Get in
There are direct flights from New York, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Panama City, San Juan and Madrid. You can also get there by sea from San Juan.
Get around
Taxis charge from 5 to 10 US dollars for trip. Remember that taxis don`t generally go around the city looking for passengers you have to call to a telephone central and ask for the taxi to pick you up. There are many taxi companys just ask the locals.
There's also the "carros públicos" or public cars that only charge US $ 0.50 you cant take in any any street just waving (like taking a cab in any other city) the difference is that they make only fix routes and won`t take you anywhere you want.
There are also private and public buses which tariffs range from US $ 0.15 to US 0.60 depending on where are you going.
See
The beatiful Colonial Zone is a must
Do
Often times there are cockfights to bet on. This is very popular with French tourists.
You could go to the Boca Chica beach
Buy
Santo Domingo: El Conde, Plaza Central, The Acropolis, Multicentro.
Eat
In Hotel Nikkolaus you could sleep and eat.
Sleep
Hotel Nikkolaus: Nice budget hotel not far from the colonial zone (about 10 minutes by taxi).
Triple rooms for 60 USD. Homepage:
Pension Ginette: El Conde 505 (near Puerta del Conde), 400 DOP for 2 people. Tel: +1 809 623 9740
Renaissance Jaragua Hotel & Casino: Centrally located near El Conde (shopping district), historic colonial buildings, and restaurants. Also across the street from the malecon(which is long sidewalk and sitting area in front of ocean). Tel: +1 809 331-3542, +1 809 221-2222
Santo Domingo de Guzmán population 2,061,200 (Metro) (2003), estimated 2,253,437 (Metro) in 2006, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. The Greater Santo Domingo Area(See Also) is considered the most populous metropolis in the Caribbean. The city is located at in the Caribbean Sea at the mouth of the Ozama River. It is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas, and was the first seat of Spanish colonial rule in the New World. In 1930 the city of Santo Domingo was almost completely demolished by a tropical hurricane. Dictator Rafael Trujillo, the incumbent at the time, reconstructed the city and named it Ciudad Trujillo after himself. After his assassination in 1961 Ciudad Trujillo became Santo Domingo again. Santo Domingo is within the boundaries of the Distrito Nacional. In 2001 a law was approved making Santo Domingo de Guzmán less than 200 km² in size, making it the smallest administrative division in the country.
Please note that when the Article refers to Santo Domingo is most likely referring to the Greater Santo Domingo Area (D.N + Santo Domingo Province) to avoid confusion of the terms. In some cases it may say D.N which is a Subdivision of the country but not a province.
History
Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Taíno Indians populated the island of Hispaniola, including the part now occupied by Haiti. At that time, a several chieftains or caciques ruled the island through complex, centralized governments, a fact completely lost on the Europeans, who dismissed the natives as "savages."
Bartholomew Columbus, brother of Christopher Columbus, founded Santo Domingo, which is today the oldest European city in the New World. In reality the city dates back to 1496, the period when the first Europeans settled there, although officially it was founded on August 5, 1498. Governor general Nicolás de Ovando arrived in 1502 with a fleet of 20 ships and 2,500 men. Santo Domingo was destroyed by a hurricane shortly after his arrival and he had it rebuilt on a different nearby site (Meinig 1986:9). The original layout of the city and a large portion of its defensive wall can still be appreciated today throughout the Colonial Zone, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994. The Colonial Zone, bordered by the Río Ozama, has also an impressive collection of 16th century buildings, including palatial houses and majestic churches that reflect the architectural style of the late medieval period.
The city's most important colonial buildings include the Catedral Primada de América, which is the first Catholic Cathedral in America; the Alcázar de Colón, once the residence of Don Diego Colón, the son of Christopher Columbus who became viceroy of the colony; the Monasterio de San Francisco, the ruins of the first monastery in America; the Museo de las Casas Reales, the former Palace of the Governor General and the Palace of Royal Audiences; the Parque Colón, a historic square; the Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest fortress in America; the Panteón Nacional, a former Jesuit now hosting the remains of various renown Dominicans; and the Iglesia del Convento Dominico, the first convent in America.
