Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

The Fortaleza Ozama stands on the river mouth at sunset, its coral-stone walls lit gold while the embankment sits in blue shadow.

Santo Domingo is a working Caribbean capital built around the oldest Spanish streets in the Americas, with music, sea air and good food close at hand.

The place

Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic, a Caribbean port city of about 2.2 million people that sits only about 14 m above sea level on the south coast of Hispaniola. The city limits match the Distrito Nacional, and the built-up area spills well beyond them into Santo Domingo Province, so the metropolitan region is far bigger than the headline figure suggests. Government, banking, universities, publishing and most of the country's industry are based here, which is why weekday traffic is dense and the horn works as a second language. The old Spanish town, the Zona Colonial, lies on the west bank of the Ozama river near its mouth, a compact grid of stone streets, plazas and ruined churches that is easy to cover on foot. Away from it the city changes character: wide avenues, glass towers, shopping streets and residential districts run west along the coast, with the Malecón sea road serving as the evening promenade. Heat and humidity shape the day. Mornings suit walking, midday belongs to shade and long lunches, and the sea breeze on the waterfront is at its best after sunset. Founded in 1496, Santo Domingo is a working capital first and a showpiece second, and that mix of daily life and deep history is its real appeal.

Its story

Santo Domingo stands on land that belonged to the Taíno long before any European ship arrived. They called the island Kiskeya, meaning mother of all lands, and also Ayiti, the land of high mountains. It was divided among five chiefdoms, Marién, Maguá, Maguana, Jaragua and Higüey, each under a cacique. Columbus named the island Hispaniola, and the Spanish crown soon wanted a permanent base on it. Bartholomew Columbus, the admiral's brother, founded the settlement beside the Ozama, first calling it La Nueva Isabela after an earlier outpost on the northern coast that honoured Queen Isabella I. The name later changed to Santo Domingo, in honour of Saint Dominic. For decades it was the main Spanish town in the Americas, the place where colonial institutions first took root and from which expeditions set out, which earned it the nickname Gateway to the Caribbean. Later centuries brought French rule and a spell as Spanish Haiti, leaving a tangled political inheritance. In the twentieth century the dictator Rafael Trujillo renamed the capital Ciudad Trujillo after himself; after his assassination the old name returned, and it has stayed. That layered story, Indigenous, Spanish, French and modern, shows in street names, fortifications and the way Dominicans talk about their capital.

What to see

Culture

Santo Domingo has a cultural life centred on performance. Resident ensembles include a symphony and a chamber orchestra, opera, ballet and folkloric troupes, and the National Theatre at Plaza de la Cultura is the main venue, though concerts and dance turn up in smaller halls across town. Casa de Teatro is a meeting point for experimental artists, actors and musicians, with exhibitions, literary contests and classes in painting, drama and dance. Many of the city's museums are packed into the Zona Colonial, so a morning of galleries is easy to arrange. Beyond the formal stage, music is everywhere: merengue and bachata spill from corner shops, car windows and evening plazas, and dominoes are slapped down on pavement tables by neighbours in the cooler hours. Family, Sunday gatherings and long conversations count for more than strict punctuality, and a greeting, a handshake or a kiss on the cheek among friends comes before any business. Catholicism is the main faith and is visible in everyday life, from saints' days to the crowds at the cathedral. In a church in the Zona Colonial, cover bare shoulders, take off your hat and keep your voice low, especially while a service is under way.

What to wear

Santo Domingo's traditional dress is mostly seen at festivals and in folkloric dance. Women wear full, ruffled skirts in bright cotton with lace-trimmed blouses, and men wear white or pale cotton shirts and a straw hat. Carnival, held in the city before Lent, brings papier-mâché devil masks, sequinned capes and elaborate costumes, made by neighbourhood groups through the year. Day to day, people dress for the heat: light cotton and linen, short sleeves, sundresses, sandals and trainers. Dominicans often dress sharply for the evening, and smart casual is the norm in restaurants and clubs, with pressed shirts and neat hair common. The guayabera, a loose shirt with pleated pockets, appears at weddings and formal events. Visitors should pack breathable fabrics, a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, and shoes that cope with uneven colonial cobbles and the occasional heavy shower. Cover shoulders and knees for churches and the cathedral, and carry a light layer for over-cooled shops and malls. Swimwear belongs on the beach, not the street. A small folding umbrella helps in the wetter months.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. December to April is the drier, less humid stretch, with the most comfortable days for walking. June to November is hot, sticky and falls within the Atlantic hurricane season, with heavy showers and the risk of storm disruption.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Fly into Las Américas International Airport, east of the city, which has direct connections from several North American, Caribbean and European cities. Take an official taxi or pre-booked transfer to the Zona Colonial (the last leg depends on traffic); agree the fare before setting off.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources