Dominican Republic country guide

Dominican Republic Travel Guide

The Caribbean's highest mountain, the oldest European city in the Americas, and 1,600km of coastline. Most people see a resort; the rest of it is better.

Pick a place What it costs

€14

Dorm bed, from

3,098m

Pico Duarte

1496

Santo Domingo founded

€4

A plate of la bandera

More than the all-inclusive strip

The Dominican Republic receives more visitors than anywhere else in the Caribbean, and most of them stay inside a resort in Punta Cana. The independent version is a different country.

Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial is the oldest permanent European settlement in the Americas, founded in 1496, with the first cathedral and the first paved street in the New World, and it is a proper living city rather than a preserved one.

The north coast around Cabarete is the kitesurfing capital of the Caribbean and a long-staying traveller town. The Samaná peninsula has humpback whales from January to March, waterfalls and quieter beaches. Inland, Jarabacoa sits in mountains with rafting, and Pico Duarte at 3,098 metres is the highest peak in the Caribbean.

Two weeks covers the north coast, Samaná and the capital.

Where to go

Caribe Tours and Metro run good intercity buses. Guaguas fill the gaps for pennies.

Santo Domingo

6 hostels

The Zona Colonial: the oldest European city in the Americas, and a real capital around it.

The Santo Domingo guide

Cabarete

4 hostels

The kitesurf and windsurf capital of the Caribbean, with a long-staying traveller crowd.

The Cabarete guide

Las Terrenas

4 hostels · dorms from €0

On the Samaná peninsula: beaches, a French and Italian expat influence, good food.

The Las Terrenas guide

Jarabacoa

In the mountains: rafting, waterfalls, cooler air and the route up Pico Duarte.

The Jarabacoa guide

Samaná

3 hostels

Whale watching in the bay from mid-January to March, Los Haitises, and the quiet beaches of Las Galeras.

The Samaná guide

Punta Cana

4 hostels

The resort strip, and where most of the country's visitors never leave.

The Punta Cana guide

Puerto Plata

2 hostels

The north coast's old port: Victorian houses, a 16th-century fort and a cheap base for Damajagua.

The Puerto Plata guide

Bayahibe

A fishing village on calm water, with the best diving in the country and boats to Saona Island.

The Bayahibe guide

What kind of trip is this?

The DR is a beach and watersports country with mountains and a genuinely old city attached.

Beach in Dominican Republic

1,600km of coast, and the quiet parts are easy to reach.

What to do

Playa Rincón at Las Galeras
Playa Frontón by boat
Cabarete at sunset

Spots to visit

Playa Rincón
Las Terrenas
Cabarete

Best cities for it

Things to do

Things to do in the Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial is the historical heart of the Americas: the first cathedral, the first hospital, the first paved street in the New World, all within a walkable grid that is still a working neighbourhood rather than a museum.

Cabarete is the watersports centre, with reliable afternoon wind that has made it a kitesurfing destination for decades, and lessons at a fraction of European prices.

Samaná is where humpback whales come to breed between January and March, and boat trips from Samaná town are among the most reliable whale watching in the Caribbean. The peninsula also has Playa Rincón and Playa Frontón, both regularly listed among the best beaches in the region.

The 27 waterfalls at Damajagua are jumped and slid down with a guide and helmet, and Pico Duarte is a two to three day trek to the highest point in the Caribbean.

Food and drink

Eating in the Dominican Republic

La bandera — the flag — is the everyday lunch: rice, beans, meat and salad on one plate for €3 to €6 at a comedor, and it is what the country actually eats.

Mangú is breakfast: mashed plantain with pickled onions, fried cheese, salami and egg, known as los tres golpes.

On the coast, fried fish with tostones is the standard beach meal, and in Samaná the French and Italian influence has produced genuinely good restaurants in Las Terrenas.

Colmados — corner shops with a few chairs outside — are where a lot of eating and drinking happens, selling beer, rum and snacks with music playing into the street.

Presidente is the national beer, drunk very cold, and Brugal and Barceló are the rums.

Nightlife

Going out in the Dominican Republic

Dominican nightlife happens partly in the street. Colmados put speakers outside and people drink around them, which is the cheapest and most authentic night out available and costs almost nothing.

Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial has bars in colonial buildings and a genuine local scene, and the city takes merengue and bachata seriously — both were born here, and people dance properly.

Cabarete's bars sit on the sand and run late, with a crowd of kitesurfers and long-stayers, and Las Terrenas has a French-influenced restaurant and bar scene.

Presidente is €1.50 to €3 in a colmado and more in bars. Rum is cheaper. Things start late and Sunday afternoons are a genuine social occasion.

Getting around

Getting around the Dominican Republic

Caribe Tours and Metro run comfortable air-conditioned intercity buses at low prices — Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata is four hours, to Samaná about three — and they are the best way to move between regions.

Guaguas are the local minibuses: cheap, crowded, frequent and stopping anywhere, and they cover everything the big buses do not.

Motoconchos, motorbike taxis, are the short-hop option everywhere. They are cheap and helmets are rarely offered, which is worth weighing.

Hiring a car gives freedom and Dominican driving is assertive — expect undertaking, and avoid driving at night outside cities where unlit vehicles and animals are common.

