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Aerial view of the Colonial City of Santo Domingo, with the stone roof of the cathedral, the trees of Parque Colón, the white Palacio Consistorial and the city behind

Where to stay in Santo Domingo

Photographed in 2019. Photo: Mariordo (Mario Durán & German Valverde), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Santo Domingo

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About Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo's airport lies east of the city: the Zona Colonial is about 28 km away by road, and the beaches of Boca Chica, about 10 km away, and Juan Dolio, about 33 km, lie further east. The choice is between the old city on foot, the districts west of it and the coast east of the airport.

Dominican Republic. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Las Américas International (SDQ), east of the city near Boca Chica: about 10 km by road from Boca Chica beach, about 28 km from the Zona Colonial and about 33 km from Juan Dolio. Source
Toll into the city
DOP 100 for a car at the Las Américas booth, km 22 of the Autopista Las Américas. Source
Entry
EU, UK and US visitors need no visa. A stay beyond 30 days pays a fee on departure, on a sliding scale by the length of the stay. Source
Stays over 30 days
The immigration directorate extends a tourist stay beyond 30 days up to 120 days. The request is free and made online; the fee for the extra days is paid online or at the airport. Source
E-Ticket
Free online entry and exit form at eticket.migracion.gob.do, compulsory on commercial flights and shown to the airline. Guests in a vacation rental enter the host's full address. The USD 20 departure tax is in the air fare. Source
ITBIS
18% on hotels, apartment hotels, villas and tourist apartments. Renting a dwelling as a home is exempt. Source
Legal tip
Hotels must add 10% to guests' bills as a tip for the staff, under article 228 of the Labour Code. Source
Short-term rental register
The Ministry of Tourism consulted from 20 May to 22 July 2026 on a draft resolution to register short-term vacation rentals and their hosts. Whether it has been signed is unverified as of September 2026. Source
Zona Colonial traffic plan
Since 17 August 2026, access control limits through traffic every day in the cathedral area bounded by calle Arzobispo Meriño, calle Padre Billini and calle Las Damas. The only exceptions named are emergency vehicles and refuse trucks. Source
Parking with a rental car
State car parks run by ParqueatRD: DOP 50 an hour from Monday to Thursday, DOP 100 an hour from Friday to Sunday and on holidays, open 24 hours. Source
Metro
DOP 20 a trip, or DOP 360 for 20 trips on a rechargeable card that costs DOP 60. Source
Emergency number
911 for ambulance, fire and police. Source

Areas of Santo Domingo

Calle Las Damas in the Zona Colonial, a brick-paved street between stone colonial buildings, with planters, bollards and a parked white car
Photo: Desox7x, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Zona Colonial

The walled old city on the west bank of the Ozama River, the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, covering about 1 square kilometre. It suits a short stay on foot among the colonial streets, less so a stay built around the car.

Las Américas airport
about 28 km
Gazcue
about 4 km

Car and parking

Since 17 August 2026 a city plan limits through traffic every day in the cathedral area between Arzobispo Meriño, Padre Billini and Las Damas, entered from the north. The council points drivers to the Atarazana car park on calle Restauración, 196 spaces, and the Zona Colonial car park on avenida Mella. ParqueatRD, the state operator that runs the Atarazana, lists DOP 50 an hour from Monday to Thursday and DOP 100 from Friday to Sunday and on holidays for its public car parks, paid in cash.

The seafront promenade of the Malecón in Santo Domingo, with palm trees and concrete benches beside the sea and traffic on the avenue
Photo: -wuppertaler, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gazcue and the Malecón

Gazcue, one of the oldest sectors of the city, west of the Zona Colonial, was originally an upper-class neighbourhood and is now home mostly to the upper middle class. The Malecón, the Avenida George Washington along the Caribbean, is about 2 km away by road. It suits a stay in a residential district within reach of the old city and the seafront.

Las Américas airport
about 29 km
Zona Colonial
about 4 km
The Malecón
about 2 km

Car and parking

No on-street meter scheme was found in the city (via GetCar), so ask whether the hotel or apartment has parking. The Zona Colonial is about 4 km away by road.

Piantini and Naco

Neighbouring districts in the Polígono Central, one of the most developed commercial areas of the country, with residential towers, corporate offices, shopping centres and banks; Naco was laid out from 1959 on the grounds of the old Andrews airport. It suits a business trip or a month in a modern apartment, less so sightseeing on foot.

Las Américas airport
about 32 km
Zona Colonial
about 7 km

Car and parking

No on-street meter scheme was found in the city (via GetCar), so ask whether the building has parking. The Zona Colonial is about 7 km away by road.

Boats moored at a wooden jetty at Boca Chica, with swimmers in the shallow turquoise water and the palm-lined beach behind
Photographed in 2017. Photo: Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Boca Chica

A town with a popular beach of the same name, about 30 km east of the capital and about 10 km from the airport by road. It suits a beach stay close to the airport, less so a city break.

Las Américas airport
about 10 km
Zona Colonial
about 33 km

Car and parking

No toll booth between the airport and Boca Chica, and the beach is public, with no parking fee published (via GetCar).

The public beach at Juan Dolio, with shallow turquoise water, sand, palm trees and low buildings along the shore
Photographed in 2012. Photo: Fanarchiv, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Juan Dolio

A seaside community on the south coast in San Pedro de Macorís province, part of the Guayacanes municipal district, with a public beach at its centre. It suits a beach base east of the airport, with Boca Chica about 25 km back towards the city.

Las Américas airport
about 33 km
Boca Chica
about 25 km
Zona Colonial
about 57 km

Car and parking

About half an hour from the airport on the Autovía del Este with no toll booth, and the beach is public, with no parking fee published (via GetCar).

Guides

Where to stay

Where to stay in Santo Domingo with a car: the areas compared

Santo Domingo spreads west of its old city along the Caribbean, and its airport sits about 28 km to the east by road. The Zona Colonial is for walking, Gazcue and the Polígono Central west of it are residential and business districts, and Boca Chica and Juan Dolio, east of the airport, are the beach bases.

Photo: Desox7x, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Questions

Can a car drive into the Zona Colonial?

Since 17 August 2026 a city plan limits through traffic every day in the cathedral area between calle Arzobispo Meriño, calle Padre Billini and calle Las Damas, entered from the north. The city council points drivers to the Atarazana car park on calle Restauración and the Zona Colonial car park on avenida Mella; ask a hotel inside the area how its guests arrive.

What taxes are added to a hotel or apartment in Santo Domingo?

ITBIS at 18% on hotels, villas and tourist apartments, and hotels add a legal 10% tip to guests' bills. Renting a dwelling as a home is exempt from ITBIS.

How far is the airport from the city?

About 28 km by road to the Zona Colonial, through the Las Américas booth at DOP 100 for a car, while Boca Chica, about 10 km from the airport, has no toll on the way (via GetCar).

How much do the state car parks cost?

ParqueatRD, the state operator, charges DOP 50 an hour from Monday to Thursday and DOP 100 an hour from Friday to Sunday and on holidays, 24 hours a day. Its FAQ says payment is in cash, with card payment being introduced.