Throughout its first century, Santo Domingo was the launching pad for much of the exploration and conquest of the New World. The expeditions that led to Ponce de Leon's discovery of Puerto Rico, Hernando Cortes' conquest of Mexico and Balboa's sighting of the Pacific Ocean all started from Santo Domingo.
In 1568, Francis Drake invaded and pillaged the Hispaniola. This so weakened Spanish dominion over the island that for more than 50 years all but the capital was abandoned and left to the mercy of the pirates. In 1655, the French invaded the west end of the island, and after several treaties and forced annexations, the portion of the island controlled by Santo Domingo was reduced to less than half. Later on, in 1822, the Haitians, commanded by Jean-Pierre Boyer, took over the entire island, and the island's Spanish-speaking residents had to fight for their lost independence and survival. Finally, on February 27, 1844, the Spanish part of the island regained its independence after 22 years of Haitian rule thanks to a group of patriots headed by Juan Pablo Duarte, Francisco del Rosario Sánchez and Matías Ramón Mella, being the Puerta del Conde the main scenario of this relevant event. It was then when the Spanish part of the island became the country known today as the Dominican Republic.
After the independence was achieved, various political factions struggled for control of Santo Domingo. In addition to this instability, the country had to fight continuous Haitian incursions, which were in their totality defeated. In 1861, the Spanish returned to Santo Domingo and annexed the country for four years, this period is known as the Anexión a España. After that, Santo Domingo went through many power changes, including the 20th century Trujillo dictatorship (established after the 1916–1924 occupation by U.S. Marines), which lasted from 1930 to 1961 and ended with the execution of the dictator (during this time Santo Domingo was known officially as Ciudad Trujillo); as well as the multiple presidencies of Joaquin Balaguer, who governed the country for 22 years. These civil wars and political struggles marked the first 70 years of the country's independence.
The year 1992 marked the 500th anniversary, El Quinto Centenario, of Christopher Columbus' discovery of America. The Columbus Lighthouse (Faro de Colón), with an approximate cost of 400 million Dominican pesos, was erected, amidst great controversy, in honor of this occasion.
There are some museums dedicated to the history of the Dominican Republic, the Museo de las Casas Reales is dedicated to the colonial period; while the soon-to-be renovated Museo de Historia y Geografía is dedicated to the Dominican history prior the Discovery up to contemporary times. The history of the Independence is summarized in the Museo y Casa de Duarte and the Altar de la Patria.
The cobblestone streets and late medieval architecture of the Western Hemisphere's first European city let visitors glimpse the colonial past, as vibrant nightlife, warm beaches and posh resorts take historic Santo Domingo into its future.
Geography
Santo Domingo is located on the south central coast of the island of Hispaniola where it meets the Caribbean Sea. This position was of great importance to the city's economic development and the growth of trade during colonial times. The Ozama River, located to the east of the city, is where the country's busiest port is located.
Santo Domingo is the divided into four (debated some say five; Unclear) municipal Sections mostly for Administrative Reasons. This sections are Santo Domingo Norte, Santo Domingo Este, Santo Domingo Province, and Santo Domingo D.N (may involve one or more of the sections) all of which have different administrative orders. Santo Domingo to the north has the section of Villa Mella which makes part of Santo Domingo Norte. To the east it has San Isidro and to the west it borders Province of San Cristobal and Bajos de Haina. The Ozama River and Isabella end at the Center of Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo is relatively plain in levels of altitude with several high hills.
Climate
The average temperature doesn't vary a lot in city because the tropical tradewinds help mitigate the heat and humidity through out the year. December and January are the coolest months and July and August are the warmest months. Santo Domingo and the rest of the Republic are in the Caribbean and have a tropical climate which makes them very vulnerable to hurricanes.
