Santo Domingo Attractions

The Dominican's National Aquarium is a scientific and educational facility exhibiting marine life in one of the best aquariums in the Caribbean.

Its star attractions are a clear plexiglass sea tunnel and the orphaned manatee Tamaury.

Los Tres Ojos is an impressive 15m/50ft deep cave containing three lagoons surrounded by stalagmites and stalactites.

The Museo Bellapart in Santo Domingo is a private art gallery displaying the work of some of the most famous Dominican painters from 1844 to the 1960's.

This museum is located on the fifth floor of an award-winning modern building.

Centro de los Héroes in Santo Domingo commemorates those who fought against Trujillo's dictatorship. Various government buildings surround the center.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Remedies is a small stone 16th-C chapel used before the cathedral was erected in Santo Domingo.

Designed in a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic styles, the soberly decorated Las Mercedes was constructed between 1527 and 1555 and contains a beautiful baroque altar.

The University of Santo Domingo, dating from 1538 is the oldest university in the Western Hemisphere.

The Faro a Colón (Columbus Lighthouse) is an impressive cruciform structure constructed to mark the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas in 1492.

It houses the explorer's remains, museums and exhibits donated by several countries. The 157 laser beams that emanate from its roof project a cross that can be seen from kilometers/miles away.

Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center was built for the 2003 Pan-American Games This venue has an 8-lane 400m/.25 mi synthetic track. The ground floor has facilities for VIPs, athletes and the public plus a cafeteria, restrooms and medical services.

The ruins of Fortaleza Santa Barbara c 1574 along with the church of Santa Barbara rebuilt in the early 17th C are the only combined church-fort colonial building in Santo Domingo.

Museo de la Fundacion Garcia Arevalo is an interesting museum containing the most complete collection of the Taíno culture in the Caribbean.

Parque La Caleta is a green space along the highway with a popular beach and the Museo la Caleta, a small building containing the remains of Taíno tombs discovered during the construction of the airport.

Offshore, La Caleta National Underwater Park is the Dominican Republic's best area for reef and wreck diving.

Aeropuerto Internacional de Las Americas/Airport of the Americas (SDQ) lies 30km/15mi east of Santo Domingo. 24 hours taxis are available for the 20-minute ride in to Santo Domingo.

Also known as George Washington Avenue, El Malecón is a waterfront boulevard lined by bistros, bars and discos and is the location of the Dominican Carnival celebrated during in February.

Model Market in Santo Domingo is a busy market showing off a wide variety of goods. It is perhaps the best place in Santo Domingo for handicrafts.

Museo Numismático y filatelico shows the evolution of Dominican currency. Its collection of antique coins, bills and stamps dating back to 1865 are said to be the most comprehensive and valuable in the Caribbean.

Runners, bikers, and families are found along Paseo de los Indios a wedge-shaped park which runs for 13km/8mi on the western edge of Santo Domingo.

Many of Major League Baseball's biggest stars got their start in Quisqueya Stadium, home of the of the Dominican League.

San Nicolas de Bari c 1520 was simultaneously a church and an infirmary. The ruins feature elliptical arches and strong cylindrical buttresses.

The 16th C Convent of Santa Clara was the first convent of the order of Franciscans established in the Americas.

Mercado Modelo, Plaza Criolla, El Conde Street, Las Atarazanas, and Casa de Bastidas feature a wide choice of crafts made by local artists.

Santo Domingo's main shopping centers are Diamond Mall, Plaza Central, Plaza Naco, Plaza Andalucia, Plaza Catalu-a and Plaza La Lira where items from around the world can be purchased.

Classical ballet, theater plus concerts by popular artists are staged at Santo Domingo's Theater of Fine Arts.

The animals at ZOODOM / Parque Zoologico Nacional Manuel Valverde Podestá, live in areas that resemble their natural habitat in a vast environment of semi-freedom.

The 1,250,000 sq m/13,450,000sq ft of park and 8 km/5mi worth of roads cover a Great Plains area, a large aviary, a snake pavilion and a pony-ride area.