Some basics
-Founded 1496
-Population 3.7 million (metropolitan)
-The oldest, continually inhabited, European city in the Americas
-Known as “Ciudad Trujillo” from 1936-1961, when the country’s dictator, Rafael Trujillo, named the city after himself. He was assassinated, and the name resumed. Dictators like to shake things up…
With those facts about Santo Domingo out of the way, when you say you are visiting Santo Domingo, most locals will all tell you “the old town is nice, that’s about it” with a shrug. This advice for the old town, also known as “ciudada colonial” and “zona colonial” on Google Maps I found fitting for first time visitors.
You need at least a few hours
The old town is large enough to spend a day or more. But if you only have but a few hours, that might be sufficient to leave you satisfied enough, but still wanting a bit more. I made two seperate visits, around 4-5 hours each.
Ideal for photography
If the weather is nice, (usually at the end or beginning months of the year), any aspiring photographer could take delight in simply strolling the streets for hours waiting for the best angles with lighting on the old architecture, vibrant colours, and capturing a lively street scene. I encounter multiple well equipped photographers who were doing just that.
Excellent layover diversion
The airport is about 30 minutes away, so it works quite well for layovers. Also, the cruise ships do dropoff nearby. Large crowds from late morning till early evening are common in cruise ship season.
A note on security
Santo Domingo is the kind of place where people will stop you if you are a foreigner and tell you “this area is not safe” if you are outside a typical tourist spot. Common safety precautions apply strongly here, don’t walk aimlessly around at night, and be especially cautious in who approaches you, beware of pickpockets, and if possible avoid the the main bus station at night.