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Cathedral of Santa MariaCity/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.
Colonial CityCity/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 MonumentCity/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)
National AquariumCity/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 CulturaCity/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 ParkCity/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
Boca ChicaCity/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.
La RomanaCity/Region: Santo Domingo
East of Santo Domingo is La Romana, an area that has become world famous for being the location of the massive Casa de Campo Caribbean resort, which sprawls across 2,833 hectares (7,000 acres). The town of La Romana was a small sugar port until the 1970s when Gulf and Western developed the major resort. The area has some excellent beaches, including the tiny Minitas beach and lagoon, and the scenic palm-lined beach of Bayahibe where visitors can enjoy the Dominican people's rhythm of life despite the recent tourist development. La Romana also boasts an unusual medieval cliff-top village, reminiscent of the south of France, built overlooking the Chavon River. Quaint buildings of rusty rock line cobbled alleyways; the village also boasts an ancient-looking amphitheater. The village of Altos de Chavon gives the impression of age and atmosphere. The town is, however, a modern creation designed and sculpted in 1978 by Roberto Coppa, an Italian movie set designer. It does include an archaeological museum of Taino artifacts, some good restaurants and is home to a colony of artists.
Amber MuseumCity/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 TorresCity/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 FactoryCity/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
Fuerte San FelipeCity/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 PeninsulaCity/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
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