Day trips from Santo Domingo: the old city and beyond

Santo Domingo was the first European city of the Americas, and its Colonial Zone is small enough to walk. Across the Ozama River are the Columbus Lighthouse and the cave lagoons of Los Tres Ojos; east along the coast, the beaches of Boca Chica and the stone village of Altos de Chavón; north, Santiago de los Caballeros. Here is what each of our five involves.

One day in the city: the full-day tour, with the Colonial Zone, the Columbus Lighthouse and Los Tres Ojos. Half a day: the Colonial Zone on foot.

The five, side by side

Trip	Length	Leaves	Price
Santo Domingo: Private Day Tour of the Colonial Zone, Los Tres Ojos and the Columbus Lighthouse	8h	07:00	from €350
Santo Domingo: Private Tour of the Colonial Zone	4h	07:00	from €100
Santo Domingo: Private Half-Day Trip to Boca Chica and Juan Dolio	5h	07:00	from €100
Santiago de los Caballeros Private Day Trip from Santo Domingo	10h	07:00	from €350
Altos de Chavón and La Romana Private Day Trip from Santo Domingo	9h	07:00	from €470

Prices are starting prices and depend on the size of your group.

How to choose

You have one day, and it has to count

The full-day tour. Eight hours from 07:00: the Colonial Zone on foot while the streets are still quiet, the Columbus Lighthouse east of the river, finished in 1992, the lagoons of Los Tres Ojos, lunch, the Alcázar de Colón and a drive along the Malecón. The Alcázar is closed on Mondays.

You only have half a day

The Colonial Zone tour. Four hours, starting at 07:00 or 13:00: the cathedral on Parque Colón, the oldest in the Americas, Calle Las Damas past the National Pantheon to the Ozama Fortress, the Alcázar de Colón on Plaza de España, Calle El Conde and the Malecón. On the early start the Alcázar is not yet open, so we see it from the square.

You want a beach

Boca Chica and Juan Dolio. Five hours, starting at 07:00 or 13:00: the shallow lagoon of Boca Chica, calm behind its reef, with fried fish at the stalls, then the quieter sand of Juan Dolio. Boca Chica is busy with families at weekends; weekdays are quieter.

You want the country's second city

Santiago de los Caballeros. Ten hours, nearly five of them on the road through the Cibao valley: the Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration on its hill, Parque Duarte, the cathedral and the Fortaleza San Luis, and a workshop where cigars are rolled by hand.

You want the stone village and the sea

Altos de Chavón and La Romana. Nine hours, about an hour and three-quarters each way: a short stop in La Romana, the village above the Chavón River built in the style of a 16th-century Mediterranean town, then lunch and a swim at Bayahibe.

Four things worth knowing before you book

Some things are paid on the day

The price covers the private vehicle, driver, fuel, tolls and parking. Entrances, the boat at Los Tres Ojos, the gate at Altos de Chavón, lunch and drinks are paid on the day. A guide is not included; licensed guides can be hired in the Colonial Zone.

Dress for the churches, and for the steps

The cathedrals are working churches, so cover your shoulders and knees. Los Tres Ojos is reached by several flights of stone steps, down and back up.

Private costs less than you think for a group

A coach seat is cheap for one person and stops being cheap at four. Our prices are by group size, not per seat: up to four of you share one car at one price, and the price only steps up when you need a van. And you are not waiting for forty strangers at every stop.

You can change your mind

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pick-up, refunded in full. If the date stops working, message us and we will do our best to move you to another day.