Santo Domingo Colonial Zone

The Colonial Zone (Ciudad Colonial) is the historic heart of Santo Domingo, on the west bank of the Ozama River, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. The city was founded in 1498 and rebuilt on this bank in 1502, and its grid of streets became the model for town planning across the Americas. It is the oldest continuously inhabited European city in the Americas, with the first cathedral, the first hospital and the Ozama Fortress, the oldest European fortress in the Americas. You explore it on foot: the streets are flat but cobbled, and midday is hot, so walk early or late. Dress modestly in the cathedral, where tourist visits pause during Mass. From Bávaro it is about 2.5 to 3 hours by road, so a day trip from Punta Cana takes 9 to 12 hours, often with the Los Tres Ojos caves on the way. It can be visited year-round. No excursion we photograph goes here, so photos in the Colonial Zone are a private shoot, arranged in advance.