Tourist guide to the Colonial Zone, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Santo Domingo is the oldest city in the New World and was founded by Christopher Columbus and his younger brother, Bartolomé Colón, in 1496. The part of the city inhabited at the beginning of the 16th century is called the Colonial Zone (Zona Colonial in Spanish). The Colonial Zone boasts many firsts for the New World. The first paved street, university, cathedral, castle, monastery, hospital and fortress to name a few. With beautiful architecture and rich history, the Zona Colonial is a must-see while visiting Santo Domingo. The Colonial Zone has been classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
In the Colonial Zone, in addition to the beauty of the historic buildings, you will find: hotels, restaurants, cafes, museums, bars, shops, etc. The two most famous streets in the Colonial Zone are Calle Las Damas (the street of women) and Calle Conde. Calle Las Damas was the street that high society women walked down after church on their way to lunch. Calle Las Damas is an incredible street during the day, but it becomes even more incredible at night when the street lights turn the walls of the buildings a beautiful shade of orange. With every step you take on the first paved street in the New World, you travel further back in time until you feel like you’re back in the 1500s walking alongside Christopher Columbus himself.
Hotels
There are many hotels to choose from and they offer a wide range of prices, from budget to elegant. The good thing about budget hotels in this area is that they are clean and have friendly staff, many of whom speak English. Keep in mind that these are old buildings and while they are clean, most rooms are small with “old building” issues. Still, for the price, I think they offer a great experience in a great area. There are many of these hotels and many offer different special offers at different times, making it difficult to recommend a specific hotel. The reason why I like hotels in this area is that when you leave your hotel, you don’t need to pay for a taxi to take you to a place to enjoy. You are now at the #1 destination in Santo Domingo.
At the higher end, there are several hotels to enjoy, but I will talk about Hodelpa Nicolás De Ovando. This hotel has spacious rooms, a nice backyard to enjoy in the evenings, a small bar, good food for breakfast buffet and for dinner they have a wonderful menu, but the two best aspects of this hotel are its history and its architecture. Nicolás de Ovando, Christopher Columbus’ traveling companion, was the 3rd Governor of the Indies and this hotel was his home and dates back to 1502. This hotel is located on Calle Las Damas (the first paved street) in one of the first houses built , so for me, there is no better place to stay than to be able to immerse yourself in the culture of the oldest city in the New World. But don’t worry if the hotel is out of your budget, you can visit it and enjoy a cocktail at the bar or on the patio.
Things to do and see
walking tour
I suggest you do the walking tour of Calle Las Damas and make it the first thing you do when you arrive in the Colonial Zone. Once you understand the buildings and their history, you will be able to enjoy them more. For example, if you are sitting in the Plaza de España (Plaza España) having a nice dinner, while looking across the square and seeing the stone building, it will no longer be just a stone building because after doing the walking tour, you will see you will understand that this is the house of the son of Christopher Columbus, Diego Columbus.
As you walk down Calle Las Damas, you will be approached by tour guides who will offer you the walking tour. So far all the tours I have taken have been with guides who speak excellent English. The walking tour usually lasts two hours. I usually talk to the tour guide beforehand and ask him to do the highlights and try to complete the tour in 1-1 1/2 hours. The cost of the tour is usually around $1,000 Dominican pesos ($20 USD), but you can try to negotiate a lower price. The tour guides do a great job and are caring so I think they make $1,000 pesos.
The next section will talk about some of the buildings worth seeing and many of them will be included in the tour.
Buildings, Museums and Historical Attractions
Cathedral of Saint Mary/ The Cathedral of Saint Mary– Built in 1514, it is the first cathedral in America. This cathedral is an active cathedral and performs services and has 7 beautiful chapels.
Alcazar de Colon It is the home of the son of Christopher Columbus (Diego Colón). This house has been turned into a beautiful museum with some original furniture and some reproductions of the original furniture. Walking through this museum will give you an idea of how Columbus lived in the 16th century.
Spain Square it is a large open meeting area that on one side has 8 restaurants overlooking the plaza and on the other side has the Alcázar de Colón (the home of Diego Colón, son of Christopher Columbus). The square is located at the end of Calle Las Damas.
Ladies Street it is probably the most historically important street in the city. It was the first paved street in the Americas and it was also the street that high society women walked down after church to attend lunch. The street is lined with buildings from the 1500s that have now been converted into museums, hotels, restaurants, etc. Draw in history as you walk down this street.
Count Street it is probably the second most important street in the city. This street is closed for cars and it is full of shops, cafes, restaurants, hotels, and it has a small park (Parque Colón) in the middle and on the other side of this street, it has Independence Park (Parque de la Independencia) .
Ozama Fortress It is a 16th century castle built overlooking the Ozama River in the Colonial Zone. This is the oldest European designed fort in the Americas.
San Francisco Ruins They are the remains of a monastery built in preparation for the Franciscan Fathers in 1508. This is considered an important ruin and was the work of Governor Nicolás de Ovando.
PAntheon of the Homeland Originally a church for the Jesuits, it was later converted into a mausoleum to house the remains of some of the most notable national, civil and military heroes of the Dominican Republic.
Parque Colon (Columbus Park) It was the main meeting place for the festivities in colonial times and it still is today. Located on Calle Conde in front of the Hotel Conde and bordering the Cathedral of Santa María, it is a great place to sit on a park bench under a tree and take a break from visiting the museums and ruins to soak up the beauty and culture.
Restaurants, bars, cafes and nightclubs
There are many restaurants, bars, cafes and nightclubs in the Colonial Zone. I’ll focus on the ones that have historical significance, the ones I’ve enjoyed, and some that our past customers have enjoyed.
Overlooking both the Plaza España (Spain Square) and the Alcazar de Colón (Deigo Colón’s house) there are 8 restaurants located in a row. Each of them has a menu located in front of the restaurant in Spanish and English. All 8 restaurants are elegant and the oldest restaurant in the New World is one of these 8. Pate Palo (the wooden leg) once owned by a one legged pirate is a 500 year old restaurant where Sir Francis Drake ate once. Whether you eat at Pate Palo or one of the other 8, you can’t go wrong choosing one of these.
On Calle Conde there are several restaurants to choose from. They are casual dresses for lunch and casual or fancy casual at night. Segrefrados, an Italian restaurant, is an excellent place not only to eat, but also to people watch. They have great coffee in the morning to start your day, and their pizzas are great too. For more traditional Dominican cuisine, you can visit the first floor of the Conde hotel. This restaurant has a patio with a view of both Parque Calon and the Cathedral of Santa María.
At the end of Calle Conde there is a very famous café/dining room called Grands, formerly Pacos. This restaurant is open 24 hours a day and is a great place for coffee and breakfast to start your day. This is not a fancy place, but a regular cafe that any day of the week you will see people gathering here to enjoy a good conversation over their coffee and Dominican style food, no matter what time it is.
LuLus Tasting Bar is a great place to enjoy a cocktail and dinner. It is a very modern place that is casual to upscale.
Onnos is a nightclub located in the heart of the Colonial Zone where you can listen to the country’s favorite music (Bachata, Merengue and Salsa).
As I mentioned before, there are many more restaurants, cafes, bars, and nightclubs to choose from, but I wanted to give you a list of what we consider to be the popular options. As you walk you will see many others, if you see one you like just walk in and enjoy.
In conclusion
Between the history, museums, great restaurants, cafes, and nightlife, the Zona Colonial should be a must-see for anyone visiting the Dominican Republic. This is a friendly English speaking area that is very safe to walk around as a tourist.