation visit.

Off the Beaten Path

• Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia (Higüey)
  A striking modernist basilica that is the country's most important pilgrimage site.
• Altos de Chavón (La Romana)
  A re-created Mediterranean village above the Chavón River, with an amphitheatre and galleries.

Great for Date Night

• Jellyfish Restaurant (Playa El Cortecito, Bávaro)
  Open sided beachfront dining with fresh seafood and the sound of the waves.
• La Yola (Puntacana Marina)
  A restaurant built on stilts over the marina, best for a sunset dinner.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Captain Cook (El Cortecito, Bávaro)
  Pick your fish and lobster from the ice and eat with your toes in the sand.

Fun for Everyone

• Coco Bongo Punta Cana (Bávaro)
  A high energy show nightclub with acrobats, live acts and tribute performances.

Off the Beaten Path

• Imagine Punta Cana (Carretera Barceló, Bávaro)
  A nightclub set inside natural limestone caves.

Fun for Everyone

• Palma Real Shopping Village (Bávaro)
  An open air mall with shops, restaurants and evening crowds near the main resorts.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Downtown Punta Cana (Bávaro)
  A mall with restaurants, a cinema and a supermarket, useful for supplies outside your resort.

Great for Date Night

• Eden Roc at Cap Cana (Cap Cana)
  A luxury boutique resort of suites and villas with private pools.
• Excellence Punta Cana (Uvero Alto)
  An adults only all inclusive on a quieter northern beach.

Fun for Everyone

• Barceló Bávaro Palace (Bávaro)
  A large all inclusive on one of the best stretches of Bávaro Beach, with plenty for families.

Must-Haves

• Tortuga Bay (Puntacana Resort)
  Villa style suites by a calm beach inside the Puntacana Resort.

Must-Haves

• Whale watching in Samaná Bay (Santa Bárbara de Samaná)
  Watch humpback whales breach and sing in one of the world's great breeding grounds each winter.

Off the Beaten Path

• Puente de Samaná (Santa Bárbara de Samaná)
  Footbridges linking small islands in the bay, a quiet walk with water views.

Must-Haves

• El Salto del Limón (El Limón)
  A forty metre jungle waterfall reached on foot or horseback through the hills.
• Los Haitises National Park (Samaná Bay)
  Mangroves, limestone islets and caves with Taíno drawings, explored by boat.
• Playa Rincón (Las Galeras)
  A long, wild beach of white sand and palms with a cool river at one end.

Fun for Everyone

• Cayo Levantado (Samaná Bay)
  A small island in the bay with a public beach, popular for swimming and lunch.

Off the Beaten Path

• Playa Frontón (Las Galeras)
  A remote cove beneath cliffs reached by boat or a hike, with good snorkelling.

Fun for Everyone

• Pueblo de los Pescadores (Las Terrenas)
  A row of former fishermen's huts turned beachfront bars and restaurants.

Great for Date Night

• Peninsula House (Cosón, Las Terrenas)
  A plantation style boutique hotel with just a handful of rooms on a hill above Cosón.

Fun for Everyone

• Sublime Samaná (Playa Cosón, Las Terrenas)
  Beachfront suites and villas with pools set in palm gardens.
• Balcones del Atlántico (Las Terrenas)
  Spacious apartments and pools, good for families.

Must-Haves

• Whale season (Santa Bárbara de Samaná)
  From mid January to late March the bay fills with humpbacks and the town fills with visitors.

Must-Haves

• Teleférico Puerto Plata (Mount Isabel de Torres)
  A cable car to a mountain top Christ statue, gardens and big coastal views.
• Fortaleza San Felipe (Malecón, Puerto Plata)
  A sixteenth century fort on the point, with cannons and sea views.

Fun for Everyone

• Calle de las Sombrillas (Puerto Plata)
  A short street shaded by colourful umbrellas, beloved for photos.
• Ocean World Adventure Park (Cofresí)
  A marine park with sea lion and dolphin shows and encounters.

Must-Haves

• 27 Charcos de Damajagua (Imbert)
  Climb, jump and slide down a canyon of natural waterfalls with a guide.

Fun for Everyone

• Kite Beach (Cabarete)
  Watch or learn kitesurfing at one of the world's great kite beaches.

Off the Beaten Path

• Playa Encuentro (Cabarete)
  A reef break beach where surf schools give lessons each morning.
• Laguna Gri Gri (Río San Juan)
  Boat trips through mangroves to caves and coves.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Playa de Sosúa (Sosúa)
  A sheltered bay with calm water, snorkelling and beach stalls.

Off the Beaten Path

• Museo Judío de Sosúa (Sosúa)
  The story of Jewish refugees who founded a settlement here in the 1940s.

Fun for Everyone

• Lax (Cabarete Beach)
  A beach bar where Cabarete's nightlife begins, with music on the sand.

Must-Haves

• Casa Colonial Beach and Spa (Playa Dorada)
  A boutique hotel with a rooftop pool overlooking the beach.

Off the Beaten Path

• Natura Cabana (Cabarete)
  Thatched cabanas and yoga by the sea, built from natural materials.

Must-Haves

• Salto de Jimenoa Uno (Jarabacoa)
  A tall, thundering waterfall reached by a short path and steps.
• Pico Duarte (La Ciénaga, Manabao)
  A multi day guided trek to the highest summit in the Caribbean.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Salto de Baiguate (Jarabacoa)
  An easy walk or horse ride to a pretty waterfall and pool.
• Balneario La Confluencia (Jarabacoa)
  Where two rivers meet near town, a local spot for a cool dip.

Off the Beaten Path

• Aguas Blancas waterfall (Constanza)
  A high, cool waterfall in the farming valley of Constanza.

Must-Haves

• White water rafting on the Río Yaque del Norte (Jarabacoa)
  The country's best rafting, with half day trips suited to beginners.

Fun for Everyone

• Rancho Baiguate (Jarabacoa)
  A ranch hotel and activity centre for rafting, horse riding and canyoning.

Great for Date Night

• Hotel Gran Jimenoa (Jarabacoa)
  Riverside rooms with the sound of the rapids below.

Great for Date Night

• Aroma de la Montaña (Jamaca de Dios)
  A mountain top restaurant with sweeping valley views.

Must-Haves

• La Vega Carnival (La Vega)
  Sunday parades through February with the famous diablos cojuelos masks.

Must-Haves

• Saona Island (Parque Nacional del Este)
  Palm lined beaches and clear water on the country's best known island.
• Catalina Island (off La Romana)
  Reefs and white sand on an island popular for snorkelling and diving.

Fun for Everyone

• Piscina Natural (Saona Island)
  A shallow sandbar where you can stand waist deep in the sea and see starfish.

Great for Date Night

• Playa Dominicus (Dominicus, Bayahibe)
  A long, calm beach with clear water and a public section.

Off the Beaten Path

• Mano Juan (Saona Island)
  A tiny painted fishing village with a turtle conservation project.
• Cueva de las Maravillas (between La Romana and San Pedro de Macorís)
  A lit cave with hundreds of Taíno drawings, accessible to most visitors.

Fun for Everyone

• Museo Arqueológico Regional (Altos de Chavón)
  A small museum of Taíno pottery and carvings in Altos de Chavón.

Fun for Everyone

• Viva Dominicus Beach (Dominicus)
  A family friendly all inclusive on the calm Dominicus beach.
• Iberostar Selection Hacienda Dominicus (Dominicus)
  A large resort with a lagoon and direct beach access.

Great for Date Night

• Casa de Campo (La Romana)
  A vast resort with golf, a marina and Altos de Chavón on its grounds.