Demographics
The demographics of Santo Domingo mirror those of the rest of the country, except that the illegal Haitian immigrant population is larger in the capital due to the relative ease of finding work in the city . There are also communities from East Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Extensive growth of the city has been noticed after the mid-90's and urbanization has been an issue like in all of the other cities around the world.
Economy
The economy of Santo Domingo has a GDP(PPP) of US$30 billion and is mainly supported by services and manufacturing. Santo Domingo as the capital of the Dominican Republic has been experiencing a great economical growth and development. Urban growth is the most noticeable with the construction of skyscrapers and shopping malls, improvement in the road network, and increased commercial activity. As the biggest city in the Caribbean, it has the most availability of services and most of the nation's companies have their national headquarters in the city. Santo Domingo de Guzmán enjoys the highest standard of living in the nation which can resemble those of a developed nation, but poverty can still be seen along the marginalized areas of the city. Many people from rural areas have been periodically moving in for the city in search for job opportunities, and thus forming what is known the "immigration belt", which surrounds the developed area of the city. Santo Domingo is considered a city of economic contrast the same way much of the cities in Latin America are.
Different Areas of the City and Income
Santo Domingo contains a wide variety of incomes, ranging from the extreme poor to the highly rich. In Santo Domingo the areas specifically with the high income families are found in the central Poligon of the city which is bordered by the Autopista Kennedy to the North, Avenida 27 de Febrero to the South, Avenida Winston Churchill to the west and Maximo Gomez to the east and is characterized by its mostly residential area and its distinguished nightlife.
Santo Domingo has areas of High Development like Naco, Piantini, Paraiso, Bella Vista, Sarasota, and other neighborhood which are predominantly of costly buildings and luxury houses contrasting with the outskirts of the city like Villa Mella, Los Alcarrizos and Herrera which are less developed and plagued with violence and poverty.
Bella Vista and La Espirilla are the neighborhood with presently highest income growth and with tall mega construction projects sparking the city skyline. Gazcue is one of the more historic places in the city dating back to it's early construction in the 1930's until the 60's.
Commercial centers in the City are mostly found In Avenida Winston Churchill where large plazas like Acropolis Center and large supermarkets are found. This area makes home to most of the Banks in the city like Scotiabank, and Bankreservas to name a few. 27 de Febrero Avenue is very commercially successful too and it's considered the most important crosstown avenue in the city. The oldest mall plazas in the country are Plaza Central and Plaza Naco which served as the first commercial center in the city until the recent construction of others, which quickly became a new alternative. Bella vista mall and the Acropolis center are one of the newest malls built in the city attracting much of the high income families.
Most of the Poor families that live in the city are located outside the City center in the Barrios. Some even live in exreme conditions of poverty and in slums making the contrast of the city even greater. Santo Domingo Norte is statiscally the poorest Subdivision of the metropolitan city averaging extremely low income in most of the families residing there.
Government
The mayor of the City of Santo Domingo is Roberto Salcedo from the Dominican Political Party PLD. The City is administered by the Ayuntamiento del Distrito Nacional (City Administration of the Distrito Nacional), which is responsible for municipal functions. “Policia Districto Nacional” or simply “Policia Nacional” is the Departments encharged of enforcing city safety. The Santo Domingo province, even though not part of Santo Domingo (D.N & Capital) since 2002, is still considered a part of the greater metropolitan area and is divided into municipalities which have their own local mayor.
Crime
In the past five years Crime has been a big issue in Santo Domingo and the rest of the country. Following the 2003 Collapse of the Dominican economy crime has reached ultimates highs. In Santo Domingo crime rates are high especially those involving assaults, theft, weapons, and in some cases drug sale. In 2006, incumbent president Leonel Fernandez published a decree prohibiting the sales of alcoholic beverage after midnight in weekdays causing lots of controversy trying to avoid late night crimes. Despite efforts to control violence citizens still say little has been done to confront it. Even thought crime has calmed down in 2007 since the 2003 collapse, is still in high alerting levels.
