DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
The heart of Santo Domingo, known as the Zona Colonial or Colonial Zone, dates back to 1492, when explorer Christopher Columbus anchored here during his voyage to the New World. He named the island now known as the Dominican Republic - Hispaniola (little Spain), and his brother, Bartholomew, subsequently established the earliest Spanish outpost in the Americas.
Now a Unesco World Heritage Site, the 11 square blocks that make up the origins of the capital house the oldest cathedral, street and European fortress in the Americas, along with the governors’ residences and administrative palaces, which have been carefully restored to their original grandeur. Alongside these, you’ll find plazas, statues, monuments and buildings that have been repurposed into museums, shops, restaurants and hotels. With so much to take in, you’ll need a good couple of days to wander around.
DAY 1: CENTRE STAGE
The Colonial Zone’s central square and its adjacent streets boast some ot die key historical and contemporary points of interest lor any exploration of die wider old city. Parque Colón, a large tree-fringed plaza, houses shops and cafes in graceful Spanish colonial style on one side, while the imposing Basilica Catedral Santa Maria de la Encarnación dominates die odier.
Inside the cathedral sits a series of chapels
