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Travel Guides
The S&A travel guides are typically authored by one or more schools located at the destination in question. If you are interested in using the complete guide or parts thereof for your web site, brochure or similar please contact the individual school for permission.
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Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo , a city of two million people, was the first city of the New World founded in 1502 by Bartholomew Columbus, Christopher Columbus’ brother. The modern city of Santo Domingo is a thriving port city, equipped with discotheques, gambling casinos, shops, cafes, chic restaurants. The center of life in the city is hands down in the Colonial District of the city, full of 16th century Spanish architecture.
 The Colonial District has been carefully restored to retain its original charm, and is home to the first university, cathedral and hospital built in the New World. The starting point would have to be the Parque Colón, a pleasant place to have a stroll under leafy trees watching blending in with the locals and listening to street musicians playing the national music, meringue. Directly south of Parque Colón lies the oldest church in the Americas, Catedral Basílica Menor de Santa Maria. This church was completed in 1544, but the bell tower has never been completed.
In the southeastern corner of the Colonial District lies the Fortaleza Ozama, a fortress built in 1503, the oldest military building complex in the Americas. The best place to watch the evening sunset is in the tower there. Around the corner facing the fortress stands a large black statue of one of the Dominican Republic’s national heroes, Antonio Montesino, who appealed to the Spanish government for justice to the natives in the 16th century.
One of the most interesting sites in Santo Domingo is the Palacio Nacional, located in the Plaza de la Cultura. This is the seat of the Dominican government and was built in 1947 by Rafael Trujillo, the fascist president that came into power in 1930 and ran the country for 31 years.
Traveling to the Caribbean, studying in the Dominican Republic, living in Santo Domingo – all this will be an exciting experience for you. You will visit another part of the world, encounter a culture with many centuries of history and traditions; you will hear different points of view, observe that things are being done in a different way, smell different aromas, and taste new flavors. These perceptions and the comprehension of them are likely to stimulate major changes in you. You may end up with a different view of the world and yourself. Isn’t this what you are coming for?
Dominican time is the same as U.S. Eastern Time. |
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Visas
Visa requirements can and do change without notice. It is your responsibility to determine whether or not you require a visa or any other documentation to enter The Dominican Republic. The Dominican Embassies in each country determine the specific requirements necessary for obtaining a visa. If you have any uncertainty as to your visa status please contact the Dominican Embassy at: www.domrep.org
In case of a stay of more than three but less than six months, a visa is required. Also, if you are a resident of the U.S. but do not hold U.S. citizenship, a visa may be required. |
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Travel/Medical Insurance
Travel & Medical insurance is highly recommended.
Check to see if your health insurance or other policies cover you for medical expenses and/or baggage lost while abroad. |
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Climate and Clothing
 On average, 80s F (upper 20s C), falling a few degrees during the night. The weather is hot and humid with tropical temperatures all year long but it is never unpleasant thanks to winds and breezes and huge cumulus clouds which hide the sun for long periods. The rainy season is from June to October. Hurricanes may sometimes occur during this time. |
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Transportation
Autobuses and guaguas:
Metro Tours and Caribe Tours are the largest bus companies in the country, with large, comfortable buses for long-range travel to all destinations. Their buses are modern and normally in excellent condition, the schedule is strict, and drivers are normally well trained.
Long-range travel may be made also with minor companies that run smaller buses and who normally charge cheaper prices. These smaller buses are often called guaguas. These guaguas make more stops and are less comfortable than the big buses.
Car hire:
It may or may not be cheaper or more convenient to arrange a car rental from home. To rent a car in the Dominican Republic, you must be over 21 and have had your driver’s license for at least a year. Payment with a credit card is recommended; otherwise you will need to leave substantial cash deposit. There are dozens of agencies but according to our experience, international ones are more reliable. |
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Money & Banking
Dominican currency is the peso. (DOP or RD$) Rates of exchange vary, but generally waiver around 30 pesos to 1 American dollar. You can exchange dollars for pesos at any bank (most are open Mon-Fri until 4:30PM and Sat until noon), or at a Casa de Cambio, which are especially prevalent in tourist districts. Do not, however, change money on the street, no matter how high a rate of exchange is offered. The risk of being short-changed is not worth the extra percentage points.