Education
There are eighteen universities in Santo Domingo, the highest number of any city in the Dominican Republic. Established in 1538, Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo is the oldest university in the New World and is also the only public university in the city. With no doubt the city of Santo Domingo holds the biggest population percentage in the nation with a higher education degree .
Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo (UASD)
Universidad Adventista Dominicana (UNAD)
Universidad APEC (UNAPEC)
Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD)
Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC)
Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)
Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) (UNIBE)
Universidad Católica de Santo Domingo (UCSD)
Universidad de la Tercera Edad (UTE)
Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago (UTESA)
Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU)
Instituto de Ciencias Exactas (INCE)
Universidad Organización y Método (O&M)
Universidad Interamericana (UNICA)
Universidad Eugenio María de Hostos (UNIREMOS)
Universidad Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal (UFHEC)
Universidad Instituto Cultural Domínico Americano (UNICDA)
Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM)
Instituto Tecnológico de las Americas (ITLA)
Landmarks
Famous landmarks in Santo Domingo include the Calle el Conde, the Puerta de la Misericordia, the Catedral Primada de America, and the Alcázar de Colón, all of which are located within the Zona Colonial district of the city. Outside of the colonial quarters, the area surrounding the Malecón (seawall) is a vibrant commercial and tourist center, having as a centerpiece the large obelisk located at the eastern end of the Avenida George Washington.
Other places of interest are the Plaza de la Cultura, which houses the city's most important cultural venues such as the Teatro Nacional and the Museo de Arte Moderno; the Palacio de Bellas Artes, a neoclassical theatre that is the permanent home of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional (National Symphony Orchestra); the Parque Mirador Sur, a six-kilometre park in the southwestern part of the city; the Faro a Colón, a cross-shaped lighthouse built in honor of Christopher Columbus; and the Boulevard 27 de Febrero, a pedestrian promenade located on the busy Avenida 27 de Febrero which displays many works of art from prominent Dominican artists and sculptors.
Some others may include Centro Olimpico Juan Pablo Duarte a sports complex in the center of Santo Domingo. This complex was used during the 2003 Pan-American Games.
Transportation
Public transport
The main public transportation system is managed by the Oficina Metropolitana de Servicios de Autobuses (OMSA), which is funded by the government. The OMSA buses run on schedule most of the time and constitute an inexpensive way to get around the city. Buses without air conditioning cost $5DOP (Dominican Peso), roughly $.17USD; whereas buses with air conditioning cost $10DOP and tend to be more comfortable and less crowded. There are also express buses that only stop at major transportation hubs.
There are many private bus companies that have starting and stopping points all around the city. These smaller buses generally wait at these stopping points until they have a sufficient number of passengers to leave. If passengers know where the bus is going (the destinations are often indicated by a sign in the front windshield), they can flag it down by outstretching an arm and pointing downward.
These buses usually don't have scheduled stops, so if passengers want to get off, they need to inform the “cobrador”, a person who stands at the door and collects the “pasaje” (fare), who will ask the driver to stop. This man will also hang out the bus door - even while the bus is in motion - to make room for more passengers.
There are several private companies, such as Caribe Tours and Metro Tours, that offer bus coach services from Santo Domingo to various destinations within the country. These services run daily, with some operating several trips a day on the most popular or frequent routes, such as Santo Domingo - Punta Cana, Santo Domingo - Santiago, among others.
Another method of transportation used by the general public is “carros públicos” (share a taxi) which are informal taxis that run up and down a street. They are more expensive than OMSA buses, but considerably less expensive than regular taxis.
The ride is shared with others in close quarters, which makes this form of transportation dangerous for tourists who become easy targets for pickpockets. The safest form of transportation is by calling a regular taxi or renting a car.
