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_{Posing @ Los Tres Ojos National Park –}

Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic may not be as popular as his sister city, Punta Cana, which is located on the eastern tip of the island. But, it is one of the easiest and probably cheaper ways to reach Punta Cana. Our main goal was actually to go to Punta Cana, a paradise in the Caribbean, which is popular with its white sandy beaches and crystal clear water.

However, since the flight to go there directly from San Juan, Costa Rica (our previous land during this sabbatical trip), was way more expensive, we decided to fly directly to Santo Domingo, stay there for 3 days, then continue our trip to Punta Cana with the bus. 

_{Caribbean flair in Playa Hemingway, Santo Domingo}

What can you do for 3 days in Santo Domingo? 

Explore Zona Colonial – The most famous zone in Santo Domingo. As I walked through Zona Colonial I felt the flair of the Dominican Republic. The streets are colorful and there is life. What striked me the most was the high amount of street sellers and street artists in the zone. 

Exploring Zona Colonial was fun. I tried some local food, found special cocktail deals, hunted souvenirs, enjoyed street art performances and also just window shopped.

_{One of the house on the street of Zona Colonial}

_{Catholic Church}

_{Cafe’s Interior}

_{One of the crossroads on Zona Colonial}

_{Colorful spark of Zona Colonial}

_{The heart of Zona Colonial}

_{POV – Trying Beef Mofongo for the first time at Quantico Restaurant for 695 Dominican Peso or approx. 11 USD}

_{Cocktail Deal 2 for 1 for 300 Dominican Peso approx. 5.00 USD}

Visit some museums in Santo Domingo – There are options if you want to do museum exploring day. However, if you just stay around Zona Colonial and are interested in the history of the Dominican Republic, Memorial Museum of Dominican Resistance is your go to place. 

How much? 

300 Dominican Peso for a foreigner adult & you will get an English audio guide too, which is necessary since all the writings are in Spanish. 

What to expect? 

A learning on your own phase with supporting pictures about the history of the Dominican Republic, especially during the dictatorship of Trujillo and the revolution to overrule his era.

_{Inner part of the museum}

_{The Dominican Republic “Swiss Army”}

_{Inner patio of the museum}

Visit The Three Eyes National Park (Los Tres Ojos) – The nearest national park in the city with a natural view of crystal blue lake and cave. 

How much?

200 Dominican Peso for a foreign adult 

How was it? 

It was a great view of nature and clearly well maintained. But if you want to explore the cave and/or the lake further, you will need to pay another 50 Peso for a roundtrip boat that will take you inside and pick you up. It was still affordable and super worth it since the view is better inside. I even saw a lot of fish in the water and we found a spot for ourselves for a moment.

However, the downside would be the high number of visitors and the nature slash wild feeling, since it felt kinda just like another tourist attraction.

_{Sadly there was no English description}

_{Beautiful Los Tres Ojos}

_{The cave’s wall}

_{The water is so clear that these fish strive}

Walking along the beach in Av. España – We did this after visiting Los Tres Ojos. The actual plan was to walk from the national park by foot there. However, we were stopped by a policewoman. She said it is dangerous to walk alone and we need to order an Uber or a Taxi, but walking along the beach is okay.

We took her advice and walked until we arrived at a marine base. The view was splendid. It was peaceful there. We could see the high rises of Santo Domingo from afar and even pelicans on the beach. 

_{I love how serene the beach was}

_{My husband & our friend, chilling on the bench}

_{A spot that reminded me of Hamburg, my home in Germany}

Where should you stay? 

Safety is an issue in the Dominican Republic in general, therefore it is important to avoid dodgy areas. Choose a common safe area for tourists, like Zona Colonial or a place within walking distance from there. Sadly I would not recommend our hotel since we didn’t feel satisfied with the hotel. 

_{Still, we appreciated the included breakfast}

_{This is a typical standard double room from a 3* Hotel in Santo Domingo and you could expect to pay from 30 USD per night}

_{The ensuite bathroom}

Pro Tip – Even if you book a hotel here with Booking.com still kindly ask about the hidden charges. It has never happened to me before that I would need to pay as a customer for a commission for the booking portal. But we ended up needing to pay this for our reservation. 

What should you prepare for your Santo Domingo or Dominican Republic travel in general?  

Your Visa requirement – Do you need to apply for a visa to enter The Dominican Republic or filling e-Ticket is already enough.

A successfully installed E-Sim – Without this your holiday in the Dominican Republic could turn into disaster.

Sunscreen – This is Caribbean, so the sun strikes hard here. Buy your sunscreen at home, since it is a popular commodity here, sunscreen is more expensive here, especially if you decide to stay in a resort. 

Mosquito spray – I personally take mosquito bites seriously. 

Enough Dominican Peso – Not every shop or establishment accepts payment by card. We visited the museum and only cash was accepted.

Credit Card – However, most of the time cards are accepted. So, bring your credit card with you to make your life lighter since you don’t have to carry a lot of pesos around.

Basic Spanish – Almost every Dominican that I met struggles with English. So, you might want to get one or two Spanish along the way. I recommend Duolingo as a learning app for early learners. 

Uber – Uber is a must for me since I know how much I would pay for my rides from the beginning without having to haggle nor having to pay with cash. 

Street smart attitude – This is something that you need to learn before traveling ideally. The Dominican Republic is not an ideal destination for beginner travelers. There is an extra caution degree, which one has to apply while traveling here. Being street smart means trying to stay low in order to stay safe. Of course the locals will most likely know you are a tourist. But it makes a difference to dress modestly, not flashing money nor expensive stuff like jewelry or phone, and just being aware in general all the time during your stay here. 

_{Typical crossroad in Santo Domingo}