Peso notes come in denominations of 2000, 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20 and 10.
 Credit cards and ATM:
All mayor credit cards are accepted. You can use it nearly everywhere. ATM machines are also present widely and debit cards are also accepted in many establishments.
The use of credit cards is convenient even if the risk of fraud is high: all charges that you deny will be easily credited back from the credit card company at the moment of your complaint. On the other side you avoid the need to carry much cash with you…
Just in case: before your arrival in Dominican Republic you can fix with your bank a policy of safety for your card. If the amount is higher than what you fixed no international use will be possible without your previous permission/call. |
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Electricity
The current is 110 volts, 60 cycles - just like in North America. You'll hear much talk about electrical blackouts, but they occur less frequently than they used to and tend to last only one to two minutes (when they're over, everyone claps). Hotels and most restaurants have generators. |
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Food & Restaurants
Anyone not familiar with the Dominican cuisine, or who is in the Dominican Republic for the first time, may be surprised to find out that the Dominican cuisine here is quite different from what is called "Dominican food" in the U.S.
Does this mean that Dominicans in the U.S are not real Dominicans? No, but many dishes considered Dominican in the U.S. (a) were imported from Dominicans long ago, and (b) have been adapted more or less to the American taste buds over the time.
Criollo Foods - One of the most fascinating areas in which to study the blending of cultures that became "Dominican" is through food ways.
 And Taíno influence is evident in how foods are prepared-cassabe bread is still made in the traditional way, and the Dominican national dish of salcocho or sancocho, a stewed dish made with several meats and root vegetables seasoned with onion, peppers and bitter orange, is obviously a relative of the Taínos' traditional ajiaco that was a stew made of whatever protein was available (mainly fish) and root vegetables seasoned with peppers and the juice of bitter yucca.
Eating out:
There are a number of different types of eating establishments in the Dominican Republic. They vary in price, menu, size and quality.
Generally speaking, street food here in the capital is safe for most people to eat (those with super-sensitive stomachs know who they are and should avoid street vendors), though it’s best to look for the most popular vendors and eat at key times of day, so that the food is fresh.
When going out for dinner, Dominicans will either have a simple pizza evening, perhaps adding a starter to their pizza, or will order the main dish with a dessert.
Alcohol:
Beer and rum are inexpensive in the Dominican Republic, and young Dominicans have relatively easy access to alcohol. Great alcohol consumers, Dominicans drink their tragos at any moment and consider it sacred. They never leave half of their drink if they have to move. Any restaurant, bar, disco, comedor, etc., will provide a plastic glass so you can take your drink with you.
Water:
All water should be regarded as being potentially contaminant. Bottled and sterilization should be considered essential.
Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should have first been boiled or otherwise purified.
DRINKING WATER: Drink lots of water to avoid dehydration in the tropical heat, but drink only bottled water or the 1-peso plastic bags. Don’t worry about ice. All ice used or sold commercially is made from purified water.
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Health Issues
While the Dominican Republic is generally considered a safe place to visit, those who plan to do extensive traveling may want to take the following health concerns into advisement. For the most up-to-date information we recommend that you contact: your local doctor with your plans to travel abroad, and the CDC (Center for Disease Control) |
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Culture & Entertainment
 There are many interesting things to do in Santo Domingo. Whether you like to listen to music, dance, drink, or just people-watch, there is something for everyone and for every budget.
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National Holidays
The majority of the holidays in the Dominican Republic coincide with religious holidays.
New Years Day - January 1
Epiphany - January 6
Our Lady of Altagracia – January 21
Duarte ’s Birthday – January 26
Independence Day, Carnival – February 27
Good Friday- Easter Sunday - March/April
Labor Day - May 1
Restoration Day – August 16
Our Lady of Las Mercedes – September 24
Constitution Day – November 6
Christmas - December 25
New Years Eve - December 31 |
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