Although not as common in the capital as in the country , motoconchos are small motorcycles that offer taxi services.
Highways
There are 5 major highways in the Dominican Republic that link the city to different areas in the country. DR-1 is the longest, connecting Santo Domingo to Santiago de los Caballeros and other cities in the north. DR-2 connects the city to the southwestern region of the island. DR-3 connects the city of Santo Domingo with the eastern region of the country, which is where most tourist hotels and resorts are found.
Rail transport
The Santo Domingo Metro is a 15km underground and elevated system consisting of three proposed lines. The first line is currently under construction and crosses the Santo Domingo province from north to south. This line will begin elevated at Villa Mella (Santo Domingo Norte), located north of the Isabela River and north of the city center, and will terminate at Centro de los Héroes in the southern coast of Santo Domingo, near the seawall district (Malecon). Some of the stops on the first line will be the Teatro Nacional (National Theatre), the main campus of the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) and Avenida Lincoln.
The second line is proposed to run in an east-west direction beneath Avenida 27 de Febrero, crossing the first line. The third line will also run in an east-west direction, but it will run beneath Avenida John F. Kennedy.
The first line is expected is said to be completed for February 27th 2008, the day of Independence of the Dominican Republic. Presently around 60% of the physical Construction is done and the Viaduct is almost completely finished.
Airports
Santo Domingo is served by one major international airport, Las Americas International Airport JFPG. The airport has two terminals, the newer one just completed in 2006 added six more gates on the northern end of the facility. The airport is currently the busiest in the country, handling over 2.5 million passengers per year.
The Aeropuerto Internacional La Isabela is a secondary, newly constructed airport located in the northern section of the city, within kilometres of the city center. It is not currently used as a major international airport, servicing mostly domestic and charter flights. It was built to replace the obsolete Herrera Airport, which was considered by many too dangerous due to the proximity to commercial and residential areas. Many pilots also cited the length of the runway as inadequate for most private jets .
Places of interest
Colonial District of Santo Domingo
Oldest Continuously Populated City in The New World. it could be traced back to as early as 1500's after Columbus arrival. Colonial City is a UNESCO Historic Site.
Museums
The City of Santo Domingo has a numerous museums, most of them are within the Zona Colonial District.
Parks and Recreational Areas
Santo Domingo has various parks called Miradores which are located in the East, North, and South sections of the City. Even though these parks are relatively big, Santo Domingo still lacks enough Recreational areas.
Sports
Santo Domingo is home to the Leones del Escogido and Tigres del Licey baseball clubs of the Dominican Winter League. Estadio Quisqueya serves as the home stadium for both teams. Baseball is the most popular sport in the city, however basketball, tennis, golf and other sports are played as well. Centro Olimpico Juan Pablo Duarte is the central sports Complex of the city, located at the center of the city. Estadio Quisqueya is undergoing an expansion and re-construction project for the 2008-09 Winter League Season.
They are several Sporting Clubs in the City of Santo Domingo (Private). The most popular are Club Arroyo Hondo, Club Naco, Club Paraiso, Club los Prados and the Santo Domingo Tennis Club which is a very popular tennis center.
Photo Gallery
Image:MaleconG.jpg|The coast of the City of Santo Domingo. "El Malecon"
Image:Santo_Domingo_15.jpg|Santo Domingo's modern architecture.
Image:Santo Domingo 10.jpg| Section of La Esperilla a high area of development within the D.N
Image:Zona Colonial 2.jpg|Town Houses in Zona Colonial
Image:Santo Domingo 13.jpg|John F Kennedy Avenue, Santo Domingo
Image:SD Noche 2.jpg|Santo Domingo by night
Image:Avenida Anacaona.jpg|Anacaona Avenue in Santo Domingo
Image:BellaVistamall.jpg|Bella Vista Mall & Plaza, the city’s newest upscale mall
Notable residents
See also
References