Costs

What the Dominican Republic costs

Away from the resort zones the country is cheap. Dorms start around €14, a la bandera plate is €3 to €6, a beer at a colmado is €1.50 to €3, and intercity buses cost €5 to €12.

A day comes to €30 to €50.

Punta Cana and Bávaro operate as a separate economy with all-inclusive pricing and resort-zone costs for anything outside it, which is why independent travellers generally skip them.

The activities to budget for are kitesurf lessons at €200 to €350 for a course, whale watching from Samaná at €50 to €80, and Pico Duarte treks at €120 to €200 with guides and mules. Cash is useful outside tourist areas; cards work in cities and resorts.

Safety

Staying safe in the Dominican Republic

The tourist areas are generally safe and millions of visitors have no trouble, though petty theft and opportunistic crime happen and government advice notes higher crime rates in parts of Santo Domingo and some other cities.

The practical rules are standard: use registered taxis or apps rather than hailing on the street at night, keep valuables out of sight, do not walk on unlit beaches after dark, and be cautious with drinks in tourist bars.

Motoconcho rides without helmets are a genuine injury risk, and road traffic accidents are one of the most common serious problems foreign visitors have here.

Hurricane season runs June to November. Rip currents on the north coast are strong and lifeguards are rare. Sun and dehydration do more damage than anything else on a beach trip.

Entry and documents

Most European, UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens enter visa-free for 30 days, extendable, and the former paper tourist card fee is now included in airfares for most arrivals.

An electronic entry and exit form — the E-Ticket — must be completed online before arrival and before departure. It is free, takes a few minutes, and is genuinely required — airlines check it.

Passports need to be valid for the stay. Proof of onward travel may be requested.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and the best window. Whale season in Samaná runs January to March, and hurricane season is June to November.

29°

Jan

Peak season, and humpback whales arrive in Samaná

29°

Feb

Excellent. Peak whale watching and Carnival

29°

Mar

Dry, warm and whales still present early in the month

30°

Apr

Dry season ending. Still very good

31°

May

Rains begin. Green, quieter and cheaper

31°

Jun

Hurricane season opens. Hot and humid

32°

Jul

Hot, with a drier spell in some years. Good kitesurfing wind

32°

Aug

Peak heat and rising hurricane risk

32°

Sep

Highest hurricane risk of the year

31°

Oct

Still risky and wet, easing at the end

30°

Nov

Rains ending. Good value before the season

29°

Dec

Dry season returns, with holiday prices

Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets: quiet busy peak

Average highs for Santo Domingo. The north coast around Cabarete gets more rain and reliable afternoon wind, which is what makes it a kitesurfing destination, and the mountains around Jarabacoa are considerably cooler.

What your trip will cost

Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person, in euro equivalents of pesos.

Kitesurf courses at €200–350, whale watching at €50–80 and Pico Duarte treks at €120–200 sit outside these figures. Punta Cana runs on all-inclusive pricing entirely.

Nights 7

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Beds—
Food and drink—
Getting around—
Doing things—

What's on

Santo Domingo

The Santo Domingo Bachat…

1 November

Lil Naay

Santo Domingo

Lil Naay brings Dominica…

4 November

Mahler's Resurrection

Santo Domingo

Mahler's Symphony No. 2 …

13–15 November

La Ciguapa

Santo Domingo

Alina Abreu brings a Dom…

All events in the Dominican Republic

Hostels

Where to stay in the Dominican Republic

The highest-rated hostels in the country, live from Hostelworld. Santo Domingo, Cabarete and Las Terrenas have the most — Punta Cana is resort territory.

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Dominican Republic travel questions

The ones we get asked most.

Is there more to the country than Punta Cana?

Considerably more, and it is cheaper. Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial is the oldest European city in the Americas, Cabarete is the Caribbean's kitesurfing capital, Samaná has whales and the best beaches, and the interior has the region's highest mountain. Punta Cana is an all-inclusive strip that most independent travellers skip.

When can I see the whales?

January to March in Samaná Bay, where humpbacks come to breed. February is the peak and the boat trips from Samaná town are among the most reliable whale watching anywhere in the Caribbean.

Is the Dominican Republic cheap?

Away from the resort zones, yes. Dorms from €14, la bandera plates €3 to €6, colmado beers €1.50 to €3, and a day around €30 to €50.

Do I need to fill in anything before arriving?

Yes — the E-Ticket, an electronic entry and exit form completed online before both arrival and departure. It is free and quick, and airlines check it.

How long do you need?

Two weeks for Santo Domingo, the north coast and Samaná. A week works if you pick one region and stay put.

Is it safe?

Tourist areas are generally fine, with petty theft the common issue and higher crime rates in parts of Santo Domingo and some cities. The biggest practical risk to visitors is road traffic — motoconchos rarely offer helmets and night driving outside cities is best avoided.

Where should I learn to kitesurf?

Cabarete, which has had reliable afternoon wind and a dense cluster of schools for decades. A course runs €200 to €350, a fraction of European prices, and the town is set up for people who come for a week and stay a season.

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Dominican Republic Travel Guide

More than the all-inclusive strip

Where to go

Santo Domingo

Cabarete

Las Terrenas

Jarabacoa

Samaná

Punta Cana

Puerto Plata

Bayahibe

What kind of trip is this?